FORCE AND FORTITUDE
Basic attacks and many spells or talents produce physical or elemental force. Every combatant has a
specific level of force they can withstand, based on fortitude, which is determined by a character’s strength
attribute, and maximum health, which is determined by the constitution attribute. When the force of an
attack exceeds what the combatant can withstand, physical force results in effects like knocking a character
to the ground, and elemental force results in effects like setting the character aflame. In one way or another,
when combatants are overcome by force, the effect interrupts their current attacks and may delay them from
returning to combat for up to a few seconds.
Spell and talent descriptions indicate elemental or physical force with numbers like 4x. That means the
ability produces four times as much force as it does damage. If the damage the ability inflicts is fairly
small, then 4x force might not be a significant effect—perhaps only enough to push an enemy back for a
second—but for high-damage abilities, 4x force could easily knock an enemy completely down.
ENEMY RANKS
As previously explained, some statistics like attack, defense, and armor percentages are displayed relative
to a normal-rank enemy of the same level as the character. There are five ranks of enemies, although these
are usually simplified to just normal foes, lieutenants, and bosses. The length of enemy health bars indicates
their relative threat—normal enemies have short health bars, lieutenants’ are somewhat longer, and bosses
have very long health bars.
Higher-ranked enemies gain several advantages. Notably, the party’s attack, defense, armor, and resistance
percentages are lower when fighting a lieutenant or boss than they are when fighting normal enemies.
To see the precise percentages, select one of those statistics in the Attributes screen and press to view
more details.
Some spell or talent descriptions also list effect chances with the note “vs. normal enemy.” The likelihood of
applying those effects is much lower against a high-ranking enemy.
THR EAT
Enemies choose their targets based on which character they perceive to be the greatest threat. Each enemy
considers three factors—which character is wearing the heaviest armor, who has inflicted the most damage
to them personally, and which character is closest to them.
If enemies perpetually attack characters that cannot withstand direct assault, there are several spells and
talents that can help characters gain or lose threat so that enemies will switch to other targets. Stun effects
also cause enemies to forget their targets and choose anew.
WEAPON STYLES
If Hawke is a warrior or rogue, a choice of weapon styles is available, with two options per class. Those
weapon styles determine the speed of attacks, how many foes a single strike can hit, and, in some cases,
which talents Hawke can use. (Mages’ staves perform double duty by firing magical bolts at long range
and operating as a melee weapon at short range.) Each of Hawke’s companions has already trained in their
personal favorite weapon style and thus cannot make this choice.
Two-Handed Weapon
Warriors who heft two-handed weapons attack relatively slowly, but hit every enemy in the front third of the
warrior’s personal space with a single swing. The two-handed school of weapon talents includes several
attacks that sweep through even wider areas of the battlefield.
Weapon and Shield
Warriors who opt for a one-handed weapon and a shield strike more quickly than two-handed warriors but
only hit enemies in the front quarter of their personal space instead of the front third. The shield increases
the warrior’s armor score, of course, and acts nearly like a weapon itself, battering foes who get too close,
if the warrior makes effective use of talents from the weapon and shield school.
Dual Weapon
Rogues who choose to fight at close range can wield a dagger in each hand. This is the fastest of the
weapon styles, more than making up for the relatively limited damage of each hit. In particular, because
rogues regain stamina with each strike, this weapon style ensures that the rogue’s energy reserves never
stay depleted for long. Talents in the dual-weapon school focus on inflicting large amounts of damage at
optimal times.
Archery
Rogues who carry a bow can rain death from a great distance, keeping them relatively safe from enemy
retaliation and giving the party more flexibility in tactical positioning. Arrows impact with great power, but
the shots are much slower than a dual-weapon rogue can slash. When enemies come close, archers pull out
a hidden dagger, switching to a rapid slashing style in order to regain space to shoot. Talents in the archery
school allow the rogue to control specific parts of the battlefield, which widens the strategic possibilities of
this weapon style.
Mage’s Staff
Mages always carry magical staves that they use to enhance their spellcasting, to hurl magical projectiles
for their basic attacks, and to defend themselves in melee combat. Unlike spells, the staff does not consume
mana, so a mage need not worry about being left defenseless. There is no particular school of spells
dedicated to staff combat; rather, the staff is an integral part of every school. Like archers, mages can strike
out with the staff as a melee weapon when enemies draw near.
