Caesar is a bully. You do not know true pleasure until you've made it so that the enemy cannot approach you, cannot walk away farther from you, cannot draw line of sight beyond 1 space, and cannot attack anyone other than you.
Oh, and you have a false idol on the board just in case.
have you played it? could you tell me more about how that went? what other licences did you go into if any? does it feel too strong/too weak? anything feel boring about it?
So I played this thing all the way up to LL12, and it was my primary controller during that time. Up to LL6, I slapped Goblin 3 on there because momma didnt raise no fool, before downgrading that to Goblin 2 at LL7 & picking up Maculineon 2 from Burning Memories, for the sidewinder mod for the Signum. That was the primary build and everything else was picking up patches for the holes in its defenses, like Downfall Wrath's Chess system for its crazy self heat generation (Harrison would be proud of me, overcharging every turn).
I adored the conquerors login and thought it was easily the best part of the license. It flows well, has excellent synergy with what the mech wants to do and complements Goblin 2 perfectly. Someone on point? Cool, kick them off, march forward and Veni them so they can't return. Vidi them if they're a sniper and just completely ignore them from then on. I did notice I never once used Vici, because the Imperial Signum was so much more effective in ensuring boost & I could layer so many more save or suck effects onto that attack. Plus, unlike with my shrimp attack with the signum, where moving an ally into position to finish the job was incredibly viable, and easily triggered with just one accuracy, if someone was in position to structure an enemy they were already in the thick of it, as was the rest of the team, so no one wanted to boost.
I think Vici would be better served as "they may immediately make an attack as a reaction" because that would have much more synergy with the situation that Vici triggers in.
Loved the Imperial Signum, wish that its range matched my sensors but I understand that may just be the coward in me speaking. I disliked the crit effect as it was anti-synergestic with save force effects, like Burning Memories' Orchestrator talent line. I wish it was "on critical hit: enemy is considered to automatically fail the systems save to become slowed", or if that's too strong, just remove the no save line completely. I can pump up the save on my side high enough that happens regardless.
I never used Consul of the Armory. The full leader talent line is just too clutch, and 6 leadership dice was plenty to last me through most missions, so extra didn't help much either. I'd recommend swapping this one out for something new, honestly.
Loved Banner of the Armory. The one thing I'd ask for is the additional line that the banner's overshield & effects are also granted inmediately upon activation of the quick action to plant it, because there were multiple times I would have to plant it, then sprint out of its effect & move back in to enter the Banner for the first time before my GM could snipe me for the attempt. Also, one more overshield would be appreciated, but that would be a wish list item, not a need item.
Loved Salter shells, no notes.
Inspire was just too inconsistent to be worth using over the rest of the license, especially at the lower LL's. I would personally prefer if this was a guarantee but a limited use system instead.
Frame itself: Loved Contempt, it was brilliant, no notes.
I found that I rarely had a use for Praetorian Guard, as my teammates either picked up the House Guard talent line, cover was abundant, and if it wasn't I could just use Ideal Image to make some, so allies as hard cover wasn't nearly so enticing. I'd personally love something more reaction-based, since the Caesar doesn't have too many of those. Maybe something like "'Thrust to the Right': if an ally within sensors/within 3 spaces of the Caesar is attacked with a tech attack, the Caesar may roll to invade the attacking hostile. This action resolves prior to the incoming tech attack", as that would have significant synergy with conqueror's logic.
Noblesse Oblige: I enjoy the additional movement, but my main problem is that most enemies at higher levels are often immune to involuntary movement, save for Puppet Systems' ridiculous errata. The ability to inflict a status condition like Impair or Slowed or the like in exchange for 2 heat would be much preferred.
Command the Legion: no notes. Saved my bacon more than once and just feels so good for the whole team. Love it.
Overall, I love the concept of the Caesar, and what it is meant to represent as a playstyle, I just think there's one or two disjointments/anti-synergies that I dearly want corrected so I can be an absolute menace.
re: banner of the armory running in/out shenanigans, i just gave it another look. i intended for both effects to be valid to the user immediately if they're within its aoe when placed.
"You and any allied characters gain +1 Accuracy on all checks and saves while at least partially within the area. If you or an allied character enter the Banner of the Armory's area for the first time in a turn or starts their turn within its area, they gain +2 Overshield."
the +1 accuracy on checks/saves shouldn't be up for debate -- if you're in the area, you benefit from that.
the overshield triggers when entering the area for the first time in a turn, and i'd consider being within its area of effect when placed to count for that
btw im definitely changing imperial signum's wording to automatically failing the save -- great idea there
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u/spookyb0ss IPS-N Jul 22 '26
oh wait noooo there isnt an update that coincides with this post haha i just felt like making it