Alright so here are my 12 absolute best home-brew powers. Redesigned, simplified, FFG-ified, and ready for action.
Jack if you are reading this feel free to delete EVERYTHING I have in the Warp and replace it with these 12 powers. Quality over quantity, especially with the quantity the Warp boasts. I'll add in their histories some other time... I am tired.
ARCHON Does Not Deal Or Compensate
You have the power of Dominance. Whenever you have a negotiate card in your hand, you must discard it and draw a new card in its place.
If you are required to give compensation, use this power to cancel that compensation.
If you somehow become involved in a deal, use this power to kill the deal. Your opponent loses ships to the warp but you do not, and this counts as a successful encounter for you.
Intimidating beings of violent energy housed in large humanoid frames, their is no word in the Archon vocabulary for "surrender". It is against their very nature to concede defeat, because fighting to the death and showing no compassion are regarded as virtues to this race. They desire their pride and name to be known far and wide through cosmic mastery.
Notes: As Any Player, Mandatory, Novice, Any Phase.
Wild: [start Turn-Resolution Phases] As a main player, you may discard any of your negotiate cards and draw the same number of replacements. If the replacements contain any negotiate cards, you may repeat this process until you are satisfied with the number of negotiates you have.
Super: [Planning Phase] As a main player, before encounter cards are played, you may force your opponent to remove all of his negotiate cards from the game. For each card he removes from the game, you draw one card.
ENGINEER Colonizes Tech Cards
You have the power of Construction. Whenever you have at least 4 of your ships researching a tech card with no token on it, use this power to place a token on that tech card. It counts as both a foreign colony and a home colony for you as long it is in your possession.
You may further research, complete and reveal a tech card with a token on it, but if that tech can't remain in play without needing to be used then you lose the token.
One of the most intuitive and clever races in all the cosmos, the Engineers are strangely reclusive and stay out of most skirmishes and major battles. Unbeknown to the rest of the intergalactic world is that they are secretly building a super weapon of war out of many high tech parts that can eliminate entire galaxies...
Restriction: Use only in a game with tech cards.
Notes: As Any Player, Mandatory, Novice, Regroup Phase.
Wild: [start Turn Phase] At the beginning of your turn you may discard as many reinforcement cards as you desire and place that many of your ships on any tech card(s) you are researching.
Super: [Regroup Phase] When you win an encounter, you may place as many of your winning ships from that encounter as you desire onto tech cards you are researching.
PREDATOR Prevents Opposing Alliances
You have the power to Isolate. As a main player, after ships are launched but before alliances are made, use this power to prevent any alliances with your main opponent.
The Predators are a wild and savage race from a swampy home world who delight in killing the most powerful beings they can find for sport. Incredibly adept at singling out targets and going after them while the target is bereft of help, the Predators see the whole universe as prey in their cosmic hunt.
Notes: Main Player Only, Mandatory, Novice, Alliance Phase.
Wild: [Launch Phase] As a main player during the Launch Phase you may cause the Alliance Phase to be skipped entirely.
Super: [Alliance Phase] You may use your power as an ally to cancel and prevent alliances with your opponent's side.
CONSCIENCE Forces Future Alliances
You have the power of Conviction. Whenever you lose an encounter as a main player, use this power to give your opponent a Conviction token. When you are main player, you may force any or all players who have Conviction tokens (except your opponent) to ally with you and send 4 ships, although they are not required to abandon any colonies in order to do so. Each player not asked to ally who has a Conviction token (except your opponent) must give you an attack card valued 12 or higher if they have it.
When you become the offensive player, all forced alliances with your opponent are broken; take your Conviction token from that player if they had one.
Ethereal beings from an unknown galaxy, the Conscience have been caught up in the warfare against their will. Their assailants are suddenly overcome with conviction and do what they can to help their former enemies. The Conscience desire to end the warfare by winning the Cosmic Encounter, and spreading their ways throughout the universe.
Notes: Main Player Only, Mandatory, Advanced, Resolution Phase.
Wild: [Launch/Alliance Phases] After ships are launched but before alliances are made, if you are a main player in an encounter, you may force any one player of your choice except the opposing main player to ally with you and to give you an attack card 10 or higher if they have it. They chose how many ships to commit.
Super: [Resolution Phase] Forced allies receive nothing for helping you, and return their ships to their colonies.
SADIST Defeats Ships To Win
You have the power of Cruelty. Whenever you send ships to the Warp as the main player in an encounter or by use of a Flare or Artifact as any player, use this power to receive tokens for each ship sent to the Warp.
At the start of any Regroup phase if you have tokens equal to 10x the amount of players starting the game you win. If you are using 4 planets then it is tokens equal to 8x the amount of players. You may still win via the normal method.
Notes: As Any Player, Mandatory, Expert, Any Phase.
Wild: [start Turn-Resolution Phases] Whenever you send another player's ships to the Warp, you may draw one card from the Deck for each player who lost ships to you.
Super: [Resolution Phase] As an ally you may gain tokens for the opposing sides ships sent to the Warp.
TENDRIL Attacks Multiple Planets
You have the power to Linger. As the offensive player, if you lose an encounter you may use this power to orbit your ships around the attacked planet, and not send them to the Warp. Orbiting ships can't move unless being sent to the Warp. Orbiting ships can't be placed in the Warp unless you lose with them as the defensive player. Whenever a player attacks a planet that you are orbiting, they instead encounter you as the defensive player, and if you lose they immediately encounter their original target.
As the offensive player, if you have ships orbiting any planets, you may use this power to side-attack any or all planets you are orbiting in addition to the planet you are aimed at; playing an encounter card for each. Side-attacks can't have alliances on either side, and side-attacked players are defensive main players in every way. If you encounter a planet that you have ships Orbiting, add all the ships together. A successful encounter is dependent on your main battle, not a side-attack.
Ships cannot be voluntarily moved to or from colonies on planets that you orbit. If you lose use of this power ships in orbit go to the Warp.
Technologically advanced to the point of cybernetic enhancement, the agile Tendril have no problem running away to fight another day. True to the swarm mentality, these patient insectoids will let their ships aimlessly orbit around target worlds until the time to relaunch the assault is right. Biding their time, they are willing to wait endlessly to conquer new worlds.
Notes: Offense Only, Optional, Advanced, Planning/Resolution Phases.
Wild: [Planning Phase] If you draw your colony in destiny, you may side-attack any or all of your own planets in order to regain home colonies. Each side-attack has no alliances and you and the defender(s) must play an encounter card for each.
Super: [Planning Phase] As a non-main player, after alliances have been made but before encounter cards are played, you may move as many orbiting ships as you want that reside in the same colored system to orbit any planet(s) within that system.
COLLECTIVE Linked To Lone Home Planet
Game Setup: You do not have the normal amount of planets at the beginning of the game; instead you have only one huge home planet in which you place all your ships. You only lose use of your power when you have none of your ships on your home planet.
You have the power of Unity. As a main player, after alliances have been made but before encounter cards have been played, use this power to add all ships (from all players) on the planet being defended to your total in the encounter instead of how many ships you have involved, unless that total would be less than your ships involved in this encounter.
Losing a defensive encounter on your home planet sends 4 of your ships on it to the Warp if you have at least that many, otherwise all your ships are sent to the Warp. Your home planet is immune to planetary effects such as Omega Missile or powers such as Locust.
The Collective are gifted with immense power gained through a spiritual link to their galaxy-sized home world that is said to literally be their mother. The strength of these beings are linked to whatever world they are in close proximity to in a mystic connection even they do not understand.
Notes: Main Player Only, Mandatory, Advanced, Planning Phase.
Wild: [Planning Phase] As the defensive player, add all your ships in the system you are defending on to your total.
Super: [Planning Phase] When using your power, in addition to its normal effects, you now also add all ships that are outside of the Warp belonging to the owner of the system you are attacking or defending to your total, unless that would be less than your ships involved in the encounter.
VISE Limits Players Hands
You have the power to Clamp Down. At the start of any of your turns, even right before drawing a new hand if one is needed, use this power to limit all players’ hand sizes to the same as yours, forcing them to randomly discard cards from their hand until their hands have the same amount of cards as yours, if they had more cards then you.
The Vice cannot live without their own oppressive rules and are obsessed with control. With a truly twisted sense of equality, these beings bring "order" to the cosmos by oppressing every other being they can to the level they have put themselves under. This paranoia just may be enough to secure universal dominance.
Notes: Main Player Only, Mandatory, Novice, Start Turn Phase.
Wild: [Resolution Phase] Force one player to have his hand reduced to the amount of cards that any other player of your choice has. He must discard at random.
Super: [start Turn Phase] If you have more than 3 cards when using your power, all other players are reduced to a 3 card hand if they have more than 3 cards.
WARMONGER Uses Tech As Weaponry
You have the power of Armament. As a main player after alliances have been made but before encounter cards are played, you may use this power to discard one of your researching or completed tech cards to use as a weapon. For each ship you had on the tech card, or whatever the value of it if completed, send that many ships involved in the encounter from your opponent to the Warp, and the same number of allied ships for each of his allies.
After using this power and returning any researching ships you had on the tech card to your colonies, draw a new Tech card.
In the world of progress and intelligent responsibility, the Warmongers are looked down upon for their extravagant waste of technology and virulent worldview. They do not see it the same way. The Warmonger's moto is "everything is a weapon", and they employ this philosophy to the most destructive degree.
Restriction: Use only in a game with Tech.
Notes: Main Player Only, Optional, Expert, Planning Phase.
Wild: [Reveal Phase] Your total of ships researching Tech and value of completed Tech are added to your total attack power.
Super: [Planning Phase] As a main player you may use your power after alliances have been made but before encounter cards are played to force your main opponent to discard a Tech card of your choice. For each ship he had on it, or whatever the value of it if fully researched, send that many ships involved in the encounter from your opponent' to the Warp, and the same number of allied ships of each of his allies. Draw a new Tech card.
MOTH Attracted To Ship Movement
You have the power of Homing. Any time any other player removes ships for any reason from any planets in which you have no colonies, use this power to place a token on each of those planets. Whenever 5 tokens exist on any one planet, create a colony on that planet. If you gain a colony on any planet with tokens, remove all tokens from it.
Compelled by instinctive cosmic influences, the hapless Moth are magnetized by massive heat fluxes of launching alien ships and light created by planetary battles. The cosmos are quickly becoming aware that their constant use of energy for war is making this imposing race “head towards the light”.
Notes: As Any Player, Mandatory, Novice, Any Phase.
Wild: [Regroup Phase] Once during your regroup phase you may take one of your ships from the Warp and immediately use it to re-establish a colony on one of your home worlds in which you have no colony.
Super: [Launch Phase] During your launch phase of your offensive encounter, you may take tokens from planets in any one system and move them around as you see fit in the same system, as long as no colonies are vacated.
UMBRA Forces Ships-Only Combat
You have the power to Flank. As a main player in an encounter, after cards have been played but before they are revealed you may use this power to force both played encounter cards to be discarded without being revealed. The totals of each side are now factored by ships alone. Reinforcements may be still be played.
Born with wings and space-flight capability, the ever-moving Umbra are nocturnal by nature. Hiding from the light of stars on the dark sides of their planets, they are able to move with the darkness and strike any invaders by surprise. Wary must the alien be who thinks the night holds nothing to be feared...
Notes: Main Player Only, Optional, Advanced, Planning Phase.
Wild: [Alliance Phase]Your main opponent’s allies can only ally 1 ship with him, and may not use Reinforcements.
Super: [Planning Phase] After using your power you may sacrifice any number of your ships not involved in the encounter and remove ships from your main opponent and/or his allies on a 1:1 basis, sending sacrificed and removed ships to the Warp. After doing so recalculate the totals for both sides.
GYRE Rotates Planets
You have the power of Rotation. As a main player during the Regroup Phase you may use this power to rotate a planet in your home system into another player's system on your right or left, once. This rotates the same planet on all systems in the same direction; each planet taking the place of the one moved from the system it is going into. You may not have more than 2 of your planets rotated out of your system.
Home planets that are in a different player's home system may not be encountered by their same-colored owner unless Wild or Special Destiny is drawn. Foreign colonies only count if they are in another player's home system, regardless of planet color.
Few aliens have come to grips with what the mysterious Gyre actually are. Shrouded in secrecy, these beings with bright and colorful ships suddenly take control of planets' orbits and change them to much dismay. When these aliens arrive, everyone else's heads start spinning for more reasons than one.
Notes: Main Player Only, Optional, Expert, Regroup Phase.
Wild: [start Turn-Resolution Phases] You may force everyone to give all their flares to the player either on their right or left, once. Give this card to the Gyre player if there is one in the game instead of rotating it, if not, discard it.
Super: [start Turn-Resolution Phases] When using your power you may rotate an entire system to your left or right instead of a planet. Each player now becomes the color rotated to them.
JESTER Swaps Colonies
You have the power of Transposition. When you color is flipped in the Destiny Pile, you may use this power to switch one colony of any one player on one planet with one colony of one player on any other one planet.
Maniacal laughter fills the hollow void of the cosmos when the eccentric Jesters show up. It seems they have little regard for their own resources and nonchalantly exchange this for that with a smile on their faces and a terrifying chuckle. Could it be that laughter is the best medicine for universal domination?
Notes: Defense Only, Optional, Advanced, Destiny Phase.
Wild: [Alliance Phase] After alliances have been made but before encounter cards have been played, you may swap the ships involved in the encounter of a player who is an offensive ally with those in the encounter of a player who is a defensive ally.
Super: [Destiny Phase] When using your power, you may swap all the ships in the Warp of one player as if it were a colony there with a colony on any planet. There must be at least one ship in the Warp of that player.
Note as of 10/16/2011: Archon and Sadist have been made official as "Warhawk" and Sadist. Vyse is effectively replaced by Mimic, and Umbra is effectively replaced by Graviton.
