In military academies across the Inner Sphere, cadets are taught that "suppression is for the enemy; elimination is for the target." Primary Target represents the moment a Soldier stops painting a sector with lead and starts painting a specific person. It is the tactical decision to flood a corridor with plasma specifically to ensure the enemy commander has nowhere to dodge the armor-piercing shell following milliseconds behind.
For the Sider Stratiotes of the ancient legions, this was known as the "Spear in the Storm"—the practice of hiding a precision kill-shot inside a cloud of chaotic shrapnel. In the modern era, it’s the signature move of high-end Guild enforcers. When a Chronologist's bodyguard opens up with a rotolaser, the deafening roar is just noise; the single, hyper-velocity round that catches the assassin mid-dive is the message.
Primary Target is the Soldier's tool for maximizing single-target pressure while laying down area suppression.
Primary Target Feature
You can focus fire on a single target when unleashing the full devastation of your powerful area weaponry. Before you make an area attack with a weapon (such as from the Area Fire or Auto-Fire actions), you can make a ranged Strike as a free action with the same weapon against a single creature in the area, who's selected as your primary target. If your attack is a burst, you must select the creature closest to the center of the attack. If your attack is a cone or line, you must select the creature closest to you. If two or more creatures are equidistant, you can choose which one is your primary target. On a hit, if your primary target rolls a success against your Area Fire or Auto-Fire action, they get a failure instead. This Strike doesn't count toward your multiple attack penalty.
Non-Combat Applications
Structural Demolition: When clearing debris or breaching fortified doors, a Soldier uses Primary Target to weaken the structure's integrity (the AoE) while simultaneously delivering a piercing kinetic impact to the stress point (the Strike). This "hammer-and-chisel" method is standard procedure for Vlaka salvage teams in the Frontier.
Intimidation Tactics: In a standoff, firing a "warning shot" that decimates the scenery (AoE) while putting a single bullet through the leader's epaulet (Primary Target) is a universally understood negotiating tactic. It says, "I can kill everyone here, but I am choosing to kill you first."
Hunting Camouflaged Foes: When fighting in dense jungle or smoke, Soldiers use the AoE to flush out hidden targets. The moment a silhouette flinches or a shield flickers, the Primary Target protocol locks on, turning a "recon by fire" into an immediate execution.
Societal Impact
The Primary Target protocol has shaped the design of modern armor. Most high-end "Commission-pattern" vests now reinforce the center-mass plating not just against kinetic impact, but against the specific harmonic frequencies of rotary cannons used by Soldiers. It has also influenced legal codes in the Core Worlds; "indiscriminate fire" carries a fine, but "targeting with intent" (evidenced by the use of Primary Target) upgrades a charge to premeditated assault. To be the Primary Target of a Soldier is a status symbol in the underworld—it means you were dangerous enough to warrant the "good ammo."
Adventure Hooks
The Duel of Thunder: A rival mercenary company challenges the party's Soldier to a "lead duel." They must use Primary Target to hit specific bullseyes while simultaneously suppressing a holographic army, testing their ability to balance precision with volume.
The Shielded VIP: The party must assassinate a corrupt governor protected by a personal force field that regenerates every round. The only way to bypass it is to overload the field with AoE damage while delivering a synchronized Primary Target strike to the generator on his belt.
The Ghost in the Static: A glitching automated defense turret has achieved a crude sentience and is using Primary Target logic to hunt civilians in a shopping district. The party must disable it, but the AI learns; it begins designating the party's healer as its Primary Target each round, forcing the Soldier to draw aggro.
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