There are a large number of differing types of buddy drones used by the various factions in the Antares universe. Classed as equipment, each buddy drone augments the capabilities of its parent squad by performing a specific task. They can be targeted by lucky hits or by Ghar disruptor bombs.
Whilst A2 has a few less buddies than BtGoA v1 due to game balance and low take-up concerns, the probes and buddies any player has already bought can be readily reused as different types. Antares has such widely dispersed technologies that buddies come in all shapes and sizes (Tim uses crawling flitters given to him by Lex van Rooy). As long as you and your opponent know what’s what, that’s fine!
Spotter drones act as enhanced targetting systems, enabling a squad to re-roll a single miss. They can also be used for overhead patch sighting: the spotter drone of a nearby overhead unit within 20″ can take its line-of-sight from another unit’s spotter. Most support weapon teams take a spotter drone for the reroll or patch sighting.
Medi-drones are seeking out and help the injured, attending friendly casualties – they cannot attend machines or non‐human creatures such as Lavamites or Meld Skarks. In Isorian armies, those with the medi- facility can attend Tsan Ra, for example. Any friendly unit within 5” of the medi‐drone including the unit that includes the drone, can re‐roll one failed Res test each time it is shot at, fights hand to‐ hand, or otherwise suffers damage. If a unit is within 5” of two or more medi‐ or medic equipped models, then it can re‐roll one failed Res for each within range.
HL Booster drones enhance the effectiveness of projected armour fields using hyperlight and reflex technology. The booster adds a +1 Res bonus, though this is countered by scrambler fields. These are msotly used by Freeborn and mercenaries to bolster their less-effective armour.
Camo drones project a camoflage field that interferes with light through the area. Beyond 10″, no unit can shoot at a unit that is Down and protected by a camo drone.
Gun drones are equipped with weapons, typically the plasma carbine, and use their parent unit’s combat shard to shoot with the Accuracy of the parent unit.
Compactor drones can compress a drone or piece of equipment so as to carry it round the battlefield. Many light skimmer units use compactors to store their skimmers and replace them by, say, a plasma cannon they have stored within the compactor.
Batter drones project a batter shield (like a hyperlight or reflex field) in the air in front of the unit. Those shooting through it from the other side have their accuracy reduced as their shots travel through the energy-absorbing field (it works on kinetic energy, too!). Of course, these are so useful they are often the first drones to be picked off by lucky hits! Normally, we use a batter shield template.
Borer drones are used by Boromites as workface drones to prop up shafts or tunnels, as digging equipment and as general helpers. They have manipulator suspensor fields with which they can assist in combat as well as quickly dig up protective cover.
Bomb buddies are used by Ghar Battle Group 9 Veterans. They are somewhat erratic (and may not go off) but are used in point blank shooting, where they explode and cause disruptor damage to the target unit. From a Ghar perspective, teh buddies are useful as the explosions cause two pins on the target, helping them considerably in hand-to-hand.
Antares Nexus 
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