Building Weapon Techniques

Weapon techniques are attack techniques that augment Strikes with your equipped weapon.

Follow the steps below to build a new damage technique. To do this, you will need to know your character’s Innate Element, if the character is using a Melee or Ranged weapon, and your character level.

Weapon Technique Definitions

First, let’s define the common pieces of a Weapon technique.

  • Element: The damage type for the technique.
  • Target: The target of the technique. The default is 1 enemy.
  • Strike: How many Strike actions are taken.
  • Weapon Type: This is usually Ranged or Melee. Hybrid weapons qualify as both.
  • Range: This is usually your Weapon’s range.
  • Power: This determines the base damage of the technique. This number, your weapon’s Might, and the user’s stats determine damage dealt.
  • Action: How many actions does it take to use these technique?

Base Weapon Technique

Start with the base weapon technique information and adjust the details step by step.

Element ?, Target 1 Enemy, Strike: 1, Weapon Type ???, Range = Weapon Range, Power 1, Action ?

Base Weapon Spell

Step 1: Select Element

This determines what type of damage the technique will deal. By default, you can only build techniques of your Innate Element or Physical/None. The Elemental Versatility trait can allow you to select any Element.

Unlike Damage techniques, Weapon techniques of any Element calculate damage using the same formula as your Strike action (Strength for Melee, Hit for Ranged, and a combination for Hybrid). Weapon techniques of all Elements, not just Physical, are resisted by the Defense stat. Weapon special abilities that affect the damage formula will also affect Weapon Techniques.

  • For Nonelemental techniques, increase Power +1.
  • For Yellow and Blue, increase critical range by 2.
  • For Green techniques, increase Strikes +1.
  • For Red techniques, increase Power +1.
  • For White (White) and Black techniques, if the target is the opposing element Critical Hits deal one step more damage (2x to 4x, 4x to 6x, 6x to 8x, etc).

Step 2: Select three 1st Tier Qualities

Selecting qualities is what makes a technique unique. Certain qualities are locked to a Weapon Type, this is designated by the Weapon Type being noted in Parenthesis.

  • +1 Power: Increase Power +1. This quality can be taken multiple times, each time it increases Power +1 (up to a total of +3).
  • Area of Effect: The target changes to an area of effect. Every enemy in the area of effect takes damage from the user’s Strike. Select one of the below.
    • Line: Short line of squares out from the user. Decrease Power – 1. This can be taken multiple times, each time it increases the Target size one step (up to long line and -3 Power).
    • Radius: Small radius of squares out from the user. Decrease Power – 1. This can be taken multiple times, each time it increases The target size one step (up to large radius and -3 Power).
    • Cone: Small cone of squares out from the user. Decrease Power – 1. This can be taken multiple times, each time it increases The target size one step (up to large cone and -3 Power).
  • Leap Forward (Melee): Before attacking, move up to your base movement in a straight line. This movement ignores terrain effects and elevation but the movement must be a straight line. (Special: A user with the Jump trait can add Leap to a technique for free. It does not count against their three 1st Tier Qualities).
  • Leap Up (Ranged): Before attacking, the user jumps high into the air while using this technique. Increase Range +1. Ignore nearby obstacles for Line of Sight when using this technique. (Special: A user with the Jump trait can add Leap to a technique for free. It does not count against their three 1st Tier Qualities).
  • Knockback (Melee): The attack pushes a target of user’s size one square away from the user. This may be taken multiple times, each time it pushes the target one square further (up to 3).
  • Get Over Here (Melee): Before attacking, this technique pulls a target of the user’s size two square towards the user. This may be taken multiple times, each time it pulls the target two squares closer (up to 6).
  • Move Before: Before using the technique move as if you had taken a Move action.

After selecting three 1st Tier Qualities, increase Action to 1 and the technique could be complete. At this point you can jump to Final Steps or proceed to Step 3: Select three 2nd Tier Qualities if you meet the level requirement.

Step 3: Select three 2nd Tier Qualities

The level requirement for adding 2nd Tier Qualities to Weapon techniques is Level 4. A technique with 2nd Tier Qualities will require 2 Actions to use.

  • +2 Power: Increase Power +2. This quality can be taken multiple times, each time it increases Power +2 (up to a total of +6).
  • +1 Strike: Increase number of Strike +1. Decrease Power -1. This quality can be taken multiple times, each time it increases the number of Strike +1 and decrease Power -1 (up to a total of +3 Strikes and -3 Power).
  • Elemental Effect: Adds an elemental effect to the technique. See below.
    • Blue: Temporary terrain effect causes Targets to slip, treat all Strikes against affected Targets as Flanking.
    • Red: Each Strike also deals Moderate Red damage.
    • Green: The target is pushed back 2 squares (this stacks with the Knockback quality). Creates strong wind (directional terrain) for one round.
    • Yellow: On a Critical Hit, the target(s) becomes Paralyzed for 1 Round.
    • Black: If any negative Status Effects are active on the target(s), increase their Duration by 1.
    • White (White): User heals 5 HP per Power.
    • Nonelemental: Nothing.
  • Leap Away: After attacking, move up to your base movement away from the target. This movement ignores terrain effects and elevation but the movement must be a straight line. (Special: A user with the Jump trait can add Leap to a technique for free. It does not count against their three 1st Tier Qualities).
  • X Strike (Melee): Set Target enemy permanently to 1. Target cannot be increased. If Technique has more than 1 Strike, all Strikes gain the Flanking positioning bonus as the user effectively flanks the target by themselves.
  • Snipe (Ranged): Set Strike permanently to 1 and Target enemy permanently to 1. Strike and Target cannot be increased. Double Weapon Range. Increase Power +1.
  • Ricochet (Ranged): This cannot be taken with Area of Effect. Decrease Power -1. Each Strike made by this Technique targets one additional enemy in Weapon Range. This can be taken multiple times, each time it add an additional enemy and reduces Power -1 (to a total of 3 enemies per Strike and -3 Power).
  • Move During: While using the technique move as if you had taken a Move action. You may make Strikes at any point during the move.

After selecting three 2nd Tier Qualities, increase Action to 2 and the technique is complete. At this point you can jump to Final Steps or proceed to Step 4: Select three 3rd Tier Qualities if you meet the level requirement.

Step 4: Select three 3rd Tier Qualities

The level requirement for adding 3rd Tier Qualities to Weapon techniques is Level 12. A technique with 3rd Tier Qualities will require 3 Actions to use.

  • +3 Power: Increase Power +3. This quality can be taken multiple times, each time it increases Power +3 (up to a total of +9).
  • +2 Strike: Increase number of Strikes +2. Decrease Power -2. This quality can be taken multiple times, each time it increases the number of Strikes +2 and decrease Power -2 (up to a total of +6 Strikes and -6 Power).
  • Bane: This tech deals additional damage to a specific type of enemy. Select one from below.
    • Dinosaur: Includes Dinosaurs and Reptites
    • Magic Being: Includes Spirits and Dream Creatures.
    • Fiends/Mystics: Includes goblins, fiends, and sprites.
    • Machines: Includes Robots, Vehicles, and Turrets.
    • Humans: Includes humans from all Eras and cultures.
    • Undead: Includes corporeal and incorporeal undead.
    • Animals: Includes beasts and animalistic monsters.
    • Dragons: Includes Dragonians and Dragons.
  • Temporal Powered: This technique’s damage is calculated based on the current Round, not Elemental or Strength. Select one from below.
    • Sooner to Round 0 is stronger.
    • Longer after Round 0 is stronger.
  • Smite Element: Increase Elemental Weakness damage bonus from 2x to 4x.
  • Bypass Resistance: This technique ignores Elemental Resistance, dealing normal damage.

Final Steps

There are only a few steps remaining after selecting the new techniques’ qualities and determining the number of Actions needed to use it.

Step 5: Is it Magic? If so, select one Magic quality.

The Elemental stat requirement for adding Magical qualities to Weapon techniques is 20. If the user has the Magical Aptitude trait and at least 20 Elemental, they can select one magic quality.

  • +1 Power: Increase Power +1.
  • Teleport Swarm (Melee): Set Target enemy permanently to 1. Target cannot be increased. Increase Strike +1. If Technique has more than 1 Strike, all Strikes gain the Back Attack positioning bonus as the user uses teleportation to attack from all angles.
  • Teleport Weapon (Melee): Treat all enemies within Technique Range as being within Weapon range. The user is stationary but Strikes by teleporting its weapons.
  • True Strike: All Strikes made by this Tech land a normal hit. This negates high evasion as well abilities or actions that dodge or grant 100% evade against Strikes. This includes the incorporeal abilities of ghosts and spirits.
  • Elemental Weirdness: Qualities that are based on Element type (such as Elemental Effect) can select the effect of a different Element type than that of the Technique.
  • Elemental Magic: Add one effect based on Element. See below.
    • Blue: Up to three allies within 4 squares restore 5 HP per Power.
    • Red: Increase Power +2.
    • Green: After attacking, fly up to your base movement. This movement ignores terrain effects and elevation.
    • Yellow: Two enemy targets within 4 squares take moderate Yellow damage.
    • Black: User restores HP equal to 25% of damage dealt.
    • White (White): If the target is Undead, Critical Hits deal one step more damage (2x to 4x, 4x to 6x, 6x to 8x, etc).
  • Antimagic: Technique damage is doubled against magic beings.

The technique gains the Magic damage type. This is a special damage type that overlaps with the normal Elemental or Physical damage types.

Step 6: Send to Game Master to compile

The final step is to send the technique to the Game Master to compile. Don’t forget to include the ‘flavor’ description of what the technique does!