Greeting Tacticians!

Monthly Update #1 is here! With it comes the early access version of the new starter adventure, Early Graduation, which puts your Tacticians in their final weeks of their time at the Academy when chaos erupts during a field day of final exams! Plus, the game includes a new one-page quick reference guide for players to bring to the table to help with any rules questions that may arise during play. The digital tools (both the downloadable and link-accessible versions) have been updated to include the new battlemaps and region map from the starter adventure as well! 

Thanks to the incredible support the game has seen so far, I've already started putting some of that money to good use, by commissioning a new, full-page art piece from Helena Santana (which you can see below), and I've been working with layout artist Jean Verne on starting to formalize the final look and feel of the game's visual design and layout (which you can see above).

On top of all of that, this update also features a number of rules tweaks and additions largely inspired by further playtesting and by the wealth of new readers and players of the game. You can find the full patch notes below but some highlights are a reworking of Backstab and Shields, the addition of half-cover and full-cover for obstacles, more uses of Relationships, and reworked Travel rules. Plus, there are more examples of play throughout the rulebook, further clarifications, and corrections.

If you've already picked up the game, you can find all of the new and updated files as part of your downloads for the game! Just go and grab them! If you haven't picked up the game yet, now is a great time! For only $20 USD, you can get everything that's been released for the game so far plus you'll secure all future updates to the digital core set (rulebook, adventure book, and setting book)!

Once again, thank you all for a great first month of Tacticians of Ahm! I'm so excited to keep growing the game with your support!

- Christian Sorrell

Major Additions/Changes

• NEW starter adventure, Early Graduation, taking Tacticians from CL1 to CL3! Field day exercises during the last two weeks of the class’s senior term take a dramatic shift as chaos breaks out in the region surrounding the academy, a professor is kidnapped, and training becomes reality!
• NEW full page art piece by Helena Santana added to the end of Tactician’s Textbook/beginning of Gamemaster’s Guidebook (made possible thanks to your support)!
• NEW one-page quick rules reference sheet!
• NEW work-in-progress layout preview mockup by Jean Verne (made possible with your support)!
• Backstab has been changed, increasing the spaces in which it is possible but lowering the overall bonus damage. This change makes it possible for certain weapons and abilities (like the Flail) to backstab as intended and increases the likelihood of being able to land backstabs, especially against intelligent foes.
  • Rules of Battle tweaked to read: “Attacks and Abilities targeting a combatant from behind deal bonus backstab damage.”
  • Backstab section and explainer added to During Battle section.
• Reworked Shields to block CLX damage once per battle depending on their quality level (rather than ALL damage) and added 2 new options: Wooden Shields and Tower Shields.
• Added “half-cover” and “full-cover” obstacle rules and a visual example to Line of Sight section and clarified line of sight language slightly.
• Added out-of-combat use for Relationships: “Outside of combat, you may call on your Relationship to have your ally aid you in an Aptitude Check, granting you advantage on the roll.”
• Reworked Travel section. Hex travel has been replaced with a new point-path system (inspired by Final Fantasy Tactics, Ogre Battle, and other games).

Minor Additions/Changes

Rulebook

• Added Meat Grinder thanks and updated version number on credits page.
• Replaced several legacy uses of the term “adventurers” with “Tacticians.”

Tactician’s Textbook

• The Fall of Ahm and Corruption Spreads sections have been rewritten slightly to more clearly and accurately represent setting lore, namely that the Tacticians were first formed approximately a decade ago in response to an imperial request after the appearance of D4RKW3LL.
• Added Conditions explainer to Tacticians 101 section
• Added Aptitudes explainer to Tacticians 101 section
• Added deployment zone guidance and updated example image to Battlemaps section in Tacticians 101
• Removed repeat appearance of Class Level notation (also appearing in Tacticians 101) in Create a Tactician section
• Added Tactician Appearance and Names tables in Create a Tactician
  • Removed original example names list
• Updated Stone Toss grid in Fighter Abilities section, for added clarity
• Updated Divine Ray grid in Cleric Abilities section, for added clarity
• Updated color of Sword grid in Weapons section, to match style
• Updated Javelin grid in Weapons section, for added clarity
• Added inventory slot clarification in Equipment section: “Each unique item occupies its own inventory slot (for example, 2 Healing Potions and 2 Holy Water could not share the same inventory slot.)”
• Added clarification to Rules of Battle section for combatants larger than 1x1: “If a combatant is larger than 1 square, multiple hits from an Attack or Ability pattern deal multiple instances of damage or healing (but conditions do not stack or increase).”
• For Aptitude Checks, the text now reads: “To succeed, the result must be equal to or lower than the Tactician’s relevant Aptitude value.”
• Updated Conditions: “Certain abilities and items may apply a Condition, noted as “Condition Name: X” where X is the number of turns the effect lasts. Conditions are lost at the end of their final turn.” This change was made to ensure that Conditions always have their effect, both good and bad, and are dependent on the target’s individual turn rather than the round and their place in the initiative.
• The Slow condition now reads: “You may move (up to your Speed) or use an Action, but not both.” This was tweaked to give more players more apparent choice while retaining its value as a debuff. 
• Updated the Taunt condition to include: “(includes using Abilities)” when referring to forcing its target to attack the condition’s source, if able. This will allow Tacticians to deliberately force combatants to exhaust their Abilities.
• Tweak to Corrupt3d condition, removing instant death if downed while suffering the condition: “If you would die when Corrupt3d, you are instead lost forever, becoming a minion of D4RKW3LL and falling under the GM’s control going forward.”
• Resting section now includes the following clarification: “After a long, safe rest, Tacticians heal entirely and remove any and all Death Pips they have gained previously.”
• Added an example of play and the following to the Escape section: “Tacticians that are not engaged in close combat (no enemy combatants in any adjacent tiles) when escape is called for may take advantage on the Alacrity Check.”
• Added an example of play to Fleeing section.
• Added expanded resolution guidance to End of Battle section: “When enemies are defeated, they lose any and all direct agency over the world unless the Tacticians choose to give it back to them. Often, this means they are killed, but it could mean that the enemies are knocked unconscious, taken prisoner by the Tacticians, or bargained with and freed after the fight.”

Gamemaster’s Guidebook

• Added further guidance in Building Battles section regarding outnumbering Tacticians, using higher and lower EL enemies, and more.
• “Individual” enemies have been re-named to “Standard” enemies, and “Whole Encounter” enemies have been renamed to “Boss” enemies to make their intended use a bit clearer and better fit the theme.
• Bestiary Updates:
  • Archer (EL1): Added Weapon Attack - Dagger
  • Skeleton (EL1): Updated Base Attack grid color to match style, Added Bone Toss Ability
  • Lieutenant (EL2): Added Combat Triage Ability
  • Zombie (EL2): Added Grapple and Flesh Feast Abilities
  • Catamount (EL3): Changed Pounce Ability damage from 2 to 4
  • Thief (EL3): Updated Shadow Step grid, for added clarity
  • SHATT3RWORM (EL3 - C0RRUPT): Changed Slitherwhip damage from 2 to 3