Spell & Human Changes

We will be making some adjustments to the available spell list and the base Human card.


Updated Human Card

We are reprinting the Human card with updated wordings, mechanics, and template. You’ll notice two big changes in the mechanics. Firstly we are specifying that players cannot move targets that they are [Stabilizing]. Mechanics in the game book require that the stabilizer remain still, but the card did not clarify this.

The other big change is that we are updating the [Self-Cleanse] call and changing it to [Recover]. We want to better differentiate between the Cleanse mechanic players can use on themselves and the Cleanse mechanic players can use on other players via casting. In addition to cleansing yourself, Recover will also restore all of your [Overflow Resist Points] (you start with none and gain them through patterns), and it will repair your shield. [Aegis Points] will also be recovered, this will basically get you back to full-fighting-form. To compensate for this added power, we are increasing the time needed to complete a [Recover] to 30 seconds. When the count is complete, you can call “Recover” instead of calling the individual effects that recover provides.

We will also use this call with monsters from time to time. When we do, it doesn’t usually mean that they are recovering everything (they may not get any aegis back at all).

Updated Spell List

We are removing the Charging spells mechanic and breaking out the associated effects into their own spells. We have found that charging spells create balancing issues when comparing the different casting styles, disproportionately affecting Chanter and Couplet casting. The following spells can now be cast using a single channel, keep reading for further explanations on some of this:

  • Heal with Daze

  • Repair (Equipment) with Daze

  • Cleanse <Affliction>

  • Repel 3

  • Interrupt

  • Bolt (this is the remnant of Force Bolt)

We are changing [Cleanse] to [Cleanse <Specified Affliction>]. Cleanse will no longer remove all Afflictions, but instead only a specified one. To Cleanse an affliction, you must be able to apply it. So if you want to be able to cast [Cleanse Slow], you must have the ability to cause [Slow] in one of your patterns (you don’t need to get the affliction as a spell, if you had a Wild pattern that let you spit slowing goo, that would enable your Cleanse). If you didn’t notice in the previous image, [Recover] now comes with a self [Cleanse All], which will remove all of your Afflictions.

The keywords [Push] and [Blowback] have been removed. We are adjusting [Repel] to be [Repel X] where X is the number of steps that need to be taken. We expect this will be much easier to remember. The spell list has been adjusted to account for this change.

Repair has been an odd duck in the game. We previously listed effects in the Repair charge-up line that had no impact because we seldom wanted to use a monster that would break weapons. In our experience, weapon breaking is a punishing mechanic that offers little interaction. To make repair less mandatory, we have folded shield repair into Recover. To make faster repair still possible, we’re keeping it as an available spell. We’re specifying “equipment” in the spell to clarify that this is not for use with structures or buildings, that’s a Shaper’s job.