Ultimate Combat, the first of the Ultimate Add-On Decks, is making its way into the hands of subscribers and favorite local game stores everywhere, so it's finally time to spill the beans on our design process for the Ultimate decks:

Phase 1: Include every super-awesome thing we can think of Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit

Okay, wait, it was slightly more complicated than that.

Hayato should spend some time with Jinfu's stylist.

First, we identified a single character to include in each deck, preferably ones we'd had trouble sneaking into a class deck otherwise. Hayato was the obvious pick for Ulitmate Combat. He is a master of Iaijutsu and mounted combat, fighting under a banner that bolsters his comrades and strikes fear into his enemies. His bonded mount Jinfu is a versatile warhorse that never lets him down.

"Yojimbo" does sound way cooler than "bodyguard."

Hayato's roles are designed primarily around your fighting style in your party. Ronin is best for when Hayato who walks his own path, with a great deal of healing and bonuses to checks while alone. Yojimbo is better for when Hayato wants to protect others and make the best use of Jinfu in a group.

I'd recommend a Wakizashi to pair with the Katana, and a Do-Maru for that fine helmet.

Because Hayato is a Tian character, this was a perfect opportunity to include some appropriately themed cards. That includes the Katana, a more elegant Bastard Sword for a more civilized samurai, and the Kabuto Helmet, highly protective and good for impressing those you come across.

Dwarven innovation to break down a wall, elven innovation to shoot the army on the other side.

The deck is not limited to just that theme, however. It features a startling array of weapons, with some of the best one-handed and two-handed melee and ranged options in the game at every adventure deck number.

Bringing armor back, baby!

We've been experimenting with the design space for armor for quite some time. Our design goal (going forward, but specifically for Ultimate Combat) is that armor should be good enough that players are always tempted to spend a card feat on armor and a power feat on armor proficiency. Armor is designed to save you from emergencies, but in doing so it cannot increase your chance of failure to keep it around.

The new armors in Ultimate Combat tend to have great bonuses to make them worth keeping in your hand or displaying. Kikko Armor displays, allowing you to use it when needed with no downside. Choosing to use a one-handed weapon over a two-handed weapon allows you to use a shield, but generally reduces your Combat check. That's not an ideal formula for success, so the new shields like the Dwarven War Shield help melee combatants make up that gap.

I'm extremely interested in hearing what folks think of the new armor. I'm probably not supposed to say that you're playtesting ideas for the next base set [You are most assuredly not.—Mike] but you totally are.

We play both Ranged and Melee at this fine establishment.

While armor and weapons are the slim majority of the deck, we did not remotely skimp on other cards. Any character who really cares about combat, especially of the Melee and Ranged varieties, will other cards to keep them occupied. That includes an entire cycle of Bow Ammunition (similar to the bullets in Gunslinger), cards like the Grappler's Mask to help combat-focused characters occasionally get past those pesky non-combat challenges, and a small array of spells for Arcane and Divine mixed martial artists.

There are indeed vikings in Golarion.

There's also a solid selection of great allies. Most trend towards assisting in combat, moving to combat, and post-combat healing, but there should be something here for everyone. I'd certainly consider taking a Swiftshooter on a non-Ranged character just for the draw before I explore.

You'll count your blessings that you've got these blessings.

One of the earliest design decisions for the Ultimate decks was how much each deck should support the included characters. There may well be a parallel universe in which Ultimate Combat contains only armor and weapons, where to remotely play Hayato you need to supply other cards. That universe isn't this one, so we needed a bunch of blessings for every Ultimates deck. Mike meticulously analyzed every single blessing we've made and every deity who could still use one to make sure we solved this problem right.

Each Ultimates deck contains a new basic blessing, like Blessing of the Samurai above, that should be well-suited and even exciting for its intended audience. Each also contains a number of new deities, including deities from Tian and nonhuman races when appropriate. Finally, spread over the Ultimate decks are normal and upgraded blessings for every single one of Golarion's core deities.

Those of you playing in the Adventure Card Guild may wonder how Ultimates work for you. If you're playing a character from a non-Ultimate Deck, you can add the cards from any 1 Ultimate Deck to your deck; if you're playing a character from an Ultimate Deck, you can add the cards from any 1 Class Deck. This means that Hayato can use cards from, say, the Paladin Class Deck if he wants. It also means that you can start taking Ultimate Combat boons with any of your Organized Play characters like Crowe, Oloch, and Reta. If you've ever regretted not having an upgrade choice for a boon type, fret no more—we've got you covered. If you're prone to analysis paralysis and aren't sure what boon to take... expect to spend a lot more time paralyzed with indecision!

See you next month to talk about the dozens of spells and other magic doodads in Ultimate Magic!

Keith Richmond

Adventure Card Game Designer