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1st-Level Features

As a 1st-level tactician, you gain the following features.

Tactical Doctrine

Warfare is as old as civilization-and perhaps even older. As battle became ever more complex, military leaders invented tactical 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. Whatever path brought you to your mastery of historically proven tactics, you choose a tactical doctrine from the following options, each of which grants you a skill. (Quick Build: Vanguard and the Intimidate skill.)

  • Insurgent: Doing your duty, playing fair, and dying honorably in battle is your opponent's job. You'll do whatever it takes to keep your allies alive. You gain a skill from the intrigue skill group.
  • Mastermind: You have an encyclopedic knowledge of warfare, viewing the battlefield as a game board and seeking victory by thinking steps ahead of your opponents. You gain a skill from the lore skill group.
  • Vanguard: You have learned the stratagems of ancient heroes, letting you lead from the front lines and seek victory through sheer force of will and personality. You gain a skill from the interpersonal skill group.

Your tactical doctrine is your subclass, and your choice of doctrine determines many of the features you'll gain as you gain new levels.

Focus

The ring of steel panics others but brings order to your mind, granting you a Heroic Resource called focus.

Tactician Advancement Table
Level Features Abilities Doctrine Abilities
1st Tactical Doctrine, Focus, Doctrine Feature, Doctrine Triggered Action, Field Arsenal, Mark, Strike Now, Tactician Abilities 3, 5 -
2nd Perk, Doctrine Feature, Doctrine Ability 3, 5 5
3rd Out of Position, 7-Focus Ability 3, 5, 7 5
4th Characteristic Increase, Focus on Their Weakness, Improved Field Arsenal, Perk, Skill 3, 5, 7 5
5th Doctrine Feature, 9-Focus Ability 3, 5, 7, 9 5
6th Master of Arms, Perk, Doctrine Ability 3, 5, 7, 9 5, 9
7th Characteristic Increase, Heightened Focus, Seize the Initiative, Skill, Doctrine Feature 3, 5, 7, 9 5, 9
8th Perk, Doctrine Feature, 11-Focus Ability 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 5, 9
9th Grandmaster of Arms, Doctrine Ability 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 5, 9, 11
10th Characteristic Increase, Command, Perk, Skill, True Focus, Warmaster 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 5, 9, 11
Focus in Combat

At the start of a combat encounter or some other stressful situation tracked in combat rounds (as determined by the Director), you gain focus equal to your Victories. At the start of each of your turns during combat, you gain 2 focus.

Additionally, the first time each combat round that you or any ally damages a creature marked by you (see Mark below), you gain 1 focus. The first time in a combat round that any ally within 10 squares of you uses a heroic ability, you gain 1 focus.

You lose any remaining focus at the end of the encounter.

Focus Outside of Combat

Though you can't gain focus outside of combat, you can use your heroic abilities and effects that cost focus without spending it. Whenever you use an ability or effect outside of combat that costs focus, you can't use that same ability or effect outside of combat again until you earn 1 or more Victories or finish a respite.

When you use an ability outside of combat that lets you spend unlimited focus on its effect, you can use it as if you had spent an amount of focus equal to your Victories. (Such abilities aren't part of the core rules for the tactician, but they might appear in future products.)

Tactician Abilities Explained

Many of the tactician's abilities grant allies extra movement, damage, and actions. But what's happening in the fiction to allow this? The tactician is an incredible strategist and inspiring leader who is quick to give commands and inspiration that causes their allies to act. The tactician can quickly read the battlefield, analyze enemies, and then bark orders and encouragement that pushes their allies to greatness. Many of the names of the tactician's abilities are the actual commands they give their friends!

1st-Level Doctrine Feature

Your tactical doctrine grants you a feature, as shown on the 1st-Level Doctrine Features table.

1st-Level Doctrine Features Table
Doctrine Feature
Insurgent Covert Operations
Mastermind Studied Commander
Vanguard Commanding Presence
Commanding Presence

You command any room you walk into. While you are present during a negotiation, each hero with you treats their Renown as 2 higher than usual. Additionally, each hero with you during a combat encounter has a double edge on tests made to stop combat and start a negotiation.

Covert Operations

While in your presence or working according to your plans, each of your allies gains an edge on tests using any skill from the intrigue skill group. Additionally, you can use the Lead skill to assist another creature with any test made using a skill from the intrigue 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 a negotiation.

Studied Commander

Your encyclopedic knowledge of the history of battle lets you apply that knowledge to current challenges. While you are present, each hero with you treats the Discover Lore project related to a war or battle as one category cheaper. This makes projects seeking common lore free, but such projects still require a respite activity to complete. (See Chapter 12: Downtime Projects for more information.)

Additionally, if you have 24 hours or more before a combat encounter or negotiation, and you have one or more clues or rumors regarding the encounter or negotiation, you can make a Reason test as a respite activity. The following test outcomes apply to a combat encounter:

  • ≤11: 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+: The Director tells you the tier 2 outcome information, and when the encounter begins, all enemies are surprised.

The following test outcomes apply to a negotiation:

  • ≤11: The Director gives you three motivations, one of which belongs to an NPC in the negotiation.
  • 12-16: The Director gives you one motivation for an NPC in the negotiation.
  • 17+: The Director tells you the tier 2 outcome information, and you and each of your allies gains an edge on tests made to influence NPCs during the negotiation.

You can make this test only once for any encounter or negotiation.

Doctrine Triggered Action

Your tactical doctrine grants you a triggered action, as shown on the Doctrine Triggered Actions table.

Doctrine Triggered Actions Table
Doctrine Triggered Action
Insurgent Advanced Tactics
Mastermind Overwatch
Vanguard Parry
Advanced Tactics

Your leadership aids an ally.

Ranged Triggered
📏 Ranged 10 🎯 One ally

Trigger: The target deals damage to another creature.

Effect: The target gains 2 surges, which they can use on the triggering damage.

Spend 1 Focus: If the damage has any potency effect associated with it, the potency is increased by 1.

Overwatch

Under your direction, an ally waits for just the right moment to strike.

Ranged Triggered
📏 Ranged 10 🎯 One creature

Trigger: The target moves.

Effect: At any time during the target's movement, one ally can make a free strike against them.

Spend 1 Focus: If the target has R < AVERAGE, they are slowed (EoT).

Parry

Your quick reflexes cost an enemy the precision they seek.

Melee, Weapon Triggered
📏 Melee 2 🎯 Self or one ally

Trigger: A creature deals damage to the target.

Effect: You can shift 1 square. If the target is you, or if you end this shift adjacent to the target, the target takes half the damage. If the damage has any potency effect associated with it, the potency is decreased by 1.

Spend 1 Focus: This ability's distance becomes Melee 1 + your Reason score, and you can shift up to a number of squares equal to your Reason score instead of 1 square.

Field Arsenal

You have drilled with a broad array of arms and armor, and have developed techniques to optimize their use. You can use and gain the benefits of two kits, including both their signature abilities. Whenever you would choose or change one kit, you can choose or change your second kit as well. See Chapter 6: Kits for more information. (Quick Build: Shining Armor, Sniper.)

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.)

For example, if you take the Shining Armor and Sniper kits, you gain the following benefits overall:

  • Stamina Bonus: +12 per echelon
  • Stability Bonus: +1
  • Melee Damage Bonus: +2/+2/+2
  • Ranged Damage Bonus: +0/+0/+4
  • Speed Bonus: +1
  • Ranged Distance Bonus: +10
  • Disengage Bonus: +1
  • You can use the Patient Shot and Protective Attack signature abilities.

Kit signature abilities have their kit's bonuses already applied, which might require you to adjust the bonuses of the signature abilities you gain from a kit. 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 loses the +2/+2/+2 bonus from that kit, reducing its usual 5/8/11 damage for its tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 outcomes to 3/6/9. It then gains the +0/+0/+4 of the Mountain kit to deal 3/6/13 damage.

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.

Ranged Maneuver
📏 Ranged 10 🎯 One creature

Effect: The target is marked by you until the end of the encounter, until you are dying, or until you use this ability again. You can willingly end your mark on a creature (no action required), and if another tactician marks a creature, your mark on that creature ends. When a creature marked by you is reduced to 0 Stamina, you can use a free triggered action to mark a new target within distance.

You can initially mark only one creature using this ability, though other tactician abilities allow you to mark additional creatures at the same time. The mastermind tactical doctrine's Anticipation feature allows you to target additional creatures with this ability starting at 5th level.

While a creature marked by you is within your line of effect, you and allies within your line of effect gain an edge on power rolls made against that creature. Additionally, whenever you or any ally uses an ability to deal rolled damage to a creature marked by you, you can spend 1 focus to gain one of the following benefits as a free triggered action:

  • The ability deals extra damage equal to twice your Reason score.
  • The creature dealing the damage can spend a Recovery.
  • The creature dealing the damage can shift up to a number of squares equal to your Reason score.
  • If you damage a creature marked by you with a melee ability, the creature is taunted by you until the end of their next turn. You can't gain more than one benefit from the same trigger.

Strike Now

You have the following ability.

"Strike Now!"

Your foe left an opening. You point this out to an ally!

Ranged Main action
📏 Ranged 10 🎯 One ally

Effect: The target can use a signature ability as a free triggered action.

Spend 5 Focus: You target two allies instead of one.

Tactician Abilities

You are a formidable combatant in your own right, but your greatest strength is the abilities you wield that let you shape control of the battlefield.

Kit Signature Ability

Each kit from your Field Arsenal feature grants you a 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.

3-Focus Ability

Choose one heroic ability from the following options, each of which costs 3 focus to use. (Quick Build: Inspiring Strike.)

Battle Cry (3 Focus)

You shout a phrase that galvanizes your team.

Ranged Maneuver
📏 Ranged 10 🎯 Three allies

Power Roll + Reason:

  • ≤11: Each target gains 1 surge.
  • 12-16: Each target gains 2 surges.
  • 17+: Each target gains 3 surges.
Concussive Strike (3 Focus)

Your precise strike leaves your foe struggling to respond.

Melee, Ranged, Strike, Weapon Main action
📏 Melee 1 or ranged 5 🎯 One creature or object

Power Roll + Might:

  • ≤11: 3 + M damage; M < WEAK, dazed (save ends)
  • 12-16: 5 + M damage; M < AVERAGE, dazed (save ends)
  • 17+: 8 + M damage; M < STRONG, dazed (save ends)
Inspiring Strike (3 Focus)

Your attack gives an ally hope.

Melee, Ranged, Strike, Weapon Main action
📏 Melee 1 or ranged 5 🎯 One creature or object

Power Roll + Might:

  • ≤11: 3 + M damage; you or one ally within 10 squares of you can spend a Recovery
  • 12-16: 5 + M damage; you or one ally within 10 squares of you can spend a Recovery
  • 17+: 8 + M damage; you and one ally within 10 squares of you can spend a Recovery, and each of you gains an edge on the next ability roll you make during the encounter
Squad! Forward! (3 Focus)

On your command, you and your allies force back the enemy line.

Ranged Maneuver
📏 Ranged 10 🎯 Self and two allies

Effect: Each target can move up to their speed.

5-Focus Ability

Choose one heroic ability from the following options, each of which costs 5 focus to use. (Quick Build: Hammer and Anvil.)

Hammer and Anvil (5 Focus)

"Let's not argue about who's the hammer and who's the anvil!"

Melee, Ranged, Strike, Weapon Main action
📏 Melee 1 or ranged 5 🎯 One creature or object

Power Roll + Might:

  • ≤11: 5 + M damage; one ally within 10 squares of you can use a strike signature ability against the target as a free triggered action
  • 12-16: 9 + M damage; one ally within 10 squares of you can use a strike signature ability that gains an edge against the target as a free triggered action
  • 17+: 12 + M damage; two allies within 10 squares of you can each use a strike signature ability that gains an edge against the target as a free triggered action

Effect: If the target is reduced to 0 Stamina before one or both chosen allies has made their strike, the ally or allies can pick a different target.

Mind Game (5 Focus)

Your attack demoralizes your foe. Your allies begin to think you can win.

Melee, Ranged, Strike, Weapon Main action
📏 Melee 1 or ranged 5 🎯 One creature or object

Effect: You mark the target.

Power Roll + Might:

  • ≤11: 4 + M damage; R < WEAK, weakened (save ends)
  • 12-16: 6 + M damage; R < AVERAGE, weakened (save ends)
  • 17+: 10 + M damage; R < STRONG, weakened (save ends)

Effect: Before the start of your next turn, the first time any ally deals damage to any target marked by you, that ally can spend a Recovery.

Now! (5 Focus)

Your allies wait for your command-then unleash death!

Ranged Maneuver
📏 Ranged 10 🎯 Three allies

Effect: Each target can make a free strike.

This Is What We Planned For (5 Focus)

All those coordination drills you made them do finally pay off.

Ranged Maneuver
📏 Ranged 10 🎯 Two allies

Effect: Each target who hasn't acted yet this combat round can take their turn in any order immediately after yours.