Herein lies the sixth clarification and errata document for Judgement. From the very beginning we socialised the fact Judgement would be a regularly "patched" game, in keeping with its MOBA origins and to ensure the game's rules are kept in an optimal state. Our patch schedule is quarterly, with the changes becoming official on the 1st day of the start of the next quarter. Therefore the official date for this patch is the 1st of April 2019.

Remember that all hero, monster, magical artefact and rules can be downloaded from the Print & Play section of this website. Both our Android and iOS apps will also be updated to reflect changes from this patch.

If you want to discuss the patch notes, or anything at all about Judgement, please join our Discord channel!

Clarifications

Clarifications are provided for rules that are normally played a certain way, however the rules as written do not necessarily support that. Clarifications can also be  quality of life changes that do not necessarily change rules. 

New Monster Cards Icon

This is a general quality of life change. Up to this point, the monsters and hybrid class heroes have shared the same icon on their cards, the paw print. We have created a new icon for Monsters, and therefore updated all their cards to include the icon.

• Updated the icon on all monster cards

Soul Spawn Pits (p28)

With maps that have multiple Soul spawning pits, it was not clear where the 1st Soul spawns.

• The "Step 4: Spawn Soul and Monsters Rule" step of the Communion Phase has been updated to state that on maps with multiple Soul pits, you randomly determine where the 1st Soul spawns in the game.

Combat Manoeuvres (p16)

General clarifications for the two generic combat manoeuvres.

• Push combat manoeuvre changed to say "up to 1 inch".
• Knocked Down combat manoeuvre clarified so that the hero that suffers knocked down as part of the triple J combat manoeuvre also suffers a critical hit.

Active Abilities (p18)

As the interactions between an increasing number of heroes becomes more complicated, unforeseen issues may arise that require clarification. This is one of those times.

• Following text added: "Active abilities can only be executed during the owning hero’s activation."

Aiming Bonus (p17)

The aiming bonus can become complicated with various timings of events. This is an attempt to make it clearer.

• Following text added: "A model must declare they are claiming the aiming bonus at the start of their activation."

Soul Harvesting (p24)

Another few clarifications that cropped up due to the increasing permutations of interactions between our heroes.

• Clarified that regardless of the method used to Harvest a Soul, the hero gains a level and has the Soul bound to them.
• Clarified that "gains Soul" is different to "harvests Soul", the former not affording the hero a level.
• Specified that a hero must be alive to successfully harvest or gain a Soul.

Attack Process (p16)

We often see players calculating their attack dice pools in various orders, however the sequence to generate the attack dice pool can make a significant difference to the final number of dice you roll. Therefore, we have added a few more clarifications to assist in this area.

• Add all dice from abilities that affect the attacking model in a positive way. E.g. Bastian’s Heroic Ballad.
• Subtract all dice from abilities that affect the attacking model in a negative way.
• Apply effects that specify “after all other modifiers”. If multiple effects, of this type, are present, the active player gets to choose their order of application.
• For magic (MAG) and ranged (RNG) attacks we added a clarification so the attacking model does not deduct a dice from its own attack pool when it is engaging a model it is shooting.

Shrines (p23)

• Added the point that they are non-hero models.

Summoned Models (p31)

There have been questions around what happens when a summoned model kills an enemy hero or monster.

• The following paragraph was added: "If a summoned model inflicts the killing blow on an enemy hero the summoner harvests the enemy hero’s Soul. Similarly, if a summoned model inflicts the killing blow on a monster the summoner will gain a level and is eligible to collect the monster’s bounty assuming the summoned model, or the summoner, are within 2” of the monster when it is slain."

Frequently Asked Questions (p34)

We have added a Frequently Asked Questions section at the end of the rulebook.

Errata

Errata are changes to the rules that we believe improve the player experience, close loop holes or are simply just kick-ass changes that make Judgement even better.

Purchase a Magical Artefact (p14)

We love magical artefacts and what they bring to the game. Being able to change up the way your Warband plays, mid-game, is a unique element of Judgement and something that stands it apart from a lot of other table-top miniature games. We often look for ways to promote magical artefact use and make them more accessible to players, so in this patch we have introduced a number of changes to the way magical artefacts work, including a significant change where you are allowed to sell items back for the Fate you spent to buy them originally.

• Title changed to "Buy/Sell/Trade Magical Artefacts".
• Heroes can now purchase more than 1 artefact during their activation and it still costs only 1 action.
• Clarified rules around trading in magical artefacts.
• Added rule where heroes can sell magical artefacts back for their original fate cost (fate gets added to their Warband's pool).

Monster Bounty (p21)

• Added clarification that heroes can buy/trade/sell magical artefacts when collecting a monster's bounty, just like they were in base-to-base with their Effigy.

Magical Artefacts (p26)

• Added "Selling Magical Artefacts" section.
• Clarified the entire section to reflect the fact heroes can now purchase/trade/sell/pass on more than one artefact at a time.
• Added the "One Use Only" section. Artefacts that have the  "One Use Only" keyword phrase are removed from play once they are used.
• Added the "Active Component" section (p27) which specifies they must be used within the activation of the hero that possesses them.

Fate (p25)

This is something that has been discussed among the design team for about 6 months. A player getting an early advantage and then snowballing the game to victory, with little counter play from their opponent. Similarly, artificially boosting the fortunes of a player losing a game is also not great. However, we do feel that having a single turn where one player is shut out of generating Fate is a difficult thing to comeback from. Therefore, after much deliberation, we have decided to make the following option available for players that find themselves in that position.

• If a Warband has zero Fate in its Fate pool, after the completion of the “Step 3: Generate Fate” step of the Communion Phase, one hero, that is alive and not suffering the curse condition, can be dealt 1/3 (rounded up) of its maximum health or 5 health (whichever is greater), in True Damage, to add one Fate to the Fate pool. Any temporary health will count towards the “maximum health” when working out how much health to be dealt. If both Warbands have zero Fate, the player who is going 1st this turn will decide whether to take advantage of this rule followed by the player who is going 2nd.

Hero Updates

As the game continues to grow, the adding of heroes, different maps, magical artefacts and monsters creates many options for players. We continually revisit various elements to ensure they are balanced and players are faced with legitimate and interesting challenges while designing their Warbands. All the changes are carefully measured and, as is always the case, we will continue to monitor things over the next three months  as we march towards the next patch.

There has been some concern about the lack of counter-play for Taunt. In isolation, Taunt is in a decent place, however the way that Viktor is able to get to it, at level 1, via Al'garath, meant we feel it can lead to poor player experiences. We like Taunt, and what it brings to a battle, however we wanted to balance the risk/reward journey that Viktor goes through when summoning his favourite demon.

• Reduced Taunt range to 4".
• Al'garath must be in taunted model's LoS at the start of their next activation or Taunt is ignored.
• Increased Eldritch Discharge damage to d3+1 from d3.
• Eldritch Discharge changed so that if it kills Viktor, his soul is harvested.

We feel Gendris is in a decent place and she has a very interesting, and diverse, kit of abilities. We just felt she could do with a slight buff, to keep her on par with other heroes that fill a similar role. This change increases her viability and also provides greater incentive to get her to level 2.

• Added Steady to her Root ability.

Piper inherits the same change to Taunt, although being a level 3 ability, it is seen less and it not so much a problem. Piper is simply collateral damage.

• Reduced Taunt range to 4".
• Piper must be in taunted model's LoS at the start of their next activation or Taunt is ignored.

Skye has been a difficult hero to balance from the start, as his version number attests. We feel that currently he is under the power curve and a little too niche to get the best use out of. With the changes, we have given him a significant boost at level 1 and also introduced a cool power at level 2, which we believe will see Skye compared much more favourably with other defenders.

• Heroic Stand updated so it cannot be used on himself. Note that you can Heroic Stand friendly defender models.
• Diversion updated so that damage can be redistributed between any friend models within 2" of Skye. It used to be 2" of the target of the original attack.
• Spirit Strike moved to level 1 and changed from 2S to 1J.
• Added the Dimension Warp innate ability at level 2.

Svetlana has been on our radar for a little while, and we feel she is in a good place. One of the core tenets of Judgement is ensuring heroes are viable, and balanced, in both forms of the game, and we feel Svetlana needs a little tempering for the 3v3 version of the game.

• Beast Command range reduced from 6" to 5".

Thrommel is in a great place, and we feel his kit suits a dwarf warrior perfectly. In saying that, Thrommel can be one dimensional and, as a quality of life improvement, it would be nice if he had something to do with his spare action from time to time. The new ability, Fierce Challenge, also fits his character perfectly.

• Added Fierce Challenge ability at level 1.

Similar to Skye, we feel that Zaffen is below the curve slightly, and struggles to find air time in an increasingly crowded role. As with all these changes, our main priority is to keep the flavour of the hero in tact and try to enhance his abilities within the context of how he/she currently plays. We feel we have managed to do that with this version of Zaffen.

• Increased Giant Crossbow range from 9" to 10".
• Changed Momentous Shot from 2J to 1S+1J.
• Removed Stun description from his 4th card (left over from previous incarnation).

We felt a need to just temper the power of Explode, for both Zaron and his skeletons, slightly. We also are conscious of the number of damage in the game that ignores RES.

• Explode no longer does True Damage.
• Shadow Rift terminology changed to the new "0A" notation instead of "N/A".

Quality of Life Changes for Hero Cards

The following hero cards have been updated with minor corrections and clean ups.

Nephenee

• She had an old definition of Dual Wield. This has been updated.

Brok

• Spelling mistake on 4th card describing Back Swing.

Rakkir

• Shadow Rift terminology changed to the new "0A" notation instead of "N/A".

Xyvera

• Unholy Harvest terminology changed to the new "0A" notation instead of "N/A".

Magical Artefacts

We always look for opportunities to introduce meaningful magical artefacts that provide new tactical options and cool interactions with our heroes. The Astral Stasis Potion is just that. Can't wait to see what you all do with it at your disposal!

The original intention was that Ogre Strength would not work against the Effigy and monsters, however making it hero models only meant it inadvertently meant it did not work against Summoned models either. We have added Summoned models into the wording.

The following Magical Artefacts were re-worded to be consistent with the new "One use only" definition. Their functions have remained the same.

• Healing Surge
• Ring of Invisibility
• Tome of Experience 

Hot on the heels of Svetlana Oaklost, Stan Kolev has produced another masterpiece with the Viktor sculpt. Few things can stir up interest more than a halfling warlock, particularly one that summons a lesser demon of the abyss, so we are super excited to be able to reveal Viktor.

The sculpt conveys incredible emotion, a brooding character with evil intent and a heathy hunger for power. Warlock's traditionally make pacts with powerful beings of the lower planes to augment their skills on their home plane, and Viktor is no different. After learning the name of Al'garath, a lesser demon of the abyss, Viktor is able to summon him at will on the shadow plane of Between.

Like every model in our range, Viktor ships with a thematic base and his would have to be up there with the best. Despite being just 40mm, as opposed to the standard 50mm, the base is packed with numerous warlock and tinkerer themed elements, and a sleeping cat familiar!

Viktor is the 1st model in our range mounted on a 40mm base with every other hero and monster on a 50mm, and he is also the 1st halfling hero. Another cool aspect of Viktor is his ability to summon Al'garath, a lesser demon of the abyss. Viktor is without doubt one of the highest skill cap heroes in the game and it is going to be interesting to see the impact he has on the meta once wave 2 ships and all 28 heroes are available for selection.

While we all love dynamic heroes that jump out at you, at times the design team like to get back to their Dungeons & Dragons playing roots. Staying up with a bunch of mates battling it out against mighty dragons in the early hours of the morning. Svetlana Oaklost is a tribute to the real traditional fantasy days. A female dwarf druid, full of adventure and life, who could slot into any D&D party with ease. It was a pleasure working with Helge on Svetlana, taking care to get the details right and create a hero that once again is unique within our range. We wanted her to be wearing a traditional leather jerkin, and holding a sickle, which she is just as adept with when gather herbs or in the midst of combat. Extra details like the leather sling at her waist, and a basket of saplings attached to her belt. Svetlana is a beautiful illustration that adds some class and quality to the Judgement range, and is one of our favourites.

In game, Svetlana is quite a strong Soulgazer, with several abilities that stand her above all else as a master of beasts. Also, Svetlana is the only hero in the game that can harvest 2 souls in the one activation. A soulgazer with a decent amount of versatility, Svetlana is a fine addition to the already strong soulgazer class.