CAELWICKInside the alpha

YOUR PARTY. YOUR PRIORITIES.

Give every hero
a reason to act.

Caelwick combines real-time combat with pause and editable tactics. Set the party’s standing priorities, watch the encounter unfold, and intervene when the moment calls for it.

A rule is a decision
you make in advance.

  1. 01 / Choose an action.

    Decide what the hero should do: protect an ally, spend a class resource, or apply an effect that sets up the next action.

  2. 02 / Choose a target.

    Narrow the eligible targets, then decide which one matters most. “Most injured ally” and “closest enemy” express different jobs.

  3. 03 / Give it a condition.

    Make the rule respond to a situation. A protective action can wait for an ally below a health threshold; a resource-spending action can wait until it can be paid for.

  4. 04 / Set its priority.

    When a hero is ready, the rules are checked in order. The first with a valid target, satisfied conditions, and an available action fires.

TACTICS FIELD GUIDE

The Shield Warden

INTERACTIVE
1. Choose a priority
2. Read the encounter
LOWEST ALLY HP 28%WARDEN CHARGES 3
  1. 01
    Shield an allyMost injured ally · HP below 40%
    Ready
  2. 02
    Spend charges to strikeClosest enemy · At least 3 charges
    Ready
  3. 03
    Basic attackClosest enemy · Always available
    Ready

Choose your priorities, then see which rule fires.

An illustrative tactics example. Other action requirements are assumed met; this is not live gameplay.

The first available answer wins.

A condition can be true while the action itself is unavailable. A valid target, the required resources, and the action’s other requirements still matter. A rule that cannot act gives the next one its chance.

This makes order meaningful. Put emergency protection first and it takes precedence over routine offense. Put offense first and an available attack may win while an ally is still in danger.

If no active tactic can act, basic attacks provide the fallback. You can also include a basic attack as the final explicit row to make that priority visible in your plan.

Read the list as “first do this, otherwise try this.”

You are still in command.

Pause to read what is happening and make a deliberate choice. A one-shot order lets you request a specific action, after which the hero returns to standing tactics. Repeating orders let you hold a particular approach until you change it.

In the current client, clicking an action repeats it. Shift-clicking or holding it briefly requests it once. Pause and auto-pause options provide time to respond when combat starts or the party needs an order.

The party shares its position. Moving changes the group’s relationship to the encounter; individual heroes still keep their own actions, resources, and priorities.

Start simple. Refine what you can read.

Begin with a recommended class preset. Decide on one urgent response, one way to use the class’s strength, and a reliable fallback. Add complexity when a real encounter shows you why it would help.

A Warden’s protective priorities, a Master’s stance, an Elementalist’s sequence, and a Wellspring’s upkeep ask different questions. The class guides explain those resource loops before you start combining them.

About the field guide

The interactive example isolates rule order and an ally’s health. It assumes the other requirements are met. It is a teaching example, not a running instance of Caelwick’s combat.