Well folks, this is it. Big changes are coming!
Ever since the announcement of Solasta II, many of you asked us if we would ever consider updating our game’s ruleset from D&D 5e’s original 2014 version described in the SRD 5.1 to the new 2024 version. To which we answered - let’s wait for the new SRD to be released… which did eventually happen on April 22nd, a little more than one month ago. Since then we’ve been working tirelessly to see if we could make that change happen! Verdict? Well, it’s today’s entire article!
Wake up. Tactical Adventures finally announced the switch to the 2024 ruleset. The wait is over!
Community Stream #10 starting in 1 hour!
Before we start diving into our usual wall of text, we’re sure many of you have burning questions regarding the switch to the new 2024 ruleset. This is why we will be hosting a Community Stream with our CEO (Mathieu), CTO (Karim) & Game Director (Xavier) alongside yours truly (Emile, Community Lead) right after this post is released, in about an hour. And for once, we'll be live both on Twitch and YouTube at the same time!
Starting at 9 am PDT / 12 pm EDT / 6 pm CEST, we will be here to talk about the changes and take questions from all of you. We might not be able to answer everything in a single session, but know that we will take note of every question - and we’ll tackle those that we didn’t have the time to answer in a later update (alongside those that we already answered, for those who don’t necessarily have the time nor interest of joining the livestream).
2014? 2024? What are you talking about?
If everything that we wrote so far sounded like arcane gibberish to you, worry not and let us explain. Our first game, Solasta: Crown of the Magister, used the SRD 5.1 ruleset - an extract of D&D 5th edition core system, also known as the 2014 version, as the core rulebooks were released in 2014 (that’s now 11 years ago, holy guacamole). If that’s too many acronyms being thrown around, just think of Solasta 1 as using the 2014 ruleset.
Now, about 3 years ago Wizards of the Coast announced and then released a new version of D&D, initially called One D&D during playtest and then later changed to D&D 2024 (its first sourcebook’s release date). This new 2024 version is stated to be compatible with the 2014 version, and share most of its core components. However, it also introduces a lot of improvements that many D&D fans always hoped for - such as more combat options for martial classes with the Weapon Mastery system, and reworking some features that just felt too conditional like the Ranger’s favored terrain (enjoy playing your Forest Ranger when the campaign takes you to the Underdark…). This, to make it simple, is the 2024 ruleset - presented mostly as an upgrade to the 2014 ruleset.
Of course, due to the release of this 2024 version, many Solasta fans started asking us if we would use this new ruleset in Solasta II, which is what this article is about. Hopefully that makes it a bit clearer if you aren’t following D&D!
An upgrade? Then why is the Solasta II demo using the 2014 ruleset?
You have a good eye! For those who played the Solasta II demo during February’s Steam Next Fest, you already noticed that it was using the same ruleset as Solasta: Crown of the Magister - the 2014 version. So! If the 2024 ruleset is already available, why isn’t Solasta II using it?
Keep in mind, Tactical Adventures is not using the D&D ruleset per se - we are using the System Reference Document which Wizards of the Coast kindly provides to all creators, containing most of the rules necessary to play D&D. This means until now, there were three main points that prevented us from implementing the 2024 ruleset:
- The new SRD was not available yet, meaning we could not legally implement the new ruleset to Solasta II
- We did not know its content, we did not know what would be included in the SRD or not.
- We did not know its release date, so we couldn’t know if we would be able to change our ruleset in time for Early Access (and the demo).
For those following the scene, you know that the SRD 5.2 was released on April 22nd of this year - and yet we’ve been silent so far as to whether or not we’d make the change to 2024. This is mostly due to point #3 - updating our game’s ruleset is no simple task, and we needed to make sure we could commit to it before making any announcement. Can we implement those changes and still make it in time for Early Access? Do we need to sacrifice something to make it fit the schedule? Is there anything in there that doesn’t work well in a video game?
So, can we definitely say now that we’re committing to the 2024 ruleset? Like everything in life, rolling a 1 is always possible even though we don’t wish for it. But yea, we have started converting our system to follow the SRD 5.2, a.k.a. the 2024 version - so that’s a 99% sure in our book!
What are the new things?
If you know nothing about the 2024 update, you are in for a treat! While we won’t cover everything that changed (the SRD 5.2 is 364 pages long, we’d probably be able to talk about it for days on end), let us share two highlights of what you can look forward to:
Weapon Masteries
Each weapon now has a special Mastery that can be used by martial classes. When a Cleric hits you with a Mace, you’re going to feel that 1d6 bludgeoning damage the next morning. But when a Fighter hits you with a Mace, you're going to have disadvantage on your next attack roll on top of the damage you just received! Rude!
There are a total of 8 weapon masteries: Cleave, Graze, Nick, Push, Sap, Slow, Topple and Vex - each of them granting more utility to martial classes on top of the damage they already bring. Look forward to playing around with this new feature!
Class Upgrades
Most classes have received a new paint-job and feel fresher than before! The Cleric for example no longer have their Heavy Armor tied to their Divine Domain, instead they can choose at level 1 between being a Protector (unlocking Martial Weapon & Heavy Armor proficiency for a more frontline role) or a Thaumaturge (for a more spellcaster playstyle).
The Sorcerer now gets some exclusive new shiny tools like Innate Sorcery, similar to the Barbarian’s Rage but for spellcasting, increasing their save DC by 1 and giving them advantage on spell attack rolls. The Fighter gets more non-combat utility with Tactical Mind allowing them to use Second Wind to succeed ability checks. And that’s just scratching the surface!
Is it possible to have both 2014 and 2024 ruleset as an option?
Ever since the discussion around 2024 started, some people have asked if it would be possible for us to include a setting to switch between 2014 and 2024 rulesets for those who prefer one or the other.
This is unfortunately not something we can do, as it would almost be equivalent to us releasing two games at once - Solasta at its core has a strong focus on tactical combat, and it is known for its faithfulness to the ruleset. Making sure our game works in two different rulesets (even though they share similarities) would take us an incredible amount of time, not to mention the massive amounts of mental damage it would inflict upon our small (and beloved) QA team. Design-wise, every monster, every class and subclass would need two different versions, and many spells no longer work the same. So… yea, this is just not a possibility for us.
But worry not, the 2024 ruleset is going to be fire. With us at the wheel, fun is and will always be mandatory!
Let your voice be heard
We want to know what you think about it! Just like for Solasta: Crown of the Magister, we intend to make the game with you - our players - in mind. This is why we have a short survey ready for you! Make sure you leave your opinions for us to read.
And then… we wait. No but seriously, we are still cooking up the Early Access which is slated to release later this year (and this is still the plan!), so we’ll have to ask you to be a little more patient before we can announce the date. We want to make sure the game we release is up to your expectations!
In the meantime, make sure you drop by our Discord server and our Community Streams to ask your questions if you have any!
Article by Tactical Myzzrym
Follow us on: