Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Myzzrym



That's it, the Campaign is over! The entire Tactical Adventures crew thanks you, each and everyone of you who made this Kickstarter a success. It was a wild month, but worth all the effort! But we're sure you're wondering about the last Stretch Goals. Did we make it or not?

Sorcerer Class - Free DLC!


We fell short of the Sorcerer Stretch Goal, which means we most likely won't be able to add it to the final game... at launch, that is! We've seen how much love this class received in the comments and on our social media channels, so we decided to offer the Sorcerer Class as FREE DLC after we wrap up Solasta: Crown of the Magister!

Get ready to sling Empowered Fireballs and Twinned Haste, for the Sorcerer will definitively make its way to Solasta!



So, what are the next steps now that our Kickstarter Campaign is over?
  • On October 18th 2019, our Free Kickstarter Pre-Alpha Demo will leave our Steam Page as the entire team's focus shifts towards working on the final game.
  • In early November 2019 (next month), you will receive a mail from CrowdOx - our Pledge Manager - to manage your Kickstarter Rewards, select additional Physical Add-Ons and pay the Shipping Fees (if you have physical items in your rewards). We will post an Update next Monday (October 7th) to go in more details about that.
  • We will write Steam Updates on a Weekly basis to keep you informed about Features, Lore and Project Progress.
  • Don't hesitate to join our Community if you haven't already! You can chat with us on Official Forums & Discord Server


Let's go over everything we unlocked during this Kickstarter!

Referral Rewards


We are happy to announce that as of today, we've reached the final tier of Referral Rewards! Thanks to everyone who brought their friends to the Kickstarter, every backer will receive these three magic items: The Dwarven Bread, The Six League Boots & The One Ring! Once again, your support in sharing Solasta out there really helped a lot, many cheers to all of you!

Social Rewards

We've also just reached 1,000 Facebook Fans, unlocking the next Social Reward: 4 Solastan Archetypes on D&D Beyond Homebrew System! We will add these Archetypes before end of October, and inform you via Kickstarter Update once they're live. You have unlocked over the course of this campaign:

Stretch Goal Rewards

Paladin (26/09)



Lawkeeper Background (27/09)



Party Banter (30/09)



Cohh Carnage Guest Voice Actor (01/09)



Ranger (02/09)



Academic Background (02/09)



Half-Elf (02/09)



Music Upgrade (03/09)



Boss Monster (03/09)



Legendary Item Questline (04/09)



Sorcerer (#N/A)



That's it for us folks! Thanks again for your support! Let's meet again soon, keep an eye out for more news on Solasta!
Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Myzzrym


Annnnnd cut! The Final Votes are:
  • Backers: Half-Elf (614 - 52%) - Half Orc (559 - 48%)
  • Discord: Half-Elf (247 - 51%) - Half-Orc (235 - 49%)
  • Twitter: Half-Elf (51%) - Half-Orc (49%) (413 Total)
  • Facebook: Half-Elf (57%) - Half-Orc (43%) (495 Total)
Half-Elves won the battle, poor Half-Orcs never stood a chance it seems. They will be the 5th Race to join Solasta: Crown of the Magister - that's Stretch Goal #6 wrapped up! You also unlocked the Academic Background for Character Creation and its special questline!



You had two passions growing up: history and magic. Your teachers saw your interest in all things old and magical, and ensured that your potential was nurtured. Your mission in life is to discover the secrets of the past, both magical and mundane - and you are ready to risk your life in the pursuit of discovery. You have been considering joining the Antiquarians but in the end, you wanted more freedom and didn’t want to stay in a library all day, so you took your backpack and went on to discover the wonders of Solasta by yourself.


Now, for the upcoming Stretch Goals!

Music Upgrade - Full Orchestral


Currently, we have planned for live musicians recordings in studio for Maxime Hervé's compositions - most often done individually.

This Stretch goal will be used to extend it to Live Orchestral recording sessions. This means not only more recordings for more variations and better interpretation, but also a greater cohesive musical ensemble to create an even more vibrant world.

Boss Monster - Community Vote


Four iconic monsters, one community, one stretch goal. Which one will you choose?

Bulette - Extremely dangerous and heavily armored, the Bulette burrows beneath the ground to snatch its prey from below.


Remorhaz - A gigantic beast that can grow up to 40 feet long, the Remorhaz is a monster that can produce an incredible amount of heat, easily melting any non-magical weapons that dare hit it.


Cloaker - A stealthy creature of the dark, the Cloaker is an intelligent monster that manipulates shadows and hunts unsuspecting victims from above.


Roper - A horrifying monster that often goes undetected until it's too late, the Roper grabs its victims with long tendrils to sap their strength, drawing them close to consume.

New Questline - Legendary Item


Well well now... I have a story for you. One of power, of mystery, of a long lost item that has eluded every scavenger party so far. The stuff of legends, basically. And I happen to know about its whereabouts, for a low low sum of... Wait come back here! I swear to the gods, adventurers these days are so stingy! So, as I was saying, Legendary Item, power, yada yada yada... Are you in or what?

Support us on Kickstarter!
Solasta: Crown of the Magister - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Natalie Clayton)

Solasta: Crown Of The Magister understands something fundamentally important about this medium of ours. Games can be so many things, but sometimes I just want to bash goblins with an axe. While I’ve become a bit fussier with my tastes in my mid-twenties, I’ll always have a soft spot for the time I spent building daft wee Neverwinter Nights 2 adventure modules over an easter break. Will Solasta become a genre classic? I don’t think it needs to, so long as the dungeon-delving hits the sweet spot.

Pick up your +1 Shortsword and don that leather cuirass – Solasta has surfaced a free demo on Steam, and I’m not diving into this dungeon along.

(more…)

Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Myzzrym


Hey there folks!

Less than 10 hours after reaching the previous Stretch Goal, the Ranger Class has been UNLOCKED! Huge thanks to Cohh Carnage & The Cohhilition, as well as Swen & Larian Studios for their support!


Next in line is the Academic Background, and with it comes a Background specific questline (as well quite a few dialog options)! And after that... Half-Elf vs Half-Orc, the votes are ongoing! If you want to know more about these races in Solasta, check out our previous update.

As a reminder, Voting period ends when we reach the Stretch Goal. For the moment, Half-Elves are in the lead. While this isn't surprising - we all know Half-Elves are fairly popular - Half-Orcs are actually not so far behind! Will we see an upset?
Remember that there's only 2 days left until the end of the Kickstarter Campaign, so every vote counts!




We've reached a new tier in our Referral Goals, unlocking the Six League Boots for every backer! These magical boots allow the wearer to go fast - maybe a bit too much so! Next is the very last Referral Item: The One Ring!

We've also reached 5,000 Backers and 300 Retweets - Meaning that we're only ONE Social Goal away from getting 4 Archetypes on D&D Beyond Homebrew System (Mountaineer, Darkweaver, Battle Domain & Shock Arcanist)!


Support us on Kickstarter!
Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Myzzrym

Time is running out!

We've now passed the last 72h of the Kickstarter Campaign, and Cohh Carnage has been unlocked as a Guest Voice Actor. Next in line is the much requested Ranger Class!


Wait what's that? We're revealing 2 Stretch Goals at once? You're right, because it's time for another Community Poll - this time to decide on the next race to implement! Half-Elf, or Half-Orc?


Voting period ends when we reach the Stretch Goal. Similarly to the previous poll, Backers vote will have more weight!

By Edalliath Keenmind, Loremaster of the Arcaneum

Origins
Most half-orcs are children of violence rather than romance. Those raised in an orc tribe are usually persecuted for their physical weakness, and learn early to compensate with their higher intelligence – higher by orcish standards, that is. Half-orcs raised among humans suffer in a different way, ridiculed for their ugliness and seen as little more than beasts, at least until they grow into their adult size and strength. After that, the comments and jokes are mostly kept out of their hearing.

Being rejected by both their parent races and belonging nowhere, half-orcs tend to stick together. In a town or city they will have carved out their own quarter, and made sure that it is easily defensible. The same holds true for orc camps and caves.

Physical description
Half-orcs are taller than humans on average, with broad shoulders. They tend to have red eyes. Many claim this is from the fire of their natural fury. They have slightly protruding loser canine teeth, giving them a somewhat brutish appearance. In contrast, their skin is very smooth, and they have very fine hair, usually dark in color.



Next Generation
Half-orcs breed in fairly predictable ways:
  • The offspring of two half-orcs will be a half-orc;
  • The offspring of a half-orc and a human will be human;
  • The offspring of a half-orc and an orc will be an orc.
This explains why half-orcs are rare on Solasta, almost millennium after they first appeared.

Today
Half-orcs are often found in the Marches, far from civilization. Some are members of orc tribes, while others have integrated into the settlements of other races. There are also a few settlements exclusively populated by half-orcs.

They can also be found occasionally in the lands of the Snow Alliance and the Principality of Masgarth, often working as bouncers, caravan guards, or criminal enforcers. The melting-pot cultures of these two nations makes them more welcoming to half-orcs – or, at least, tolerant of them - and encourages integration. While they may not make many close friends of other races, they can at least hope to be treated fairly.

Origins
The native races of Solasta are not able to interbreed, so there were no half-races before the humans arrived. As humans spread across the world in the wake of the Cataclysm, they became valued for their divine magic and for their ability to work without magic at all.

They were of great help to the nonhuman communities where they settled, and in some instances, shared difficulties led to intimacy. To the great surprise of all, it was discovered that humans and elves could produce viable offspring.

The sylvan elves of Colthannin were more welcoming to the humans than the high elves, so most half-elves are part sylvan elf. Sylvan elves like half-elves, finding much to enjoy about their affinity to Misaye in her mischievous aspect.

High elves, on the other hand, tend to frown upon half-elves, regarding them as the fruits of misalliance or worse. Because of their “impure” blood, their lot in the New Empire can be a harsh one.

Physical Description
Half-elves combine the physical traits of their parent races. Their build is slender by human standards but sturdier than that of most elves. Their faces are very fine, with pronounced angles and planes. Eyes are invariably of different colors, although one eye is always gray. Male half-elves can grow facial hair, and most wear a fine, silky beard.

While they mainly follow human fashions, half-elves tend to wear bright clothes of a daring cut. Whole few humans could carry off such fashions, but the half-elves’ natural elegance and flair ensure that while daring, they are never vulgar!



Next Generation
Half-elves breed in fairly predictable ways:
  • The offspring of two half-elves will be a half-elf;
  • The offspring of a half-elf and a human will be human;
  • The offspring of a half-elf and an elf will be an elf.
This explains why half-elves are rare on Solasta, almost millennium after they first appeared.

Today
The largest concentration of half-elves on Solasta is the town of Gift, in the Sylvan Realm. They are found in smaller numbers across Solasta, sometimes living in half-elf enclaves in the larger towns and cities, and sometimes integrated into the population at large. The New Empire has the smallest population of half-elves, as some traditionalists and reactionaries there regard their existence as an abomination.

Support us on Kickstarter!
Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Myzzrym
Let's start this final week with some good news. As of a few moments ago, Stretch Goal #2 - Party Banter - has now been reached!




Now your Rogue can be sassy even outside cutscenes!

Part of the fun of Tabletop RPGs is the "friendly" and "wholesome" remarks from your companions when you roll the dice - even more so when you fail repeatedly. It just wouldn't have the same charm without these jabs and sarcastic comments now, would it?

Well, worry not - you will now be able to experience this in Solasta: Crown of the Magister as well! The kind Cleric that encourages you to do better next time, the wholesome Paladin who tells you not to give up... Or the Rogue who simply laughs at you and tell you how much you suck. It's always the Rogue. Why is it always the Rogue.


Stretch Goal #4 - New Class: Ranger
The polls were so close that we just couldn't leave the Ranger behind! If you haven't already, we've posted an Update with the Lore and Archetypes of the Ranger that you should read. They may not have animal companions in Solasta, but they are no less deadly! The archetypes are:
  • Hunter (SRD) - Master of both Melee & Range combat, the Hunter is the supreme predator of the lands.
  • Marksman (Solasta) - Heir to ancient archery techniques, the Marksman is the deadliest ranged combatant of Solasta.
  • Shadow Tamer (Solasta) - Wanderer of the desolated Badlands, the Shadow Tamer walks where others fear to tread.



We're still seeing questions when it comes to Physical Add-Ons and Pledge Manager, so it's time for a little reminder again!

What are Physical Rewards / Add-Ons?
The Physical Rewards / Add-Ons refer to the four Physical Items you can order separately on top of your Pledge, which are:
  • Solasta Campaign Rulebook (Hardcover) - Kickstarter Edition: 41€ / $45 approx.
  • Solasta Campaign Rulebook (Hardcover) - Standard Edition: 32€ / $35 approx.
  • Solasta Adventure Box: 27€ / $30 approx.
  • Solasta Original Soundtrack Vinyl: 27€ / $30 approx.


How do I add these to my Pledge?
It's simple, when selecting your Pledge level just add the price of the Add-On on top of your Pledge. You can add multiple Add-Ons if you want.

When will I get to choose which Add-On I want to add?
After the Campaign is over, you will receive an email from our Pledge Manager. The Pledge Manager will recognize which Tier you pledged for, as well as any additional funds you added on top of it - which can be used to select the Add-Ons you want.

Can I order Add-Ons directly in the Pledge Manager after the Campaign is over instead?
Yes, but that will not contribute to the Kickstarter Stretch Goals.

When will I pay the Shipping Fees?
We will inform you of the Shipping Fees price next year (2020) before shipping the Physical Products to your home, which is when you'll have to pay the Shipping Fees (through the Pledge Manager).

Support us on Kickstarter!
Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Myzzrym
Hey there you fine folks!



The first stretch goal has been reached, the Lawkeeper Background is now unlocked - and with it, a new stretch goal has now been revealed!


Stretch Goals will be gradually revealed as we reach them

Stretch Goal #3 - Community Voice Actor: Cohh Carnage!
That's right, Cohh Carnage will join us as a Guest Voice Actor! Cohh has always been a huge RPG fan and he's agreed to lend us a hand for the project!

Keep an ear out when exploring the World of Solasta, you might hear his voice somewhere during your travels. Will it be around a campfire? In a busy tavern will swapping tales with strangers? In the high spheres of nobility? That will be for you to discover.

Stretch Goal #4 - A familiar Face?
You'll know soon enough!



If you missed our "Ask us Anything" on Reddit, go give it a read there! There were plenty of good questions (and a couple of spoon-related ones), so you might find a few answers that you didn't hear before.

Today's featured fan art is from R0GUE, who's bringing us a bad-ass Vigdis!



We've also just reached another Social Reward! Before the game's launch, we will release a Short Story Prequel to the main campaign, available for everyone to read!

Next Goal: Adding the four Archetypes available in the Pre-Alpha Demo in the Homebrew Section of D&D Beyond!



Support us on Kickstarter!

Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Myzzrym
Hey there folks!

We'll be answering questions from 7 am PDT / 10 am EDT / 4 pm CEST onward on Reddit. We'll be there for at least 3 hours, maybe more! Don't hesitate to drop by, just click on this link!

I will be joined today by:
  • Tactical Archimat - Our Creative Director, CEO & Lead Programmer (we all wonder how much sleep he gets)
  • Tactical Zaz - Our Gameplay & Narrative Director
  • Tactical Myzzrym - Myself, Community Lead!
See you there!
Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Myzzrym
You people are fantastic! We reached 100%!

Get yourself a drink, round's on us!

Thank you, thank you from the bottom of our heart. From the very start of the project, we poured the passion we had for Tabletop RPGs into Solasta: Crown of the Magister. We stayed in the dark for some time, turning a prototype into a real, solid and beautiful game - followed by working on a public Demo.

During that time, there is one question that's always in the back of every game developer's head - will players like it? Then we went to Gen Con this summer with the first version of the playable Demo, and the tabletop crowd loved it. We went to Gamescom, and the journalists loved it. We went to Pax West, and the video game community loved it.

Finally, we went to Kickstarter and you guys loved it. It's thanks to every last one of you that we're funded today, and that we'll be able to expand beyond the initial scope of the game. As promised, these $200,000 will go towards many things, the most important being more content!




Stretch Goals will be gradually revealed as we reach more and more of them!

The first Stretch Goal is the New Background: Lawkeeper!
You have an instinct for spotting trouble and the force of personality to nip it in the bud. As a deputy, you learned how to spot a lie and how to discourage a troublemaker with nothing but a cold-eyed stare. And if keeping the peace and protecting the innocent requires you to break a few heads, you're ready. After some time working in law enforcement in the Principality of Masgarth, you discovered that dealing with petty criminals on a daily basis wasn’t enough for you, and you left for a different life - one of travel and discovery, hoping that your experience and personal qualities would serve you well.

The second Stretch Goal is the New Feature: Party Banter!
Part of the fun of Tabletop RPGs is the "friendly" and "wholesome" remarks from your companions when you roll the dice - even more so when you fail repeatedly. It just wouldn't have the same charm without these jabs and sarcastic comments now, would it?

Well, worry not - you will now be able to experience this in Solasta: Crown of the Magister as well! The kind Cleric that encourages you to do better next time, the wholesome Paladin who tells you not to give up... Or the Rogue who simply laughs at you and tell you how much you suck. It's always the Rogue. Why is it always the Rogue.

The third Stretch Goal is... Thought I would tell you? You'll see soon enough!
As a reminder, the Paladin is already unlocked from reaching 100% of the Campaign Goal.



As good news come in pair (wait what), we're happy to announce that we've reached the first tier of the Referral Program, meaning every backer gets the In-Game Item: Dwarven Bread! Keep spreading the word of Solasta out there!


Delicious (not really) AND deadly as an improvised weapon!

Support us on Kickstarter!
Solasta: Crown of the Magister - Myzzrym
Hello folks!

As we're getting awfully close to being fully funded and some of you are getting really eager to know what's in store, we're giving you a sneak peek of the upcoming Stretch Goal Table!



First comes the Paladin, who will be unlocked immediately when the project is funded as a result of the Community Votes. And ooooh what's next? A new Background to add to the Character Creation!

Backgrounds in Solasta
There's more to Backgrounds than the usual Bonus Proficiencies, Languages & Equipment. In Solasta: Crown of the Magister, Backgrounds will also be crucial in shaping your Characters' personality, giving them different dialog options in various situations. There will also be quests that are background-specific, meaning replaying the game with different Backgrounds may unlock different questlines.

Adding New Backgrounds thus means adding more Dialog Options & more Quests! Note that due to how Backgrounds interact with Personality, Characters in Solasta currently aren't allowed to share the same Background. That being said, remember that we're still early in the development cycle so design may change along the way!



You were many to ask about Character Creation, as it was absent from the Pre-Alpha Demo on Steam. And for good reasons too! Tabletop RPGs wouldn't be half as fun if you were stuck with Pre-generated characters.

Today we'll be sharing with you our progress on the Character Creation Tool, which is currently being implemented by none other than our Creative Director (and CEO). Please keep in mind that a lot of what you will see is still work in progress, so do not make assumptions based on these images (like the number of races / classes displayed). There might also be some placeholders. But first, a word from the Boss (who's sitting at his desk tinkering with what you're about to see):

The Character Creation was actually the first part of the game I developed (more than a year ago, before the studio was established), in conjunction with the database of classes, races, etc. It made sense to start working on this first, as a good tabletop game starts with character creation. The complexity was to figure out how to handle all the possibilities of character creation in a unique interface. It was fully functional in our early prototype, then set aside as we focused on the Ruins of Telema and in-game features. Now that we are moving our focus towards developing the full game experience, our UI/UX partners FIGS have produced the gorgeous concepts that you see today. They know RPGs, but they are not SRD experts so there may be incorrect / temporary fluff in some screens. I have also started implementing this new design to enable the final Character Creation feature for the game.



I believe most of you will be very familiar with Character Creation works, though I'll still be explaining for those who may not know the system so well. You will first be selecting the Race & Sub-Race of your character, which will grant you Racial Features and Stat Bonuses.



After that, you'll be choosing your Class. This will give you Class Features, Proficiencies and Saving Throws on top of what you already got from selecting your Race. Skills will be selected later down the line, and Spellcasting Classes such as the Wizard here will be selecting their Spells after that.



We're now reaching Background Selection. As we presented at the beginning of this article, Backgrounds in Solasta actually have a lot of hidden attributes on top of the usual Proficiencies and Equipment, so do keep that in mind when selecting one!



You've been patient so far, now is finally the time to roll the dice! In the current system, we're using the standard 4d6 drop 1 - meaning you throw four 6-faced dice, keep the three best rolls and add them up to get an attribute score (rinse & repeat 6 times). And for those who like to "force their luck" we have an option to reroll the dice as many time as you want. It's a single player game, no-one will judge you. Maybe.
For those who want, you also have the option to use the Standard Array as shown here in the "Predetermined" option. Standard Array gives you a score of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 - which you can then distribute as you want in the different Attributes.



We also have the Point Buy System for those who prefer it that way. How it works is that all your Attributes start at 8, and you have 27 points to spend. You can't get an Attribute past 15 (before Racial Bonuses), and increasing one past 13 cost 2 points instead of 1 per Attribute point (so 12 -> 13 costs 1 point, but 14 -> 15 costs 2 points).
This is the end of our Character Creation Preview for today! We'll have more to show in the weeks to come.



Today we're featuring an adorable and fairly original Fan Art by Sarraiah: a cute Space Hamster holding a D20! The story behind it is fairly sweet - SpaceHamster is one of our most active community members in Discord, and there was a lot of discussions about Rangers & Pets. So... Space Hamster Pet. Note that while absolutely adorable, we have already stated that Pets are not currently planned for Solasta - and not even a cute drawing will make us go back on that decision.



Now it's been quite some time, here is an update of where we're sitting at for the Social Goals!

  • KS Backers: 4,441 / 5,000
  • Twitter Followers: 1,333 / 2,000
  • Retweets: 248 / 300
  • Youtube Subscribers: 1,450 / 1,500
  • Steam Followers: 4,243 / 5,000
  • Facebook Likes: 795 / 1,000
  • Shares: 93 / 200
  • Fan Art: 9 / 10
  • Discord Members: 1,024 / 1,000 - Goal Reached!
  • Forum Members: 696 / 1,000

Prequel Short Story in 2 more Goals!



Support us on Kickstarter!
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