Dev Update #33 - Warlocks: So anyway I started Blasting
Heya people!
Less than 1 week before the release of the Inner Strength DLC, coming out Monday November 14th! And you know what that means - it's time to talk about the last class of the trio. Warlocks!
If Sleep affects 5d8 HP and a cat has 2 HP, how many cats can Sleep put asleep? Mili and Oliver say at least 2.
Read the Fine Prints
So you're telling me you want to learn magic, but you've got no money to enter a magic academy and no ancient bloodline running through your veins? It's alright, just sign here and I'll take care of it. What is this? You can't read either? Even better!
Jokes aside, Warlocks are spellcasters whose magic originates from their pact with an otherwordly being - a pact that could be your stereotypical deal with the devil, a whimsical interest from a powerful fey, or even the protection of a compassionate entity. Their patron grants them power in exchange for services, a facet of the class that can be very interesting to explore on Tabletop but which could not be implemented in Solasta.
First drafts of the Warlock outfits
Starting at level 1 Warlocks get access to Pact Magic. This type of magic is very different from other spellcasters, as Warlocks know very few spells and have even less spell slots... with only 1 at level 1, 2 at level 2 and 3 at level... 11! What sorcery is this?! However they regain their spells on a short rest instead of a long rest, and all their spells are automatically upcasted to the highest level they can cast (which caps at 5th spell level)! This makes Warlocks very explosive spellcasters who can afford to go all in during each and every fight. Also, don't forget to learn Eldritch Blast - Warlocks' signature cantrip! It's by far the most powerful cantrip in the game, and it synergizes with many Eldritch Invocations.
You will learn to love that cantrip. Because you'll be throwing it around a lot.
At level 2 Warlocks get their first two Eldricht Invocations. Those are like special Feats available only to them, which can go from granting them additional spells to greatly improving Eldritch Blast. There are a total of 22 Eldritch Invocations available in Solasta, and Warlocks can learn an additional one at level 5, 7, 9 and 12. On top of that, they can also swap one of them each time they level up so you won't ever be stuck with one you dislike!
Here's a couple of old sketches when doing research on the Warlock's visuals.
At level 3 Warlocks get their Pact Boon, which gives them the choice between Pact of the Blade, Pact of the Chain and Pact of the Tome:
Pact of the Blade: Weapons wielded by the Warlock count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity.
Pact of the Chain: As Solasta does not handle familiars, Pact of the Chain has been adapted to grant Warlocks the power to bind themselves to one of four creatures for a minute (bonus action, recharges on a long rest). The Imp grants them darkvision, resistance to fire and poison. The Pseudodragon grants them advantage on all saving throws against spells and magical effects. The Quasit grants them resistance against bludgeoning, piercing and slashing non-magical attacks. The Sprite grants them +2 cells movement speed and immunity to opportunity attacks.
Pact of the Tome: The Warlock can immediately choose 3 additional cantrips from any spellcasting class.
Excuse me sir I believe that's yours.
At level 11, Warlocks unlock Mystic Arcanum. As stated above, Pact Magic is limited to spells below level 5 (as getting 9th level spells refreshed on short rests would be insanely strong) - but that doesn't mean Warlocks can't get access to them! Mystic Arcanum allows them to choose a 6th level spell that they can cast once per long rest.
Eat some of this, you dang oversized lizards!
The Fiend (SRD)
When we were talking about your stereotypical deal with the devil, Fiend Warlocks are the first thing that come to mind. Having made a pact with a powerful demonic (or devilish!) entity, Fiend Warlocks get access to the Dark One's Blessing, which makes them gain temporary hit points every time they kill a hostile creature (reminder: temporary HP do not stack), At level 6, they can call upon the Dark One's Own Luck, granting them an additional d10 to all their ability checks and saving throws for one minute. And at level 10, their Fiendish Resilience allows them to choose one damage type that they'll gain resistance again - which can be swapped at the end of each short rest! Although be careful, magical weapons will bypass it.
The Hive (Homebrew)
Bravery or simply insanity? Some Warlocks have chosen to make a pact with the Hive, a mysterious entity which scholars have theorized to be in control of Redeemers all over Solasta. Hive Warlocks display many similarities with those giant mutated insects, applying Weakening Pheromones whenever they hit their enemies with spells, which gives them disadvantage on their next saving throw. At level 6, they get Magic Counter which allows them to cast an improved version of Counterspell once per short rest (without using a spellcasting slot). And at level 10, Reactive Carapace makes them instantly gain temporary HP until the start of their next turn immediately after they take damage from a spell or magic effect.
The Timekeeper (Community)
The winner of the Wishing Well, Timekeeper Warlocks have made a pact with an unknown entity from beyond space and time. At level 1, enemies damaged by their spell become afflicted with the Curse of Time, taking a small amount of damage at the start of each of their turn. At level 6, Time Shift allows Timekeeper Warlocks to vanish from the battlefield after taking damage, only returning at the beginning of their turn with all the damage taken undone by rewinding time (once per long rest). Finally at level 10, they get Accelerate - using a bonus action they can grant the effect of Haste to an ally for a single turn, without the lethargy when the effect ends (proficiency bonus per long rest).
The Tree (Lost Valley)
Those who have braved the marshes of the Lost Valley know that some trees out there are better left alone. Unlike Druids who commune with Nature, Tree Warlocks' blessings are viewed by many as a curse. At level 1, Piercing Branches start to sprout from their skin, inflicting damage to any enemy who hits them with a melee attack. At level 6, they receive the Blessing of the Tree, granting them immunity against poison effect, and resistance against poison and necrotic damage as their blood and skin start to take a greenish color. And at level 10, they can unleash an Explosive Growth, sprouting branches from all over their body to inflict heavy damage to all enemies around them, shoving and restraining them on a failed dexterity saving throw (once per short rest).
Alright folks, this is the end for today! Next time we'll be talking about... The trailer and the Community Video :D Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.
Dev Update #32 - Monks: If you got a butt I'll kick it!
Hey there folks!
We're back with more information about the upcoming Inner Strength DLC (which releases November 14th), this time featuring the Monk! The perfect opportunity to make references to dumb (but fun) kung fu movies. But before that, here are some of our new hires!
Say hello to Selma and Zelda, our two newest fluffy and adorable hires!
I know Kung Fu
If I ask you which class runs around half-naked on the battlefield while smashing enemies left and right, you say... Barbarian, okay I guess that's correct too. But hear this - you want to go even faster? Punch people in the face and kick them in the nuts instead of relying on a big chunk of metal to swing around? Well look no further than Monks. These expert martial artists are simply the fastest among all existing classes, and although they are less durable than most other front liners their speed allows them to quickly get in and out of combat. Each of their strike may not deal large amounts of damage, but they can be empowered with Ki to add debilitating effects, such as the infamous Stunning Strike (which makes many DMs weep for their boss monsters).
First drafts of the Monk outfits
Starting at level 1 Monks get access to Unarmed Defense, allowing them to add their Wisdom modifier to their Armor Class as long as they are not wearing armor. They also get their class-defining feature Martial Arts, which grants them scaling damage when fighting unarmed (from 1d4 at level 1 to 1d8 at level 11), allows them to use Dexterity instead of Strength for those attacks and gives them the ability to do an additional unarmed strike with a bonus action.
Your face to my foot style!
At level 2 Monks get a passive movement speed increase (from +2 cells at level 2 to +4 cells at level 10) with the Unarmored Movement feature, making them the fastest of all classes. They also unlock a pool of Ki points, which is the class resource Monks spend to use most of their powers. By using 1 Ki point and their bonus action, they can use Flurry of Blows to make two additional unarmed strikes, Patient Defense to Dodge, or Step of the Wind to Disengage or Dash and double their jump distance.
At level 3 Monks commit to a Monastic Tradition, which unlocks their Subclass features. They also get Deflect Missiles, which allows them to use their reaction to lower the damage they take from ranged weapon attacks. If Deflect Missiles lowers the damage to zero, a Monk can even spend 1 Ki point to return the projectile to their attacker
Excuse me sir I believe that's yours.
At level 4 Monks get access to Slow Fall, greatly reducing fall damage and allowing them to get back up on their feet immediately after falling.
At level 5, Monks get an Extra Attack like most other martial classes, but they also unlock the bane of all Dungeon Masters... Stunning Strike. By using 1 Ki Point, they can force any creature they hit to roll a Constitution saving throw or be stunned for 1 round. This is where I remind you that Monks can attack 4 times per round thanks to their Flurry of Blows, meaning there is a very high chance whoever they're targeting is in for a very bad time.
Kill bosses with this simple trick! DMs hate it!
At level 6 Monks gain Ki-Empowered Strikes, making their unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity.
At level 7 Monks gain access to Stillness of Mind, making them immune to the charm and frighten conditions
More color sketches to work on the Monk outfit
At level 10 Monks gain Purity of Body, making them immune to disease and poison. That's a lot of immunities!
Way of the Open Hand (SRD)
Open Hand Monksare honed martial artists who can easily take control over the battlefield. Their signature Open Hand Technique automatically adds one of three effects when they use Flurry of Blows - they can either knock their target prone, shove them away or prevent them from taking reactions. At higher levels, they get Wholeness of Body which allows them to heal themselves once per long rest, and with Tranquility they can spend 1 Ki point to cast Shield.
Way of Survival (Homebrew)
For Survival Monks, the best offence is a strong defense. With Defensive Stance, they get a bonus +2 AC when not wearing any armor - and they have advantage on attack rolls as long as they are under the effect of Patient Defense. At level 6 they unlock Unbreakable Body, which further enhance their toughness. Patience Defense now also grants resistance to all damage, and taking damage makes you heal a small amount of HP at the start of your next turn. At level 11, Survival Monks turn resilience into power with Unmoving Strength to add their Constitution modifier to unarmed strikes damage rolls.
Way of Light (Community)
The winner of the Wishing Well, Light Monks are specialized against creatures who dwell in the dark - such as Soraks! They learn the Light and Shine cantrips with Luminous Ki, and creatures hit by Flurry of Blows automatically start emitting bright light. This enables their level 6 feature Radiant Strikes, which adds radiant damage to each of their attacks when hitting enemies under the effect of Luminous Ki or Shine. Lastly at level 11 they get Blinding Flash, which allows them to use 2 Ki points and their bonus action to deal radiant damage and blind enemies surrounding them.
Way of Freedom (Lost Valley)
Freedom Monks are a tempest of blows flying accross the battlefield. With Swift Steps, Flurry of Blows grants them the effect of Dash for free and advantage of their next attack. At level 6, Swirling Dance allows them to use their reaction to counterattack right after an enemy misses them with a melee attack. And at level 11, Unending Strikes improves their Flurry of Blows to attack three times instead of two.
Alright folks, this is the end for today! Next time we'll be talking about the Warlocks. Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.
Dev Update #31 - Bards are singing, Flowers are blooming...
Heya people,
As promised, we're back with more information about the upcoming Inner Strength DLC (which releases November 14th)! This time we'll put the spotlight on the Bard, one of the three new classes included in Inner Strength. Of course I'm not leaving you without what you're all looking forward to..
Oh oui oui Monsieur le Barde, draw me like one of your French cats. That's Ouste by the way, a new addition to our roster.
Time for a Song!
Ahhh the Bard. Often touted on Tabletop as charming fellows trying to seduce anyone (and anything) they come accross by rolling Charisma checks all over the place, they are in fact much more than just walking Don Juan stereotypes. Expert in many things and full-time spellcaster, the Bard is one of the most - if not the most - versatile class in Dungeon and Dragons 5e, both in and out of combat.
First drafts of the Bard outfits from a few months ago
Starting at level 1 with Bardic Inspiration, Bards can help allies turn a failed roll into a successful one by adding a d6 (which later turns into a d8 at level 5 and then a d10 at level 10) to the result. This makes them very strong support characters when you just can't afford to fail a dice roll... such as when trying to land the killing blow on that pesky boss! As stated above they are also full arcane spellcasters - in fact, they have the largest amount of known spells aside from Wizards (who are able to scribe more), and they're even able to "borrow" spells from other classes thanks to Magical Secrets! With a spell list that has a lot of common ground with Wizards and Clerics, there is very little a Bard can't accomplish with their magic.
Now here's a jolly tune for you!
At level 2 the Bard unlocks Jack of All Trades, giving them half their proficiency bonus on any ability check that doesn't already include it, such as Skill Checks they aren't proficient in... but also Initiative Rolls which are Dexterity Checks! They also get Song of Rest for some extra healing whenever the party does a short rest, which is always nice to stay healthy and save some Hit Dice for when they are really needed.
At level 3 the Bard choose their College, which grants them a whole lot of new features! The different Colleges available on Solasta will be shared below. They also get expertise on two of their skills just like the Rogue. Skill monkeys unite!
First concept art for the Bard after both male and female outfits were decided
At level 5, Bardic Inspiration gets a huge boost with Font of Inspiration - not only does the Bardic Inspiration die changes from 1d6 to 1d8, but the Bard regains all their expended uses of Bardic Inspiration on a short rest instead of a long rest. You get a Bardic Inspiration, and you get a Bardic Inspiration, and you get a Bardic Inspiration! Everyone gets a Bardic Inspiration!
At level 6 Bards get access to Countercharm, a very unique ability that uses an action to activate and that lasts until the end of their next turn. While Countercharm is active, all allies (including yourself) within 30' have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed - although it only works if you aren't incapacitated or silenced (obviously).
The Bard is a great addition when seeking to enter dark and dangerous lairs. Undead beware!
The last big feature for Bards in Solasta comes at level 10 with Magical Secrets - which just like mentioned before, allows Bards to take two spells from ANY classes. The Warlock is making you jealous with their Eldritch Blast? Yoink, yours now. The Druid's Spike Growth is looking spicy? Would you look at that, turns out it's a Bard spell!
College of Lore (SRD)
Coming straight from the SRD, the College of Lore simply takes the base features of the Bard and makes them... better. And it works! Starting at level 3 with 3 bonus skill proficiencies, the Lore Bard becomes even more versatile than they already were. They also get the very powerful Cutting Words ability, which somewhat works like a reverse Bardic Inspiration on an enemy. On top of that Cutting Words has been buffed in Solasta: the targeted enemy decreases all its ability checks, attack and damage rolls by the value of the Bardic Inspiration die until the start of the Bard's next turn. This was done to avoid having pop-ups interrupting the game every time the enemy did something during their turn. And at level 6, the Lore Bard gets access to Magical Secrets before every other Bards. More stealing borrowing!
College of Hope (Homebrew)
The College of Hope is a full on Healer archetype. At level 3 Hope Bards get Healing Ballad, massively improving Song of Rest by not only increasing the amount healed by their Charisma modifier, but also granting the same amount as what Song of Rest heals as Temporary HP. They also get Wandering Healer, adding Prayer of Healing to their list of Known Spells (which doesn't count in their total of Spells Known) at level 3, and Mass Healing Words and Revivify at level 6. And with Words of Hope at level 6, their Bardic Inspiration heals for an amount equal to Song of Rest whenever it targets an ally below half of their maximum health.
College of Heroism (Community)
The winner of the Wishing Well, the College of Heroism is a strong Support Archetype. At level 3 Heroism Bards get the Bolster Morale feature, making all their Bardic Inspiration dice roll twice to pick the highest result. They also get access to the Heroic Tale power which empowers an ally for 1 minute, granting them immunity against fear effects and advantage to all saving throws. At level 6 Heroism Bards get Thundering Voice, dealing damage to the closest enemy whenever they grant a Bardic Inspiration to an ally and giving them disadvantage on their next attack rolls.
College of Tradition (Lost Valley)
Remnants of the old Manacalon Empire, the College of Tradition is a fairly selfish archetype from a selfish era. At level 3 they get Aura of Preeminance, which makes their Intimidation and Insight Check treat any roll of 9 or lower as a 10, and Ancient Tradition which makes them able to cast Mage Armor on themselves at will. At level 6 they get Verbal Onslaught, allowing them to use their Bardic Inspiration as a reaction to deal psychic damage and potentially stun anyone who damages them.
And here we have our Bards, finally available in the Character Creation Tool!
Alright folks, this is the end for today! Next time we'll be talking about the Monks. Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.
It's been more than a year since our last proper Dev Update (which marked the end of our Early Access!), with Solasta gradually growing larger and larger with new classes, races, improvements, a higher level cap and even another campaign. And now as we're close to getting the final classes to complete the roster, we've decided to give you guys a few Dev Updates every two weeks while waiting for Inner Strength to be released! But before that... for those of you who never read our Dev Updates before, get acquainted to a tradition of ours. Cats!
There is something endearing in watching a cat named Kaiju sleeping so peacefully.
Ye Ol' Dragonborn
Those of you familiar with D&D know that Dragonborns were primarily introduced in the 4th edition (although they were featured in Races of the Dragon from 3e before that). Long story short: Spellplague happened, two worlds collided, hello Dragonborns welcome to Toril (apologies to all the Faerun historians that I've just offended). However, the biggest mystery when it came to the Dragonborn was... What's their origin? Are they descendants of dragons (by blood)? Were they created by dragons (by magic)? Are they victims of a spell that turned them into Dragonborns? Do they simply share an older common ancestor with dragons? Turns out, all we have are legends... which is fine with us!
You see, we asked ourselves all these questions to make sure that our Solastan Dragonborn wouldn't go against the very nature of what a Dragonborn should be. Solastan Dragonborns are a little less mysterious than their official counterpart, they are simply descendants of unions between polymorphed dragons and humanoid lineages. Although they were well accepted in the Manacalon Empire, they became very reclusive after the Cataclysm due to a number of reasons. The newly freed slaves did not look kindly upon their former elven masters nor their collaborators (such as the dragonborns) - and their physical appearance would often draw suspiscion from those unfamiliar with the race. And with many grieving their losses from the Sorr-Akkath... So there you have it! In Solasta Dragonborns are rare and fairly secretive, only recently starting to venture back into more civilized lands. With most having completely forgotten about the Soraks, their striking appearance is also less stigmatized than it was in the past.
Art - Research & Experiments
While our writers were settling on the lore, our artists started experimenting with the visuals - with some tests being very experimental. You'll see what I mean.
Some of the older designs that were dropped for being too monstrous, reptilian or demonic.
Experimenting with horns, you can see that this version of Dragonborns still had a fairly humanoid face.
Experimenting with Sorcerer tattoos, again with a different face shape this time a little less human
Switching back to the more draconic facial structure, which in the end felt much more faithful to how Dragonborn are perceived by most.
Final Concept Art for our Dragonborn, which was the one revealed during the announcement of Inner Strength
Character Creator Options
So now that we got a look at the art research, what do the Dragonborns actually look like in-game? Say no more, I've got you covered.
Both male and female dragonborns have 5 different face and horn options (which you can choose from separately), plus a no horn option
Dragonborns also have access to their own set of face paints and scars
Last but not least, you will have 5 different tail options with a length slider (currently the tail is a little stiff due to a bug which we're fixing), plus a no tail option
And here is our little Dragonborn using his Breath Weapon (which type of damage and shape depend on their Draconic Ancestry). Burn, you dirty undead!
Alright folks, this is the end for today! Next time we'll be breaking down the subclasses for one of the new classes coming up in Inner Strength. Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.
Mark your calendars because we're here with a date for the next DLC! With the Monk, Bard & Warlock joining the party, we've finally completed the full SRD class lineup in Solasta. To think we originally planned to release the game with only 4 - Fighter, Rogue, Cleric, Wizard - and now we're up to 12... All of this is only possible thanks to your support! But that's not all there is, the long awaited Dragonborns also make their appearance in this new DLC. Inner Strength, coming up November 14th - don't miss it!
This DLC unlocks three new Classes (for a total of 9 new subclasses, plus 3 additional ones if you own Lost Valley) and one new Ancestry.
The Warlock Class, with its 4 subclasses: The Fiend (SRD), The Hive (Solasta), The Timekeeper (Community), The Tree (Lost Valley)
The Bard Class, with its 4 subclasses: College of Lore (SRD), College of Hope (Solasta), College of Heroism (Community), College of Tradition (Lost Valley)
The Monk Class, with its 4 subclasses: Way of the Open Hand (SRD), Way of Survival (Solasta), Way of Light (Community), Way of Freedom (Lost Valley)
The Dragonborn Ancestry
Free Content Update For Everyone
Three new Backgrounds: The Ascetic, The Artist & The Occultist (note: these new backgrounds do not have a background quest in the Crown of the Magister campaign)
17 new feats to give our martial classes some more love!
Gamepad support on PC is finally here <3
Boss monsters are coming to the Dungeon Maker. Use them at your own risk and peril!
Wishing Well Result - Monk, Bard & Warlock Community Archetypes
Hiya folks!
We're here today with the results of the Wishing Well Event. Three community archetypes have been created and implemented for the upcoming DLC featuring the Monk, the Bard & the Warlock classes. What are they? Who are the lucky winners? You'll find everything below, bundled with a couple of other runner ups we really liked. We've also saved the VOD of the Wishing Well Community Stream if you missed it yesterday and wanted to watch it!
Summer heat is rough. On all of us. Hang in there lil' buddy.
Wishing Well Stream Archive
Didn't manage to catch yesterday's stream? No worries, you can watch the session here. Witness my flawless mastery of the ancient tool named Powerpoint (which is part of the character background Computer Nerd in case you're wondering where I got the proficiency from) as I talk you throw the different themes that caught our attention before revealing the winners. If you prefer text, read on!
Wishing Well - And the Community Archetypes are...
Before we get into the results, we just wanted to thank you all again for participating to the Wishing Well Event. We've received more than 1,000 submissions - with a lot of them being absolutely fantastic. For those who may not remember the Wishing Well Event rules, we picked up themes and features that we loved the most to put together a Bard, Warlock & Monk Archetype from all the great ideas you submitted.
Without further ado, here are the members of the community whose submission we took inspiration from: Tristan Townend, William Swedin, Silvers, ADHDTV, Christine Price, Nathaniel Wheatly, Vylantze, Scifive. If you are one of the winners, please reach out to us either through Discord (if you had your Discord Account info in the submission form) or by mail at contact@tactical-adventures.com with the following information: The name of the archetype you submitted, the name of the features and what those features did (as best as you can remember).
And before jumping into it, we want to give our warmest thanks to Li'Hild for providing us with fantastic and colorful artworks to illustrate our Community Archetypes and three of the runner-ups for each class. If you like her illustrations, make sure to follow her on Twitter or Instagram!
Bard Community Archetype - College of Heroism
Bards from the College of Heroism aren't content with just telling the stories - they must be part of it. Their thundering voice ensures their allies are always at their best, and at their side even the most cowardly soldiers become stalewart combatants. Even at times most dire, the tale will not end with a Heroism Bard in your party.
College Features:
Level 3: Bolster Morale - When an ally uses one of your Bardic Inspiration dice, they roll twice and pick the highest result.
Level 3: Heroic Tale - Use an action to bolster an ally you can see within 30' (6 cells) for 1 minute. They gain advantage on all Saving Throws and immunity against Frighten & Fear effects. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Level 6: Thundering Voice - Whenever you grant a Bardic Inspiration to an ally, the closest enemy within 60' (12 cells) must make a WIS saving throw or take 1d8 + CHA mod. Thunder damage and have disadvantage on their next attack roll (half damage on save).
Not currently planned (Design Only) - Level 14: At Road's End - When an ally you can see within 60' (12 cells) is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to make them fall to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Contributors: Tristan Townend, William Swedin, Silvers
Bards Runner-Ups
Sound Theme: Examples include College of Roars, College of Mayhem, College of Dissonance & College of Screams. This theme mostly focused on nuking enemies with heavy Thunder damage and various conditions through its features.
Debuff & Control Theme: Examples include College of Lethargy, College of Minds, College of Elegies & College of Discord. As the name implies, this theme mostly focused on controlling and debuffing enemies through its features.
Battle & Martial Theme: Examples include College of War Chant, College of Savagery, College of Skalds & College of Dueling. This theme almost made it into the game as it was a very close vote between College of Dueling and College of Heroism. College of Dueling had a feature similar to Bladesingers, unlocking an Extra Attack and being able to use their Bardic Inspiration to temporarily increase their AC to make an instant riposte if the enemy missed their attack as a consequence.
Monk Community Archetype - Way of Light
"Stay in the light, friend". Such as simple expression, yet most forget its origin. After the Cataclysm, many struggled to survive in the dark times that loomed over Solasta. The Way of Light appeared around that time, with its practioners helping to keep isolated settlements safe from the many creatures of the dark that lurked around.
Tradition Features:
Level 3: Luminous Ki - You learn the Light & Shine cantrips. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, they automatically start emitting bright light until the end of your next turn.
Level 6: Radiant Strikes - Any time you strike a target affected by Shine or Luminous Ki, you deal an additional 1d4 radiant damage.
Level 11: Blinding Flash - As a bonus action, you can spend 2 Ki Points to generate a blinding burst of light. All creatures within 3 cells of you must roll a CON saving throw or take 3d6 radiant damage and become blinded until the end of your next turn (half damage on success).
Contributors: ADHDTV
Monks Runner-Ups
Artistry & Craftsmanship Theme: Examples include Way of the Pen, Way of the Dancer, Way of the Polished Glass & Way of the Herbalist. This was one of the most varied theme in terms of features, many of which were mostly suited for Tabletop and not Solasta due to how complex (though fascinating!) they were.
Magic Theme: Examples include Way of Attunement, Way of the Sacred Talisman, Way of the Spellweaver & Way of the Magister. Most of the proposals revolved around turning the Monk into a half-caster, which although interesting made it very complex in terms of resources due to the Monk getting access to both Ki and spell slots.
Meditation & Balance: Examples include Way of Balance, Way of the Perfect Strike, Way of Patience & Way of the Free Wind. Way of Balance made it pretty far internally, with a focus on shoving and getting bonuses against prone targets - but was deemed to situational against larger creatures that would be immune to shoves.
Warlock Community Archetype - The Timekeeper
Timekeepers are strange and mysterious entities who exist beyond the fabric of time and space - and you've made a pact with one, allowing you to make small adjustments in endless flow of the river of time, as unnatural as it may sound.
Patron Features:
Level 1: Curse of Time - Whenever you damage an opponent with a spell, they become afflicted with the Curse of Time. Enemies under the Curse of Time take half your proficiency bonus (rounded up) force damage at the start of their turn for the next minute.
Level 6: Time Shift - After you take damage, you can use your reaction to revert time. You briefly disappear in a time rift and heal back the damage received. You are considered banished until the start of your next turn. After you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you complete a long rest.
Level 10: Accelerate - You can use a bonus action to briefly accelerate an ally other than yourself within 30 feet. They gain the effect of Haste until the start of your next turn; however they do not suffer from lethargy when Accelerate ends. You can use this feature a number of time equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
Not currently planned (Design Only) - Level 14: Time Warp - On your turn, you can take one additional action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
Darkness Theme: Examples include The Shadow, The Spectre, The Eclipse & The Nightmare. These Patrons often played with the Light & Dark system, drain health from enemies and inflict a lot of very annoying debuffs to deal with.
Various Concepts: Examples include The Puppet, The Clockwork, The Archive, The Paradox. As Warlock Patrons are singular entities, most did not fit into singular themes like most archetypes for other classes would. There were plenty of very interesting ideas, but often very hard to implement because they were so unique.
Ancient Heroes Theme: Examples include The Great Ancestor, The Fallen, The Heroic Soul, The Legend. Wake up Great Grampa it's time to go kick some ass! This theme also nearly made it into the game as it was very cool, making a pact with a powerful hero of yore (possibly your own family tree) who would oversee your growth as a hero - a nice balance to all the more sinister patrons from the official Warlock archetypes. With their Patron looking over their shoulder, their design allowed them to never be surprised, have a bonus in iniative rolls, be able to regain a Pact Magic spell slot once per long rest, use their reaction to remove most conditions several times per day and at higher level have 6th level instead of 5th level spell slots for their Pact Magic.
Alright folks, this is the end for today! As always thank you for reading, and check out our Forums and our Discord Server to chat with other players :D
Article by Tactical Myzzrym
Dev Stream August 31st - Community Archetypes Revealed! (Warlock, Bard & Monk)
Hey there folks!
Do you remember the Wishing Well Event back that took place 2 months ago in June? Well we're finally done reading through all of them and we're here with the winners, as well as some runner ups to make it more interesting. Join us next Wednesday August 31st on our Twitch Channel at 9 am PDT / 12 pm EDT / 6 pm CEST for the reveal of the Community Archetypes for the Monk, Warlock and Bard who will be implented in the upcoming DLC!
Incidentally the Crown of the Magister subreddit just recently hit 10,000 subscribers, and they are doing a giveaway of 10 Game Keys and 10 PDF of the Solasta Sourcebook until August 31st - so if you're interested in some goodies, make sure you head there if you already have an account (need to be 7 days old at least).
Alright folks, this is the end for today! See you on August 31st for the Community Stream, and don't hesitate to prepare a few questions for us! Thank you for reading, drop by our Forums or our Discord Server to chat with other players.
Article by Tactical Myzzrym
Patch Notes - Version 1.3.91
Very small changelog hiding many, many optimization tweaks for today!
Changelog
Many smaller optimization changes to make the game experience smoother.
Fixed an issue where combats could get stuck with "Grouped Monster Initiative" active when new enemies would arrive
Fixed some visual issues with a few armors.
Patch Notes - Version 1.3.85
Changelog
Fixed being able to give Esfalad the Dryad Queen's head before starting The Dryad Queen quest, preventing from starting the Jungle Escort quest
Fixed the Waterfall exit area sometimes disappearing after entering the Hidden Caves in Verdant Valley
Fixed Halman Summer missing from a cutscene... making the dialog very, very strange.
Fixed a bug that could occur in Custom Dungeons if you spammed the skip button too quickly during dialogs
Added a messsage when trying to select a DLC class in Multiplayer when the host doesn't own the DLC.
Made some changes to improve movement smoothness in Multiplayer
Fixed an error that could occur when right clicking on an item while in a shop
Fixed more desyncs in Multiplayer, such as closing the inventory immediately after moving an item before the network validated the move, or playing around in the bestiary menu.
Fixed a rare case where starting a random encounter right before 8:00 AM and finishing it after 8:00 AM would prevent the exit area from appearing.
Fixed items not immediately appearing on the ground after being dropped in Multiplayer
Improve stability and added more safety nets to prevent potential crashes
Fixed the game sometimes displaying xbox controls in weird places without reasons
Fixed the Point Buy System being unavailable due to its icon being replaced by the male/female slider (wut?)
Fixed a scroll of Resurrection in the People's Hideout causing errors when looted
Fixed a freeze that would occur when a Druid in Wild Shape gets knocked unconscious by an attack of opportunity (both the animal shape and druid reaching 0 HP in one strike)
Made some optimization passes on Caer Hyfrid
Fixed a Ranger with Fast Aim and a +1 Longbow equipped losing their UI when entering combat
Solasta is now available on Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S
Hey there folks!
Just dropping a quick news today to announce that Solasta: Crown of the Magister and its DLCs are now playable on Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S! Read below for more details. For those wondering why there is an update on PC as well, it's to make sure multiplayer is compatible between PC and Xbox.
Known Issues: Point buy is currently unavailable, we will be fixing that asap. Also, reminder that mods will break after an update!
F.A.Q.
How does Game Pass / Microsoft Store work between PC & Xbox? Purchasing Solasta: Crown of the Magister and any DLC on the Microsoft Store makes them both available on PC and Xbox! The base game is also available via Game Pass on both PC & Xbox.
Are the DLCs available on Xbox? Yes, all the DLCs can be purchased on Xbox.
Are the save files shared between PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass? Yes, you can continue your PC playthrough on Xbox and vice versa
Is there Multiplayer Crossplay between PC & Xbox? What about Crossplatform between different Xbox consoles? Yes, you can play multiplayer with Xbox (Xbox One to Xbox Series X/S) & PC players (Microsoft Store, Steam, GoG) & Mac players (Steam) in the same session!
Is the Dungeon Maker available on Xbox? While you can download Dungeon Maker maps & campaigns from https://solasta.mod.io/ and play them on Xbox, you can't create custom content directly via the Dungeon Maker on Xbox. The Dungeon Maker was deemed too complex to adapt to pad control, so creating custom maps & campaigns is limited to the PC version for now.
Can I use the pad on PC now? Not yet! There are many additional requirements before we can submit a pad-compatible version on PC, so it's not as simple as it may seem.
Where can I get the Game / DLCs? You can get it on the Xbox store here!
