States

Figure 1: All these units use the States rules

States are one of the game mechanics I like most about Anima Tactics. For my tastes, States and Summons are two of the pivotal game-play features that evoke the Japanese console rpgs that I used to love and that are definite influences on Anima Tactics.

So what are States? In many games they would be called Status Effects or something similar, and in keeping with the buff/debuff nature common to that kind of game-play, In Anima Tactics States are either Positive, or Negative, or in the case of Berserk, both!

The things that the designers have done very well in my opinion, is that Levels of States can be stacked so they endure over a few Turns, which is very much in keeping with Japanese console rpgs (at least those I played in the 1990's!). The Level of a State is effectively its duration in Turns, and the bonus or penalty provided is constant through that duration.

States that can affect units in Anima Tactics are:

• Haste (+): Faster AP recovery
• Shield (+): Adds Armor
• Protection (+): Adds to Resistance
• Healing (+): Recover Life Points (LP)
• Poison (-): Lose LP when Activating 
• Blind (-): Combat penalties
• Doom (-): A chance of removing the victim from play!
• Slow (-): Slower AP recovery
• Seal (-): Stops most special abilities being used
• Paralyzed (-): May not use Actions
• Berserker (+ -): Must attack, and has bonuses to Attack and Damage

Figure 1: Lostaroth Marchosias can grant himself Berserk as a Reaction. Elhaym, Maiden of Light and Hamadria can both grant Healing - useful to stack the benefits from both in a single Turn. Ahriman, Lord of Darkness may inflict Seal with a successful Attack.

If Ahriman, Lord of Darkness inflicted 5 or more Damage to Lostaroth Marchosias and Lostaroth then fails his Resistance roll, then Lostaroth would not be able to use his Liberation ability (granting Berserker Level 2) until the Seal has run its course.