Editing Star Wars: Legion/Tactics/Empire (section)

====Darth Vader====

Not to be confused with the Commander version of the same guy.  Note that operative Darth Vader may use the Command Cards of commander Darth Vader, and vice versa.

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Upgrade Cards
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'''Force Upgrades (x2 Slots)'''

'''Unaligned Powers'''

''Battle Meditation'' (10 pts.) - Allows you to choose one of your orders to be issued to any unit, if not mentioned on your card. I suppose this has its uses, but what they are, I don’t care to guess.

''Force Guidance'' (10 pts.) - Exhaust this card as a free action to dish out one token each to up to 2 units within range 1-2.  Surges aren't super necessary since Imperials tend to already have them (mainly on offense), but if you're running a lot of Shore Troopers (which don't have surges), you could see some usefulness out of this.

''Force Push'' (10 pts.) - Exhaust this card as a free action to move an enemy unit speed 1.  Vader is slow and wants to cut things with his saber- this will help you do that, especially if you can manage to combine it with Force Throw.

''Force Reflexes'' (15 pts.) - Exhaust this card as a free action to gain a Dodge token. You need Dodge tokens to trigger Vader's ''Deflect'' ability, so you definitely want this. 

''Saber Throw'' (10 pts.) - As an attack action, you can throw a melee weapon at Range 1-2, halving the number of dice you get. Not a bad choice, although this version of Vader actually has a useful ranged 1-2 attack (it has Scatter, which can give a little help getting Vader into melee, where he belongs).  Three red dice with Pierce 3 and Impact 3 is pretty brutal though...

'''Dark Side Powers'''

''Anger'' (5 pts.) - After you suffer 1 or more wounds, gain an Aim Token. It's not bad, but there's a few things to think about.  First, Vader is slow and does best when he's in melee, so it'll be hard for him to actually benefit from this if he's being plugged from a distance (you can rest assured that he will).  Second, Vader already chucks red dice in melee or with Saber Throw, which have a high probability of hitting (75% per die, jumps to 88% if you get surge somehow, like from Jedi Hunter or surge tokens)- so he doesn't really need it that much.  Third, this version of Vader only gets two Force upgrades.  If you're taking this, then you're NOT taking two of the following excellent powers:  Saber Throw, Reflexes, or Push. 

''Fear'' (3 pts.) - After your rally step, you can give an enemy unit at range 1-2 a suppression token.  If you only have 3 spare points and an open Force slot, it's not bad.  But there are other far more useful choices for Vader.

''Force Choke'' (5 pts.) - As a free action, exhaust the card to choose a non-Commander, non-Operative unit at range 1, and it suffers a wound. Could be useful to finish off a pesky enemy unit, but it's competing with other more useful Force powers for the two slots you get.

'''Training Upgrades (x1 Slot)'''

''Duck and Cover'' (8 pts.) - You can intentionally gain 1 Suppression while being shot at, for cover. This version of Vader is actually affected by Suppression, so this could give him a little extra defense as he plods towards his victims.

''Endurance'' (6 pts.) - At the end of your activation, remove 1 Suppression for free.  Vader has Courage 3, so suppression tokens aren't a huge deal to him.  Although if you plan to make heavy use of his Spur rule, you may want this to keep your suppression under control.

''Hunter'' (6 pts.) - When attacking a wounded trooper unit, get 1 free aim token.  Not terrible, but Aim tokens aren't that valuable to Vader, since he's already chucking red dice (which hit 75% of the time, 88% if you've gotten surge) with his lightsaber, and his Force Throw is best used on trooper squads (so he can actually make use of the Scatter effect), which usually can't be considered "wounded".

''Overwatch'' (4 pts.) - Gain Sentinel, making your standby range 1-3.  You don't want Vader on standby, you want him bulldozing into enemies and mercilessly slaughtering them.  Hard pass.

''Tenacity'' (4 pts.) - When making a melee attack while you are wounded gain 1 red attack die.  Not a bad choice, as there's a good chance Vader will be hurt when he finally gets to melee.  You could even use Implacable to ensure he does suffer that wound...
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Command Cards
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(3 pip) ''Darkness Descends'' - [Darth Vader] - When Vader is issued an order, he gains 2 surge tokens.  If you reveal this card at the start of the Deploy Units step, you have to to use during round 1, but Vader gains '''Infiltrate''' and '''Scout 1''', at the cost of having to deploy Vader last. The 10/27/21 update changes this card to a standard Divulge card - if you divulge the card during deployment, Vader deploys at the end of the setup phase and has both Infiltrate and Scout 1. If you didn't divulge, Vader gains Reliable 2. Either way, the card is permanent. Note that this means if you play the card after divulging, you get nothing additional and only get an order for Vader on a 3-pip. Tough call, right?

Have you ever wanted to see Vader deep strike like [[Terminator|Space Marine Terminators]]?  Here's your chance!

(2 pip) ''Fear and Dead Men'' - [Darth Vader] - When Vader uses '''Deflect''', the attacker suffers 1 wound for each blank result, instead of each surge result.  When an enemy unit at range 1-2 and in line of sight of Vader activates, he gains a dodge token.

Vader finally taps into his skill at Djem So to unleash death upon foes.  He gains excellent defense with an increased chance of deflecting (1:3 instead of 1:6), although he'll also be suffering wounds when he successfully deflects.  That one turn where the enemy unleashes everything they have to prevent Vader from reaching them is the one turn he'll make them pay for it.

(1 pip) ''Vader's Might'' - [Darth Vader] - As a free action, choose another non-heavy unit at range 1 and place that unit on the battlefield within range 1 and height 1 of its current position.  If its an enemy unit, you then get to roll a white defense die for each mini in the unit.  The unit suffers a wound for each block or surge result.

Vader picks up a unit and tosses it, and if it's an enemy unit, it potentially takes some damage. Yuck. And since it's a free action, he can still take his normal two actions and murderize things.  Not bad, although the range is a little short.
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Tactics
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This version of Vader is a little weaker than the Commander version, but makes up for it with a little more versatility.  He now has a Courage value, 2 fewer wounds, and throws one less die in melee. He gains the Spur rule (when he makes a move action, he can gain a Suppression token to boost his movement speed by 1), Jedi Hunter (critical surge when attacking someone with access to Force upgrades), and a ranged attack- "Force Throw", which is 2 black dice at range 1-2 with Blast (ignore cover) and Scatter (you may re-cohere the target unit).  Scatter is particularly useful as you can use it to potentially move an enemy unit closer to Vader, or in range of Force Push. He also has two Force slots and one Training slot, rather than the three Force slots of his Commander variant, giving him access to some useful upgrades.  Vader's still a combat monster, and that's where you want him- in front, mercilessly slaughtering his foes.

The 10/27/21 rules update changed this Vader significantly as it did for his Commander variant. His points cost drops to 175 base, and he can take an extra Training upgrade (for a total of two). On top of that, he loses the Spur keyword and his movement speed is now 2. Plus he gains a wound for a total of 7. Operative Vader just went from being "meh" to "terrifying". 
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