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Dark Matter Changelog

By December 10, 2018October 3rd, 2023Misc.

Dark Matter has been updated! Thanks everyone for playtesting.

This page contains each and every change that we make in the book (except for things like minor typos, which don’t affect the mechanics).

If you find an error that hasn’t been fixed yet, you can report it here.

12/17/17 (Alpha 1.1)

  • Art: p.VI Cartoony vect added in place of amoeboid
  • Art: p.54 Avia-Ra gadgeteer (and robo-chicken sidekick) added
  • Art: p.226: Sepulcher Knight added
  • [typos]
  • Gadgeteer: Tech Specialties: Futurist: Tactical Analysis: Now recharges on a short or long rest
  • Gadgeteer: Gadgets: Micro-Turret: AC and HP added
  • Gadgeteer: Micro-Missile: Damage decreased to 1d6 per missile
  • Character Options: Subclasses: Druid Circles: Circle of Configuration: Construct Form: Mobile Configuration: Climbing Speeds reworked
  • Character Options: Fighter: Fighting Styles: Moved into Sidebar
  • Character Options: Subclasses: Sorcerer Origins: Radiation Freak: Isotope Poisoning: Requires an action
  • Character Options: Subclasses: Warmage Houses: House of Lancers: Shock Trooper: Worded to clear up order of operations
  • Character Options: Feats: Role Feats: Ace Pilot: Mechanics cleared up to agree with Pilot role
  • Character Options: Backgrounds: Ace Pilot: Tools changed to Ship Maintenance Tools
  • Character Options: Skills: Data: Interactions with a device that does not have an interface requires the use of an interface rig
  • Equipment: Armor: Sidebar (“Calculating AC”) added clarifying PHB rules on stacking sources of armor class
  • Equipment: Gear: Hacking Rig: Renamed Interface Rig [all references in the book changed to interface rig]
  • Equipment: Gear: Roach added to gear table and descriptions with a price of 100 gp
  • Equipment: Magic Items: Attractor Mines: Deployment range decreased to 40 feet
  • Equipment: Magic Items: Drone Controller: Requires attunement
  • Monsters: Collector Vat: Average damage of tentacle attack fixed
  • Monsters: Scrap Golem: Berserk happens at 60 HP
  • Monsters: Spaceshark: Type changed to monstrosity 
  • Monsters: Var’Zuul Colossus: Sized changed to Mega
  • Monsters: Wrothian Alpha: Melee weapon attacks calculate based on Strength
  • Monsters: NPCs: Bureaucrat: Skill proficiencies in Deception and Persuasion added
  • Monsters: NPCs: Spacer name fixed (was Pilot)
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    1/19/19 (Alpha 1.2)
    • Gadgeteer: Starting Equipment: Now uses Dark Matter equipment packs, instead of listing new gear
    • Gadgeteer: Overcharge: Gadgeteer: Overcharge: Adding +Int to damage moved to 11th level from 5th level to smooth out damage curve
    • Gadgeteer: Gadgets: Sonic Amplifier: Noise Burst requires a Constitution save from targets
    • Ships: Systems: Arcane Cannon: Now requires its user to be in the Gunner role, not the Engineer role
    • Ships: Systems: New system: Hypercapacitor; removed from upgrades, self-charges
    • Ships: Systems: Cloaking: Deactivates automatically if the ship takes damage
    • Ships: Example Ships: Hypercapacitor added to various ships
    • Ships: Example Ships: Number of Gunners changed to account for arcane cannon
    • Monsters: Android: CR increased to 4
    • Appendices: Conditions: Spells with a verbal component can’t be cast in a vacuum
    • New Art: N-Vect
    2/17/19 (Alpha 1.3) 

    • Gadgeteer: Starting equipment updated
    • Gadgeteer: Prototype: Experimental Frame: You can only use Intelligence instead of Strength or Dexterity for integrated melee weapons
    • Character Options: Creating a Character section added
    • Character Options: Subclasses: Craftsman: Scrapper: Completely overhauled to match new craftsman
    • Character Options: Feats: General Feats: Blitzwarrior: No longer grants Disengage as a bonus action; instead, grants the Crossbow Expert ability of not having disadvantage while within 5 feet of a hostile creature
    • Character Options: Feats: Role Feats: Chief Engineer: Damage bonus to arcane cannon removed due to arcane canon no longer being an engineer action
    • Character Options: Feats: Role Feats: Veteran Dogfighter: Allows you to use Dogfighting as an action, rather than as a bonus action using half the ship’s movement
    • Character Options: Feats: Role Feats: Dedicated Roles sidebar added
    • Character Options: Skills: Tool and Skill Synergies sidebar added
    • Equipment: Weapons: New weapons: Psionic Helm, Volcanic, Laser Claws, Void Shackles, Laser Halfsword
    • Equipment: Weapons: Ballistic Gloves: Special property replaced with Fist
    • Antimatter Dagger: Price reduced to 100 gp
    • Equipment: Weapons: Swarm Pistol: Range increased to 30/90
    • Equipment: Weapons: Blitz Cannon: Gains Heavy property
    • Equipment: Weapons: Concussion Rifle: Gains Heavy property, range increased to 160/480
    • Equipment: Weapons: Diode Beam: Range increased to 80/240
    • Equipment: Weapons: Impactor Cannon: Range decreased to 20/60
    • Equipment: Weapons: REC Gun: Damage decreased to 2d8, range increased to 80/240
    • Equipment: Weapons: Singularity Emitter: Damage decreased to 1d20, range decreased to 80/240, loses Mounted and Sighted properties
    • Equipment: Services section added
    • Equipment: Magic Items: Tachyon Launcher and Volcanic removed (moved to normal weapons), Stasis Box removed (replaced with Cryogenic Pod)
    • Equipment: Magic Items: Cryogenic Pod, Hyper-Krash, and W-REC added
    • Ships: Systems: Now includes a note at the beginning of the section that mentions that systems have 10 mega hit points
    • Ships: Ship Weapons: No longer deals half damage to targets that have moved; example ships’ damages have been changed as a result
    • Ships: Example Ships: All AoE features now explicitly only target mega creatures within their area
    • Ships: Example Ships: Gnomish Ships: Driver and Gear no longer have Overcharge feature, as the hypercapicitors take care of that functionality
    • Ships: Ship Combat: Character Roles: Pilot: Evasive Maneuvers also grants advantage on Dexterity saving throws
    • Ships: Ship Combat: Damage and Repair: Ship maintenance tools allows you to add double your proficiency bonus to the check

    4/16/19 (Beta 1.0)

    • Races: Amoeboid: Flexible Form: Transformation ends after 1 hour and can only mimic living creatures
    • Races: Nautilid: Movement speed increased to 30 feet
    • Gadgeteer: Overcharge: Only applies on your turn
    • Gadgeteer: New subclass, Nanoengineer
    • Gadgeteer: Gadgets: Spectrum Visor: Thermalsight added and Upgrade removed
    • Gadgeteer: Gadgets: Molecular Destabilizer: Now affects only objects that can fit within a 3-foot cube (to avoid melting all walls)
    • Gadgeteer: Gadgets: Zip Gun: Renamed Zipgun for consistency with the magic item
    • Character Options: Tools and Skills Synergies Sidebar: Mechanist’s Tools works with Deception to pose as a construct
    • Ships: Properties: Challenge Ratings added to all ships
    • Ships: Properties: Roles property now includes non-combat passengers
    • Ships: Properties: Capacity renamed Cargo
    • Ships: Ship Weapons: Prices decreased across the board
    • Ships: Systems: Prices decreased across the board
    • Ships: Upgrades: Prices decreased across the board
    • Ships: Example Ships: Total rebalance. Most ships have new HP, AC, and SP values, many have modified weapons, and some have removed/modified traits
    • Ships: Example Ships: New Lakshayan ships: Ashigaru Frame, Rōnin Frame, Ultima Frame, Shōgun
    • Ships: Ship Combat: Character Roles: Fighter renamed to Dogfighter for clarity (changes throughout the book to match)
    • Ships: Ship Combat: Character Roles: Pilot gains Ram action
    • Ships: Ship Combat: Damage and Repair: Repairing a ship is much cheaper, 2 gp per mega hit point
    • Ships: Dark Matter Engines: Dark Matter Engine Classes table: Jump Distances and Time to Cross Galaxy changed for all engine classes
    • Ships: Exploring the ‘Verse: Sidebar added: GM’s Note: Rolls aren’t Mandatory
    • Ships: Jump Navigation Table: Jumps never place you further away from your target
    • Art: Chapter Introduction Art added
    • Art: New Dark Matter universe map
    • Art: New art for Nautilid Ships
    • Art: New art for Hyper-Krash and Potion of Solar Radiance
    • Art: New art throughout Appendices and Spells
    • Meta: Download is now in .zip format in order to package a standalone version of the map and character sheet
    7/20/19 (Final 1.0)
    • Races: Wrothian: Neural Lock incapacitates, but recovers on a long rest
    • Gadgeteer: Prototype: Experimental Frame: Counts as heavy armor
    • Character Options: Path of the Dreadnought: Number of rage rounds per short increased
    • Character Options: Space Marine: Squad Leader completely reworked
    • Character Options: Way of Gravity: Distortion Field: Reworded
    • Character Options: Oath of the Sepulcher: Aura of Atmosphere: Reaction for allies to move with you
    • Character Options: Oath of the Sepulcher: Galactic Knight: Your hit points are converted into mega hit points, instead of counting mega damage as normal
    • Character Options: Reconnaissance Scout: Piercing Blast: Reduced to one blaster shot as an action using saving throws instead of attack rolls
    • Character Options: Jumper: Dimension Door: Renamed Dimension Hop
    • Character Options: Matter and Void: Uncertainty Principle: Reworked
    • Character Options: The Star: Nova: You deal twice the number of Nova dice in damage
    • Character Options: The Star: Healing Rays: Reworked
    • Character Options: School of Automata: Bonus Proficiencies: Removed reference to getting a different skill instead
    • Character Options: Feats: Laser Swordmaster: Laser Halfsword included
    • Equipment: Weapons: Singularity Emitter: Damage changed from 1d20 to 2d10 to prevent unintended interaction with gadgeteer mechanics
    • Ships: Exploring the ‘Verse section renamed Traveling the ‘Verse
    • Ships: Traveling the ‘Verse: Section added for using star charts to avoid jumping blindly
    • Ships: Jump Navigation table renamed Blind Jump table
    • Monsters: Vortirrackt added
    • Monsters: Various HP and damage values changed to better fit listed CRs
    • Monsters: Wroth: Primarch: Immune to being charmed and frightened
    • Spells: Abduct: range reduced to 100 miles, must be familiar with target’s location
    • Spells: Astrogation: Material component cost reduced to 100 gp
    • Spells: Earth-Shattering Kaboom: Casting time and duration fixed, scaling damage made consistent 
    • Concept Art section added
     

     

     

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