Tactician¶
Strategist. Defender. Leader. With sword in hand, you lead allies into the maw of battle, barking out commands that inspire your fellow heroes to move faster and strike more precisely. All the while, you stand between your compatriots and death, taunting the followers of evil to best you if they can.
As a tactician, you have abilities that heal your allies and grant them extra damage, movement, and attacks. You can taunt your enemies into attacking you instead of targeting your allies, and can help soak up damage when those allies stand alone.
Basics¶
- Starting Characteristics: You start with a Might of 2 and a Reason of 2, and can choose one of the following arrays for your other characteristics scores:
- 2, −1, −1
- 1, 1, −1
- 1, 0, 0
- Starting Stamina at 1st Level: 21
- Stamina Gained at 2nd and Higher Levels: 10
- Recoveries: 12
- Skills: Lead, plus choose any two skills from Alertness, Architecture, Blacksmithing, Brag, Culture, Empathize, Fletching, History, Mechanics, Monsters, Search, or the skills of the exploration skill group.
Tactician Advancement¶
| Level | Features | Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tactical Doctrine, Focus, Mark, Seize the Opening, Doctrine Features, Doctrine Triggered Action, Field Arsenal | Field Arsenal, 3, 5 |
| 2nd | Doctrine Features, Doctrine Ability | Field Arsenal, 3, 5, 5 (Doctrine) |
| 3rd | All According to Plan, 7-Focus Ability | Field Arsenal, 3, 5, 5 (Doctrine), 7 |
1st-level Features¶
As a tactician, you gain the following features.
Tactical Doctrine¶
Warfare is as old as civilization—and perhaps even older. As battle became ever more developed and complex, military leaders invented doctrine, outlining how combatants should be structured, used, and deployed. Doctrine can be learned at war colleges passing on ancient martial traditions, or directly through blood and sweat on the battlefield.
You have developed a mastery of tactics of historical significance, letting you choose one of the following doctrines:
- Vanguard (Shock and Awe): You have learned the tactics and stratagems of the heroes of ancient history, letting you lead from the front lines of battle and seek victory through sheer force of will and personality. You gain a skill from the interpersonal skill group.
- Mastermind (Grand Strategy): You have an encyclopedic knowledge of warfare, viewing the battlefield as a game board, and seeking victory by thinking multiple steps ahead of your opponents. You gain a skill from the lore skill group.
- Insurgent (Asymmetric Warfare): Doing your duty, playing fair, and dying honorably in battle is your opponent's job. By contrast, you'll do whatever it takes to keep your allies alive. You gain a skill from the intrigue skill group.
Your choice of doctrine determines many of the features you'll gain from this class.
Focus¶
The ring of steel panics others but brings order to your mind, granting you a Heroic Resource called focus.
Outside of combat and other dangerous situations tracked in turns and rounds, you have focus equal to your Victories. If you lose some or all of this focus outside of combat, it takes you 1 minute to regain it.
When a combat encounter begins, you keep any focus you had outside of combat. At the start of each of your turns during combat, you gain 2 focus. If an ally gets a tier 3 result on an attack against a target you have marked, you gain 1 focus. When combat ends, you once again have focus equal to your Victories.
Mark¶
You know how to focus the attention of your allies as you push them toward victory. You have the following ability.
Mark¶
You draw your allies' attention to a specific foe—with devastating effect.
| Keywords: Ranged | Type: Maneuver |
| Distance: Ranged 10 | Target: 2 allies |
Effect: The target is marked by you until the start of your next turn. When attacking a marked target, you and each of your allies gains an edge on power rolls and deals extra damage equal to your Reason score.
Spend 1 Focus: You mark 1 additional creature within distance.
Seize The Opening¶
Your ability to command your allies in combat grants you the following ability.
Seize The Opening¶
As the battle unfolds, you tell your allies exactly when to strike!
Effect: The target makes a signature attack as a free triggered action, and deals extra damage equal to your Reason score.
Spend 5 Focus: You target two allies instead of one.
1st-level Doctrine Features¶
Your chosen doctrine grants you two features, as shown on the 1st-Level Tactical Doctrine Features table.
1st-level Tactical Doctrine Features¶
| Doctrine | Feature |
|---|---|
| Vanguard | Imposing Attitude |
| Mastermind | I Read Your Book! |
| Insurgent | Covert Operations |
Covert Operations¶
While in your presence or working according to your plans, each of your allies gains an edge on tests with any skill from the intrigue skill group. Additionally, you can use the Lead skill to assist on any test made with a skill from the intrigue skill group. At the Director's discretion, you and your allies can use skills from the intrigue skill group to attempt research or reconnaissance during a negotiation instead of outside of negotiation.
Imposing Attitude¶
You command any room you walk into. While you are present, each hero with you is treated as having a Renown 2 higher than usual for the purpose of negotiations and influencing tests. Additionally, each hero with you has a double edge on tests made to stop combat and start a negotiation with the other side.
I Read Your Book!¶
Your encyclopedic knowledge of the history of battle lets you apply that knowledge to current challenges. While you are with them, any hero treats the Discover Lore project as one category cheaper, with projects seeking common lore becoming free. (See Research and Crafting in future packets for more information.)
Additionally, if you have a reasonable amount of time before a combat encounter or negotiation, and you have at least one clue or rumor regarding the encounter, you can make a Reason test as a Respite activity. The following test results apply to a combat encounter:
- 11 or lower: The Director tells you the number of creatures in the encounter.
- 12-16: The Director tells you the number and level of the creatures in the encounter.
- 17+: As 12-16 and when the encounter begins, all enemies are surprised.
The following test results apply to a negotiation:
- 11 or lower: The Director tells you three different motivations, one of which is one of the NPC's motivations, and the other two are not.
- 12-16: The Director tells you one of the NPC's motivations.
- 17+: As 12-16 and you and your allies gain an edge on tests made to influence NPCs during the negotiation.
You can only make this test once for each encounter and negotiation.
Doctrine Triggered Action¶
Your doctrine grants you a triggered action, as shown on the Tactician Triggered Actions table.
Tactician Triggered Actions¶
| Doctrine | Triggered Action |
|---|---|
| Vanguard | Parry |
| Mastermind | Overwatch |
| Insurgent | Flank Them Now! |
Flank Them Now!¶
You help keep your side in motion as attacks rain down on your foes.
- Trigger: A nontarget ally is about to make an attack.
Effect: The target can shift up to 2 squares before the attack resolves. After the attack resolves, both the original attacker and the target can shift up to 2 squares.
Spend 1 Focus: The attack deals an extra 1d6 damage.
Parry¶
Your quick reflexes cost an enemy the precision they seek.
- Trigger: A creature makes a Weapon attack against the target.
Effect: The attack's damage against the target is halved.
Spend 1 Focus: The result of the attack's power roll is treated as one tier lower before the damage is halved. If the attack is a critical hit, the attacker can still take an additional action.
Overwatch¶
Under your direction, an ally waits for just the right moment to strike.
- Trigger: The target moves.
Effect: At any point during the target's movement, one ally can make a free strike against the target.
Spend 1 Focus: The target's speed becomes 0 (EoT).
Field Arsenal¶
You have drilled with a broad array of weapons and have developed techniques to optimize their use. Whenever you select or change your kit, you can select an additional martial kit and gain the benefits of both kits. (See Kits.)
If both kits grant you the same benefit, you take one or the other and can't change your choice until you finish a Respite. (This usually means taking the higher of two bonuses.) You also gain access to the signature abilities of both kits.
For example, if you take the Shining Armor and Sniper kits, you gain the following benefits overall:
- Stamina Bonus: +12
- Stability Bonus: +1
- Melee Weapon Damage Bonus: +2/+2/+2
- Speed Bonus: +1
- Ranged Weapon Damage Bonus: +0/+0/+4
- Distance Bonus: +10
- Mobility: When an enemy ends their turn adjacent to you, you can shift up to 2 squares as a free triggered action.
- You also gain the use of the Protective Attack and Patient Shot signature abilities.
Kit signature abilities already have their bonuses applied. For example, you might take the Martial Artist kit, which gives a melee weapon damage bonus of +2/+2/+2, and the Mountain kit, which gives a melee weapon damage bonus of +0/+0/+4. If you choose to use the Mountain kit's damage bonus, then the Battle Grace signature ability from the Martial Artist kit would reduce its damage by −2/−2/−2, as it loses the bonus from the Martial Artist kit. It then gains the +0/+0/+4 of the Mountain kit, to deal damage of 3/7/14 for its tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 results.
Tactician Abilities¶
You are a formidable combatant in your own right, but your greatest strength in battle is the ability to make your allies even more formidable. You know a range of abilities that shape the scope of your control of the battlefield.
Kit Signature Ability¶
Your additional kit from your Field Arsenal feature grants you a second signature ability. Signature abilities can be used at will.
Heroic Abilities¶
Your heroic abilities cover a range of combat tactics, all of which require focus to use them.
3-focus Abilities¶
Choose one heroic ability from the following options, each of which costs 3 focus to use.
Battle Cry (3 Focus)¶
Hearing your shout of triumph fills your allies with combat fervor.
Effect: Each target gains an edge on the next attack or resistance roll they make before the end of the encounter.
Dazing Blow (3 Focus)¶
Your precise strike leaves your foe struggling to respond.
Power Roll + Might:
- 11 or lower: 6 damage; slowed (EoT)
- 12–16: 8 damage; dazed (EoT)
- 17+: 13 damage; dazed (EoE)
Inspiring Strike (3 Focus)¶
You hit a foe so hard that it gets your allies back in the fight.
Power Roll + Might:
- 11 or lower: 6 damage; you or an ally within 10 can spend a Recovery
- 12–16: 8 damage; you or an ally within 10 can spend a Recovery
- 17+: 13 damage; you or an ally within 10 can spend a Recovery, and each of you gains an edge on the next attack they make this encounter
Phalanx Forward! (3 Focus)¶
On your command, you and your allies force back the enemy line.
Effect: Each target can move their speed, push an adjacent enemy 1 square at the end of that move, and shift 1 square into the square the enemy left.
5-focus Abilities¶
Choose one heroic ability from the following options, each of which costs 5 focus to use.
Hammer And Anvil (5 Focus)¶
Your attack is your allies' signal to strike!
Power Roll + Might:
- 11 or lower: 7 damage; an ally within 10 can make a signature attack against the target as a free triggered action
- 12–16: 10 damage; an ally within 10 can make a signature attack with an edge against the target as a free triggered action
- 17+: 16 damage; two allies within 10 can each make a signature attack with an edge against the target as a free triggered action
Effect: If an attack is left to be resolved and the target was reduced to 0 Stamina, the attacker can pick a different target.
Now! (5 Focus)¶
Your allies wait for your command—then unleash death!
Effect: Each target can make a free strike.
Their Weakness Is Our Strength (5 Focus)¶
Leaving your foe struggling gives your allies a strategic opening.
Power Roll + Might:
- 11 or lower: 7 damage; weakened (EoT)
- 12–16: 10 damage; weakened (EoT)
- 17+: 16 damage; weakened (EoE)
Effect: The target is marked (EoE). Each of your allies can spend a Recovery the first time they attack any target you've marked before the start of your next turn.
This Is What We Planned For (5 Focus)¶
A quick signal from you gives your allies a chance to turn the tide of battle.
Effect: Each target who hasn't acted yet this round can take their turn in any order immediately after yours.