Death Watch Galaxy

Accuracy

Accuracy X/-X: A cumulative, static ability that means, "Add X to each of this unit’s attack dice." and "Subtract X from each of this unit’s attack dice." respectively. Accuracy can’t alter "natural" rolls to affect Critical Hit, Fury, or Parry, but it can affect your chance against Armor. If a unit gets the Accuracy ability after you roll attack dice, it's too late to affect the hits.

Area Damage

Area Damage X: A cumulative, triggered ability that means, "Whenever damage from this unit's attack causes a unit in this arena to be discarded, this unit may do X dice of damage to another unit in this arena."

Armor

Armor: An isolated, static ability that means, "This unit can only be hit on a roll of 5 or more." Armor works against dice of damage and attack dice. It redefines what die roll is required to hit a unit. It doesn’t modify the die roll like Accuracy. A unit with Accuracy 1 attacking a unit with Armor hits with 4's, 5's, and 6's.

Bombard

Bombard X: A cumulative, static ability that means, "This unit may attack a unit in the Ground arena instead of the Space arena, using X power plus any other effects." You choose whether to use Bombard to attack a unit in the Ground arena or to make a normal attack in the Space arena. You can't attack a unit in the Space arena using Bombard. Power changes affect Bombard.

Bounty

Bounty: [bonus]: A layered ability triggered during a unit discard that means, "When another unit is discarded by damage from this unit, you gain the following when your next build step starts." Bounty triggers even if the attacking unit leaves play. Bounty works in the build zone. You will gain the bounty even if the attacking unit is sent to the discard pile. The unit can't collect a bounty on itself.

Critical Hit

Critical Hit X: A cumulative ability triggered during the pending damage POP that means, "If you rolled at least one natural six with this unit's attack dice, this unit does X more damage for this attack." Only one natural "6" counts in the attack roll after re-rolls. If a unit gets the Critical Hit ability after you roll attack dice, it's too late to affect the damage. Accuracy can't increase the die roll to a natural "6". However, you or your opponent may use an effect to re-roll dice to affect the number of natural sixes. (You only count the six, if any, from the roll used for the attack.) Critical Hit applies only to dice rolled for an attack, not to dice rolls for abilities like Retaliate.

Double Damage

Double Damage: An isolated, static ability played during the damage placement POP that means, "Put 1 additional damage counter on the defending unit for each 1 damage that wasn't prevented." Damage counters placed by a unit with Double Damage are in addition to the counters that would be placed normally if the attacking unit did not have Double Damage.

Double Strike

Double Strike: An isolated, static ability played after the attack end POP that means, "You may choose a unit that this unit can attack. This unit attacks that unit. Play only if this unit just attacked and only if it tapped for that attack." The unit must tap for the first attack, not the second. If it untaps, it may double strike again. Double Strike doesn't allow you to attack your own units.

Evade

Evade X: A layered ability activated during the damage prevention POP that means, "Prevent up to X damage to this unit." You can play Evade only once for each instance of damage. You don't have to use all of the Evade. You choose how much damage to Evade up to X, even if the full amount of damage or more is pending.

Focus

Focus X: A cumulative ability triggered by the initial dice roll that means, "When you roll at least one natural five with this unit's attack dice before re-roll, this unit gets +X power for its next attack." Only the first natural "5" counts. A five rolled after re-roll doesn't matter. Focus applies only to dice rolled for an attack, not to dice rolls for abilities like Retaliate. Accuracy can't increase the die roll to a natural "5."

Fury

Fury X: A cumulative ability triggered by the initial dice roll that means, "When you roll at least one natural four with this unit's attack dice before re-roll, roll X additional attack dice." Only the first natural "4" counts. A four rolled after re-roll doesn't matter. If your unit gets the Fury ability after you roll attack dice, it's too late to roll additional attack dice. Fury applies only to dice rolled for an attack, not to dice rolls for abilities like Retaliate. Accuracy can't increase the die roll to a natural "4."

INSERT

INSERT: A layered, static ability that means, "When this card is in play or stacked under the unit, the unit gets the following effect:" Insert works while in the build zone. The effect works while anywhere in the unit's stack. The granted ability remains to be the ability of its type. (For example, activated abilities granted by Insert may be disrupted.) The granted effect may not work in the build zone as per the rule for the rule for that effect.

Intercept

Intercept: A selective ability activated during the attack POP that means, "If one of your other units is being attacked in the same arena, the attacking unit now attacks this unit instead." Intercept doesn't end the attack. Any number of units may intercept an attack once for each instance of the effect. Each intercepting unit has been attacked. Intercept isn’t a prevention ability. Intercept doesn’t cause a new attack. (It is the same attack.) Your unit may intercept an attack from one of your own units (but not from itself) as long as that unit can attack it. If it can't attack the intercepting unit, you can pay its activation, but the defending unit won’t change. "For this attack" effects do not trigger for each intercept. Some effects may end because they don't apply to the new defending unit unless the effect's conditions are met by the new defending unit. An effect that addresses the attack can't be played for each intercept, but could continue.

Ion Cannon

Ion Cannon X: A cumulative, static ability that means, "This unit may attack a unit in the Space arena instead of the Ground arena, using X power plus any other effects." You choose whether to use Ion Cannon to attack a unit in the Space arena or to make a normal attack in the Ground arena. You can’t attack a unit in the Ground arena using Ion Cannon. Power changes affect Ion Cannon.

Meditate

Meditate: An isolated effect activated during a POP chance or your build step that means, "You may play this card from your discard pile without paying the printed cost. Play only during a POP chance or during your build step. When this card would be discarded, remove it from the game instead." Meditate can only be activated when the card is in your discard pile. Paying the Meditate activation cost means you don't pay the normal printed cost of the card.

Overkill

Overkill: An isolated ability triggered during the pending damage POP that means, "When this unit attacks, you may divide hits in excess of the defending unit's remaining health between that unit and another unit in the same arena." The player who controls the attacking unit decides how many hits (if any) in excess of the defending unit's remaining health to reassign as damage to the second unit. (That player can't change their mind afterward.) A number of hits equal to the defending unit's health must be assigned to the defending unit, and the remainder may be assigned to the defending unit or another unit in the same arena. Overkill damage is caused by the ability, not the die roll. Shields, Parry, and Armor have no effect against it, but damage prevention not specifying dice works normally. Both units resolve damage in tandem.

Pilot

[sub-type] Pilot: A layered, static ability written as "[sub-type] Pilot. The [sub-type] gets:… ." that means, "You may move this card onto or off of a non-Droid Space or Ground unit of the correct sub-type once during the build step. Ignore all other text on this card except its name, sub-type and health. The piloted unit can't have more than one Pilot." Treat all of a unit's Pilot abilities for a sub-type as a single Pilot ability for that sub-type. It grants abilities to that unit alone. See the "Pilots" section of the rules PDF for more info.

Reduced Cost

Reduced Cost X: A selective, static effect that means, "This card’s cost is X if the listed condition is met." Reduced Cost on cards refers to the build cost, except for Battle cards, where it refers to the Force activation cost. For this keyword, the conditional statement will always start with "If" for clarity. The condition must be met in order for you to be able to pay the "Reduced Cost."

Retaliate

Retaliate X: A layered ability activated during the attack POP that means, "If a unit in the same arena as this unit is attacking this unit, this unit does X dice of damage to that unit when the attack ends." A Retaliate ability without an activation cost has a printed cost of "Pay 0 Force -->". Retaliate resolves when the attack ends, even if your unit gets discarded. Retaliate dice are just dice of damage, not attack dice, and can trigger Stun. Retaliate based on a unit’s power is based on its total power at the time the Retaliate is activated. Retaliate doesn't work with attacks from another arena (such as Bombard and Ion Cannon) or the build zone. A unit may retaliate against itself if it attacks itself. Each Retaliate may be used once per attack. Each defending unit can activate Retaliate during the attack POP, which resolve in their order when the attack ends, even if the retaliating unit is discarded.

Shields

Shields X: A cumulative, static ability that means, "The attacking unit gets –X power against this unit." Shields only matters when attack dice are rolled. If you give a unit Shields after your opponent has rolled for damage, it doesn't affect the roll.

Stealth

Stealth: An isolated, static ability that means, "This unit can't be attacked unless it's tapped or has damage counters on it." An untapped and undamaged unit with Stealth can still be affected by alternative types of damage. (Such as Overkill.) As long as the unit has any number of damage counters on it, it can't use Stealth.

Switch

Switch: [1st/2nd/3rd type effect]: A layered, static ability that means, "As long as this unit is in the first arena listed on its type line, it gets the effects listed to the left of the first slash. As long as this unit is in the second arena listed on its type line, it gets the effects listed to the right of the first slash. As long as this unit is in the third arena listed on its type line, if any, it gets the effects listed to the right of the second slash, if any." If it says "None" as one of the arena type's effect, it means that it gets no extra effects while in that arena. The unit's Switch effects will correspond to the types listed on the unit's type line. There won't be a slash for an arena not listed in the unit's type. Switch doesn't allow units to change arenas during the battle phase.

Upkeep

Upkeep: [Cost]: A layered ability triggered when the build step starts that means, "When the build step starts each turn, you must pay the following cost." You must choose one of the costs that you can pay each turn, and ignore the others. You must still pay the Upkeep costs of a unit even if that unit is in the build zone, becomes the top card of a unique unit stack, or Pilots another unit. The Upkeep must be paid if you can pay it. If you can't pay any of the listed costs in full, then ignore Upkeep. If a unit has multiple Upkeep abilities, fulfilling just one of the Upkeep abilities (such as tapping the unit) does not satisfy all the Upkeep costs at once; it would only satisfy that instance of Upkeep. You may choose the order of multiple Upkeep abilities to keep an Upkeep from being paid, though a different order might pay it.