User:HarveyPekar/Differences between Tactician and Balanced

Tactician difficulty, as a harder difficulty option, carries with it many differences in gameplay. Among these are enhanced statistics and abilities for creatures. These can be increased ability scores, new passives, permanently applied conditions, or even new or improved actions. This is a list of all such noted differences.

Flat bonuses

These are clearly defined changes that are implemented across races of creatures, subsets within those races, or upon individual creatures. For any entity that gains a new or modified action, the game must be on Tactician difficulty before combat is initiated in order for the change to take effect.

Racial bonuses

These are bonuses implemented to every member of a specific playable or non-playable race. Some specific creatures or characters encountered within those races may gain additional bonuses, as detailed later.

Racial Bonuses on Tactician

Race	Bonuses
Intellect Devourers	Synaptic Discharge
Phase spiders	24 +1  24 +1
Goblins	Fury of the Small
Ogres	24 +1
Bugbears	Savage Attacker
Githyanki	Psionic Empowerment
Minotaurs	Savage Attacker  Brutal Critical
Kobolds	24 +2  Evasion
Merregon	Sentinel: Vengeance  Sentinel: Opportunity Advantage  Sentinel: Snare
Meenlocks	24 +1  24 +4
Death Shepherds	No Rest for the Wicked revives targets with full HP
Dark Justiciars	Radiant Retort
Mind flayers	Charm
Doppelganger	Mindreader

Creature and archetype bonuses

Some bonuses are applied to subsets of creatures within a race. This can include named NPC's, as long as the group they belong to can be easily generalized. For example, githyanki NPC's who wield a crossbow and have the "Raider" title – even if their name is Hi'so'ka or Ki'llua – in Act One can expect to get the same Tactician bonuses. These apply in addition to any other racial or individual bonuses.

Group Bonuses on Tactician
Group	Bonuses
Githyanki Raider Githyanki Veteran Raider	Archery
Githyanki gish	War Caster: Concentration  War Caster: Opportunity Spell
Githyanki warrior	Great Weapon Fighting
Githyanki Veteran Warrior	Supreme Githyanki Parry  Great Weapon Fighting
Githyanki ardent	Potent Cantrip
Redcap Blood Sage	Wisdom +3  War Caster: Concentration
Agile Guardian	Colossus Slayer
Robust Guardian	Improved Critical Hit
Mimic
Shadow-Cursed Vine Blight	Tanglevine Form
Shadow-Cursed Shambling Mound	Tanglevine Form  Magic Resistance
Shadow-Cursed Raven	Pack Tactics  Evasion  Dazzling Blows
Zealot of the Absolute	Relentless Avenger
Adept of the Absolute	War God's Blessing
Mistress of Souls	Sculpt Spells
Undead Nurse	Permanently Armed
Cursed Kuo-Toa (and Chief)	Rend With White Lightning
Apostate Destroyer	Aura of Protection
Fetid Ooze	Extra Attack

Unique individual bonuses

For any uniquely-occurring creature or NPC that gets their own bonuses. If a named NPC doesn't neatly fit into a generic group, as described above, they'll be included here.

Act One

For any entity first encountered in Act One:

Individual Bonuses on Tactician
NPC	Bonuses
Commander Zhalk	Extra Attack  Opportunity Attack
Gandrel	Scar of the Dunes
Hyena	Alert and additional +4 initiative, for a total +9 Initiative bonus
Dror Ragzlin	Leadership applies  Absolute's Enemy to non-branded creatures in range
Buthir	Buthir's Wrath provides
Sarth Baretha	Great Weapon Master: All In  Great Weapon Master: Bonus Attack  Great Weapon Fighting
Kith'rak Voss	24 +2  24 +1
Bulette
Bernard	24 +2  Alert  Magical Plate Supported by two additional Animated Armours
Ancient Giant Eagle	24 +2  24 +2  Signalling Cry summons 5 Giant Eagles, instead of 3
Kith'rak Therezzyn	War Caster: Concentration  War Caster: Opportunity Spell
Ur'uth and D'hak	Extra Attack
Varsh Ko'kuu	Affected by  Mage Armour  Crossbow Expert: Point-Blank  Crossbow Expert: Wounding
Sa'varsh Kethk	Archery
Ghustil Stornugoss	Affected by  Mage Armour

Act Two

Individual Bonuses on Tactician
NPC	Bonuses
The Warden	Colossus Slayer  Escape the Horde
Kar'niss	Cull the Weak  Spindleweb Sanctuary His aura bestows  Spindleweb Skepticism on nearby enemies
Disciple Z'rell	Dark One's Own Luck
Lann Tarv	Relentless Avenger
Gerringothe Thorm	Legendary Resistance: Incapacitation
Giant Shadow Creeper	Needlestorm
Intelligent Sentinel	Grim Harvest  Potent Cantrip
Charismatic Sentinel	Divine Health  Relentless Avenger
Malus Thorm	Legendary Resistance: Incapacitation
Thisobald Thorm	Legendary Resistance: Incapacitation
Cloaker	Phantasms summons two Phantasms  Alert
Balthazar	Legendary Resistance  Magic Resistance
Yurgir	Alert  Extra Attack
Lyrthindor	24 +2  Legendary Resistance  Freedom of Movement
Ketheric Thorm	24 +2  24 +2  24 +2
Apostle of Myrkul	Legendary Resistance: Incapacitation
Ch'r'ai Tska'an	Legendary Resistance  War Caster: Concentration  War Caster: Opportunity Spell

Act Three

Individual Bonuses on Tactician
NPC	Bonuses
Viconia DeVir	Sentinel: Vengeance  Sentinel: Opportunity Advantage  Sentinel: Snare  Protection  Tenacity

• Houndmaster Pol, Zina, Rocky, and Gordis: Hunter's Camouflage. The dogs also get Evasion.

Exception(s)

The Mind Flayer at the Nautiloid's helm does not possess the  Charm racial passive on Tactician. The goblin raiding party at the Druid Grove gate are similarly exempt from racial buffs. The goblins, led by Za'Krug, and the bugbear are missing the passive bonuses that are found elsewhere on otherwise identical creatures on Tactician. They retain the Tactician HP bonus.

Variable increases

These are changes that are implemented to varying degrees across creatures in the game.

Health

NPC hit points are generally increased by 30%, or close to 30%, with some exceptions. These exceptions include but are not limited to:

• Creatures with >30% hit point difference
  • Grym
  • The Netherbrain
• Creatures with unchanged hit points
  • Marcus
  • Isobel
  • The zombiefied NPC's in Balthazar's lab: Zombie Minthara, Zombie Wulbren, etc
• Creatures with HP differences between 0-10%.
  • Many Flaming Fist NPC's, including Gauntlet Yeva and Manip Nestor as two notable examples.