Varko Grey (Initiative of at least 5, probably 6 because he has plot armor):

While another friendly ship at range 0-1 defends, if it suffers 2 or more damage, you must cancel 1 damage and receive a strain token.

46 minutes ago, Hoarder of Garlic Bread said:

Varko Grey (Initiative of at least 5, probably 6 because he has plot armor):

While another friendly ship at range 0-1 defends, if it suffers 2 or more damage, you must cancel 1 damage and receive a strain token.

Thematic, but formation flying is a little mechanically clunky for an interceptor. Maybe more akin to, "While a friendly ship defends, if you are in the attackers firing arc, ..."

I also feel like Grey displayed excellent use of his environment, to the point where I might give him, "While you defend, if you and the attacker are at range 1 of the same obstacle, you may spend 1 {evade result}. If you do, the attacker suffers 1 damage."

15 minutes ago, hargleblarg said:

Thematic, but formation flying is a little mechanically clunky for an interceptor. Maybe more akin to, "While a friendly ship defends, if you are in the attackers firing arc, ..."

I also feel like Grey displayed excellent use of his environment, to the point where I might give him, "While you defend, if you and the attacker are at range 1 of the same obstacle, you may spend 1 {evade result}. If you do, the attacker suffers 1 damage."

I'm more inclined to the latter, as in his bio he was known as an unlikely survivor against all odds. Personally, I might go with with something like "when you defend, you may reroll 1 die for each damage card you have." Make him init 4 or something to balance out the strength of the ability, or just make it only ever rerolling 1 die.

?greatness

9 hours ago, hargleblarg said:

Thematic, but formation flying is a little mechanically clunky for an interceptor. Maybe more akin to, "While a friendly ship defends, if you are in the attackers firing arc, ..."

I also feel like Grey displayed excellent use of his environment, to the point where I might give him, "While you defend, if you and the attacker are at range 1 of the same obstacle, you may spend 1 {evade result}. If you do, the attacker suffers 1 damage."

You don't need to formation fly, as it sometimes just comes up during the fray when one friendly is cutting back from a flank.

11 hours ago, hargleblarg said:

I also feel like Grey displayed excellent use of his environment, to the point where I might give him, "While you defend, if you and the attacker are at range 1 of the same obstacle, you may spend 1 {evade result}. If you do, the attacker suffers 1 damage."

That's pretty gross. Basically means 2-primaries should never shoot at him.

2 minutes ago, ClassicalMoser said:

That's pretty gross. Basically means 2-primaries should never shoot at him.

Yeah, that's extremely punishing. However, given that they both have to be at range 1 of the same obstacle, the times it triggers would be pretty rare and require some serious planning.

8 minutes ago, Npmartian said:

Yeah, that's extremely punishing. However, given that they both have to be at range 1 of the same obstacle, the times it triggers would be pretty rare and require some serious planning.

Range 1 of the same obstacle is a significant amount of space. Think of the range of a seismic bomb. Ships that are at range 3 of each other can both be at range 1 of an obstacle.

How about: "While you perform an attack, if you are at range 0 of an obstacle, the defender rolls 1 fewer defense die."

2 hours ago, 5050Saint said:

How about: "While you perform an attack, if you are at range 0 of an obstacle, the defender rolls 1 fewer defense die."

Now that's a spicy one. However, might it be reasonable to add some sort of protective clause? On a 3 hull ace ship, even with that ability, it's probably best to just avoid rocks altogether, and you've got the maneuverability to do so. Especially since you lose your action, unless all the shots at you are obstructed, you're probably just dead for your trouble. I'm loath to make him ignore rocks entirely, but the damage potential and losing your action just hurts an interceptor so much.

1 minute ago, Npmartian said:

Now that's a spicy one. However, might it be reasonable to add some sort of protective clause? On a 3 hull ace ship, even with that ability, it's probably best to just avoid rocks altogether, and you've got the maneuverability to do so. Especially since you lose your action, unless all the shots at you are obstructed, you're probably just dead for your trouble. I'm loath to make him ignore rocks entirely, but the damage potential and losing your action just hurts an interceptor so much.

Just take clouds and trick shot. Add "during the engagement phase, you may ignore asteroids". You can still hit them and lose your action, but you still get to fire. The opposite of Scum TIEs.

45 minutes ago, Npmartian said:

However, might it be reasonable to add some sort of protective clause? On a 3 hull ace ship, even with that ability, it's probably best to just avoid rocks altogether, and you've got the maneuverability to do so

Wait, we finally get a reasonable use case for ablative plating and you want to take it away?

4 minutes ago, ClassicalMoser said:

Wait, we finally get a reasonable use case for ablative plating and you want to take it away?

I literally have no idea what that card does other than "something something asteroid bomb" and had pretty much forgotten it existed.

I just looked it up, and he couldn't even take it lmao it's medium/large only for some reason

Stay mad ablative plating stans

/s

2 minutes ago, Npmartian said:

I just looked it up, and he couldn't even take it lmao it's medium/large only for some reason

Literally more useless than Feedback Array or Saturation

We're talking interceptor aces?

6 hours ago, jagsba said:

We're talking interceptor aces?

Hey, I mean it's in his subtitle, surely that qualifies him, right?

7 hours ago, 5050Saint said:

Just take clouds and trick shot. Add "during the engagement phase, you may ignore asteroids". You can still hit them and lose your action, but you still get to fire. The opposite of Scum TIEs.

IDK, he and his hull breach ship seemed very stressed when he was flooring it through those Debris Clouds. Since he doesn't have force without Palp (whose canonically dead at this point), we don't have to worry about him having mods for multiple shots, for no monster would equip Ruthless to this guy. How about an ability in line with both his character traits and what he does in the short?

"After a friendly ship in your arc defends, if the attack hit and you are outside the attacker's firing arc, you may perform a bonus primary attack against the attacker."

Mad synergy with Outmaneuver, unlike that Turr Phenir K-turn stunt he tried pulling for it to only kill an astromech.

7 hours ago, jagsba said:

We're talking interceptor aces?

If you are who I think you are, I think our mutual friend @impspy made cut with him at a trial you were flying Handbrake Jake to. If Jake's an ace, why not Turr? https://listfortress.com/tournaments/568

3 minutes ago, Hoarder of Garlic Bread said:

unlike that Turr Phenir K-turn stunt he tried pulling for it to only kill an astromech.

Hey, nobody said that the R5 astromechs didn't fix hull damage issues by being the hull damage. If he was just a bit lower he would have nailed the cockpit.

49 minutes ago, Hoarder of Garlic Bread said:

If Jake's an ace, why not Turr?

Jake's only an ace because he's the most acey Rebel.

Jake wouldn't be called an Ace if he was an Imperial.

//

Late Night Hot Take. Probably a Bad Take.

6 minutes ago, theBitterFig said:

Jake's only an ace because he's the most acey Rebel.

Jake wouldn't be called an Ace if he was an Imperial.

//

Late Night Hot Take. Probably a Bad Take.

I think it's a good take. So if it's his red die count stopping him from being a "proper" ace, does Marksmanship Deadeyeshot make him one? Or only Jan's ability?

It's obviously just semantics (just ask what an ace actually means in these forums), but Jake's forced reposition order, lower initiative, 2 red die gun, and primarily support ability make him more of a "pocket ace" than a legitimate ace in my book.

Also A-Wings need Psycho Tycho back at I5.

2 hours ago, Des Darklighter said:

just ask what an ace actually means in these forums

Glad you asked. I believe the answer is pretty interesting and widely misunderstood. It's not about the ability but about the necessity to arc dodge

5 hours ago, Hoarder of Garlic Bread said:

If you are who I think you are, I think our mutual friend @impspy made cut with him at a trial you were flying Handbrake Jake to. If Jake's an ace, why not Turr? https://listfortress.com/tournaments/568

I unironically think he's an ace.

Tycho fits nicely in 2.0 language.

"You may perform actions while stressed. After you perform an action, if you have X or more stress, suffer one damage."

Not sure what X should be. Depends on how much you want him to cost. 2? 3? 5?

I... I don't want Psycho Tycho back.

I just think he's boring.

In 1e, the stuff that made Tycho fun was the way he could really go off the rails with stuff like Expert Handling and Rage. In 2e, I guess he can use Daredevil, but that's about it. Still can't Boost -> Roll. I think he'd hit a bit of a nostalgia vibe, and then be a kinda meh pilot.

Contrast: Tycho with some new pilot ability. I don't have a grand idea what, but I figure 1e Tycho might just be a waste of an I5 A-Wing opportunity.