Beyond the basics · Rulebook Part 10
13Advanced rules: abilities and resources
How Special Abilities (Active, Passive and Reaction) work, when they can be used, how long they last and how they are paid for with CP, BM or PE by Exhausting cards.
How an ability is written§10.1
- A Name.
- A Phase limitation (if any).
- A Type: Passive, Active or Reaction.
- A Cost in CP, BM or PE (0 = free) and the instruction text.
Requirements for any ability§10.1
- The timing or trigger is right and any Phase restriction is met.
- The target is within Range and Line of Sight (unless the ability says otherwise).
- If an ability names no target, it needs no Line of Sight. Placing a token or marker is not targeting, so it needs no LoS or target Unit.
- The full cost is paid before resolving, and the Unit using it must be on the battlefield.
- Several instances of the same-named ability on a Unit do not stack: only one applies at a time.
- Effects lasting “until the End of the Round” stay active through End of the Round effects and are removed during Cleanup (Phase 4).
Official FAQ v1.1A Unit is always within range of itself for its own abilities unless a rule says otherwise. “Select” and “target” mean the same thing in the rules.
Active Abilities§10.2
- Only a Unit that is currently Activated can use them.
- Right before declaring an action or right after fully resolving one. Never during an action.
- They do not work in Reserves (unless stated).
- Their effects expire at the End of the Round unless stated otherwise.
- Once per Round: each Unit may use each named Active Ability once per Round (unless REPEATABLE). Two squads of the same type may each use it. If the ability comes from a Tactical Card, the limit still applies however many copies you own.
Official FAQ v1.1A Unit may use any number of differently named Active Abilities or Tactical Cards in its activation, if it can pay for them. Using a card’s Active Ability always requires an activated Unit on the table, even if the card does not affect it.
Passive Abilities§10.3
- Always on while the Unit is on the battlefield; no activation needed.
- They do not work in Reserves (unless stated).
- If several trigger together, their controller picks the order; if both players have some, the Active Player resolves first.
Reaction Abilities§10.4
- They answer a specific trigger (e.g. “when this Unit is targeted by an attack”).
- Declared at the exact moment of the trigger; if the window passes, it is gone.
- They do not work in Reserves and their effects expire at the End of the Round (unless stated).
- Frequency: once per Round per Unit per name.
- Limit: each player resolves only one Reaction per Activation. If both react to the same trigger, the Active Player goes first.
Official FAQ v1.1Reactions outside an activation: allowed whenever their trigger happens. Outside an activation you resolve only one per trigger Phase (if that Unit has not already used that Reaction this Round), and if both react, the First Player Marker holder goes first. REPEATABLE does not let you use the same Reaction twice in one activation.
Resources: CP, BM and PE§10.5
Each race has its own resource: Terran uses CP, Zerg uses BM and Protoss uses PE. You get them by Exhausting cards.
- Exhaust: to pay “Cost: 1 CP”, flip face down a READY card that produces that resource. A Ready card may be Exhausted either to use its own ability or to produce its resource for another ability (e.g. on a Unit Card).
- If you cannot Exhaust enough to pay the full cost, you cannot use it. Any excess is lost: it cannot be saved or spent on another ability.
- An Exhausted card gives no resources and its abilities cannot be used until it is Refreshed (flipped back) in the Phase 4 Cleanup.
Example · Paying with cards
- Stimpack costs 1 CP: Exhaust Barracks (it gives 1 CP) and you are done. If you paid it by Exhausting a card that gives 2 CP, the spare CP would be lost (FAQ example).
- Academy has the “Advanced Training” Reaction. If you already Exhausted Academy to pay for something else, you cannot use its Reaction until it is Refreshed (FAQ).
In plain wordsYour cards are like batteries: each round they start charged; using them (for their ability or to pay for another) drains them until next round. Active = an order you give; Passive = always on; Reaction = an instant response, only one per activation.