September 14, 2007
Characters no longer gain a random amount of HP and MP when leveling up. They now receive 4 HP per level, and 1 MP at even levels.

August 30, 2007

• The Amplify secondary effect for Techs has been removed. This is something that has been discussed several times in the past. Amplify predates Tech power levels, and it was determined to be obsolete, overcomplicated, and redundant.
• From now on, most fan-submitted source material will be compiled exclusively on the ZODIAC message boards under the Source Material and Worldbook headers. This will eliminate the bottleneck that sometimes exists between content submissions and web site updates.
• I've added a web poll to the ZODIAC home page to collect feedback from fans, in order to help us make ZODIAC a better game. Our first topic: do you think that ZODIAC has too much math and bookkeeping, whether it be in figuring out damage rolls, updating your stats after a level up, or just keeping track of everything on your character sheet? Vote in our web poll, or make yourself heard on the forums!
• Corrected an obsolete reference to light weapons on the web site.
• The PDF rulebook is now up-to-date as version 3.102.

• PDF rulebook is now up to date with the new Relic Construction System. I have begun using a version numbering code to make it easier to keep your PDF up to date. The version number is located at the bottom of the Table of Contents. The latest version number will be posted next to the download link on the Resources page.
• Added SP costs for level 0, 7 and 8 Techs to the Charge Time effect.
• Clarified the function of Concentrate.
• Fixed some minor discrepancies between the PDF rulebook and the web site.
• Miscellaneous minor clarifications.
• Errata: Concentrate does not apply to Deathblow.
• Errata: Techs with Unique Powers do not have to be combined with Sacrifice or Limited Uses, they simply cannot be combined with other Secondary Effects.
• Errata: X-Magic only works once per turn (two Techs).

While ZODIAC€™s dedication to vision may have turned the game into a product for a niche of a niche of a niche, for diehard Final Fantasy fans who haven€™t found it yet, ZODIAC will be nothing less than the game to play. And seeing as how this this was the original design goal of the folks behind ZODIAC, I can€™t see that the authors and designers deserve anything less than a pat on the back for staying true to their vision. So here it is: Kudos, ZODIAC designers, for setting out to do something, doing it, and doing it well.

• The skills previously known as Minor Abilities are now known as Command Skills, and they have some new friends: Support Skills. These are passive skills that boost your character's abilities, such as Attack Up. Check them out in Chapter IV: Secondary Skills. Oh, and that unhappy cousin of white magic, Wish, has received a bit of a boost as well.

• Combat sequence has been completely revamped with the introduction of Speed Points. What this basically means is that characters with high Agility will get more actions during combat. See Chapter VI: Combat for details on how this new system works.

• With Speed Points on the scene, I've finally been able to add something we've always been missing (for balance reasons): true Charge-Time Powers. Instead of spending MP to execute your world-destroying special attack, you can now do it for free- well, almost. Details in Chapter II: Tech Creation- it's a Secondary Effect. Now that charge-time is an option for using Techs, the Charge Command Skill has been removed.

• Weapons have also had an overhaul. They now influence both your physical and magical strength, in whatever combination you like. Attack damage and monster stats have been altered as well. Due to this update, the clumsy rule about MAP increasing upon level-up has been removed. Also, magical attack Techs now function exactly the same as physical Techs.

Since this stuff was pretty much abandoned in the middle of playtesting (though not intentionally), there may be some things in this update that should really not be there- please bear with us as we try to eliminate any bugs that are still around. Additionally, I started HTMLing this material this morning and later found myself rushing to get it done before I left the house today, so I haven't had time yet to clean things up or update the PDF version of the rules. I hope to get everything in order over the next few days. Do let me know if you find something I've neglected to update, or if something is being explained poorly. Admittedly, this update is a little rough around the edges, but it's better than no update at all- at least, I think so.

March 20, 2003
This time, we have a minor update, and some major news.

• First, the update: Heavy, Medium and Light Armor have been renamed to Defense, Balanced, and Enhance Armor, respectively. Nothing else has changed. This is for those of you- myself included- that might feel uncomfortable using certain types of armor for your character because "it weighs too much-" in other words, the description of "heavy" or "light" doesn't fit your character. The new armor classes should open a few doors.

• And now for the news. It's been a long time since anything major has happened with ZODIAC, but we haven't just been sitting around. We are working on several additions to the system that will add up to one BIG update. Rest assured that this is NOT a new edition, but rather an expansion- except for some improvements to the weapon system, the current rules will remain unchanged. We're still working out a few issues, but we're eager to implement what we hope will be a great addition to the game. Without revealing too much, among the new material you can expect to see will be Support Skills, a la FF Tactics, to complement Minor Abilities- soon to be renamed to Command Skills. These will be passive, "always-on" abilities that will further define your character class.

November 28, 2002
Now that I have access to Adobe Acrobat, I have finally been able to convert the MS Word offline rulebook to PDF format, as I have wanted to do for some time. The Quick Reference Sheet and MS Word Character Sheet have also been converted to PDF files. They are all available for download on the Resource Page.

November 4, 2002
Drain Weapons have been altered- they now deal normal damage and drain 20% of that amount. Secondly, Stigma Magic has been removed- it simply wasn't balanced. Thirdly, I have gone through and fixed a number of things I missed last night related to the attack roll update(hey, I was very tired). And fourthly, the Word document is now fully up to date.

November 3, 2002
Attack rolls and status effects have been streamlined, making it quicker to see if the roll is a success or failure. Check Chapters I and VI for details.

October 4, 2002
Six new weapon lists have been added to the Sample Equipment Listings: Claws, Crossbows, Gloves, Great Swords, Whips, and Whip-Swords.

July 23, 2002
Sample weapons and armor are now located on seperate pages for each listing. Swords have also recieved a small update. The index for all sample equipment can be found here. As promised, flavor text has been added for several weapon lists; flavor text for the rest of the weapons and armor will follow before too long. In addition, there is now a comprehensive Credits Page, to give credit to those who have written articles or add-ons for ZODIAC.

July 23, 2002
Two new classes, the Pyromancer and the Aquamancer, have been added to the Sample Tech Listings. Also, the Gunslinger now has his own set of armor, and his weapons have been updated with flavor text. More flavor text for other weapons will be coming later today, as I haven't got time to finish the update right now.

July 20, 2002
Made the following changes to the rules:

• The special weapon abilities Keen Edge and Dedicated Weapon now cost 2 points instead of 3.
• Quadra Slam's Tech Level has been reduced to 3.

• The Amplify effect has been cleaned up and simplified. Hopefully, this will make it at least a little easier to create Amplified Techs.

July 16, 2002
Some new source material this time. Two new premade classes, the Time Mage and the Druid (complete with a list of druidic weapons and armor), are online. Also, the Gunslinger now has his choice of Handguns or Long Guns, courtesy of Cyclone Knight. Both can be found in the Premade Weapon Listings. And last, but certainly not least, Materia is finally complete.

July 14, 2002
Added the long-overdue Glossary of Terms to the rulebook.

July 13, 2002
Just some bookkeeping stuff this time. There were some things I could have sworn I already updated, but apparently, either I didn't update them, or the changes got lost somehow. Anyway, I've added information about weapon range, unarmed attacks, and damage rounding to the Combat chapter, and added the Short Range Secondary Effect to the Tech Creation System.

June 23, 2002
Added the Gunslinger's GunTechs to the Sample Tech Listings.

June 20, 2002
Today's updates:

• Added a few PDF Character Sheets to the Resources Section. Thanks, Keith!
• Also uploaded a Quick Reference Sheet, complete with tables and formulas, to the Resources Section.
• Updated the rules for Purchasing Skills and Techs for Third Edition.
• Made a LOT of clarifications to Chapter VI: Combat, mostly having to do with attack damage and status effects.

June 19, 2002
A couple of updates this time. First, and more importantly, monsters may now choose the Flight power, which inflicts a penalty to Accuracy for non-ranged weapons. It's about time we gave Ranged Weapons something to do, isn't it? Secondly, the Life Warden has been added to the Sample Tech Listings. Finally, I've updated the FAQ with a few new questions.

June 3, 2002
Second update today. First, as you can see, we've added frames to the site, to make things cleaner and easier to navigate. We have a few content updates as well:

• The MP Attack Secondary Effect may now be paired with a non-damaging Primary Effect. If this is done, the damage dealt to the target's MP is 1 / 10 of a normal attack roll.
• Errata: The Exceptional Stats power for monsters does not affect the monster's total Tech Points if MAG is increased.
• Blitz and Mage Slayer have been added to the Sample Tech Listings.

June 3, 2002
Monsters have recieved an upgrade. They now have roughly 67% more points available for their stats. Formulas for HP, MP, and attack damage have been adjusted to compensate, although the average monster will be slightly tougher than before. The primary purpose of this upgrade was that, because monsters had so few stat points compared to players, it was much too easy for a monster's Agility to lag far behind the Agility scores of the heroes. Also, boss monsters have been enhanced, and now have TEN times the hit points of a normal monster.

May 10, 2002
We have moved to a new webhost! Hopefully this host will be better suited for us than Angelfire. Due to the move, some links may have become obsolete. If you find a broken link, please email the webmaster.

April 15, 2002
Added the Wyrmslayer class to the Sample Tech Listings.

April 10, 2002
Fixed a typo in Chapter I. Hit Points should increase by +5 for every 1 point of Vitality, not by +1 for every 5 points of Vitality. Sorry!

April 8, 2002
Dark Sword and Holy Sword have been added to the Sample Tech Listings. Also, the error that caused the Food Recovery Items to display incorrectly in Netscape has been fixed.

April 7, 2002
Multiple updates today. Here's what's new:

• First of all, and perhaps most importantly, Magical Attacks have been redone to make them easier to understand, in the same way Derived Stats were redone yesterday. Again, functionality is exactly the same, but hopefully, the new calculations should be less confusing to do. To keep things consistent, Weapon Techs were slightly adjusted in the same manner.

• A minor rules change: Cloned Powers may no longer have a different Power Level than the original power. This was done for two reasons. First, it didn't quite fit the idea of cloning, which is to provide a functionally identical power for the purpose of improving your versatility. Second, it was a bit of a hassle to keep track of, and could get very tangled with multiple clones.

• Also on the subject of Cloned Powers, they are now subject to approval by the Master. This is to prevent completely nonsensical cloning- for example, cloning Jump Slash to create Heavy Machine Gun. Remember, a clone is a modification of a Tech you already know.

• The Max Tech Level stat is now mentioned as a Derived Stat in Chapter I. Hopefully this will make it more visible, so people don't forget about it.

• Various minor clarifications were made here and there.

April 6, 2002
The Derived Stats listing in Chapter I has been revamped, hopefully making it cleaner, less confusing, and more user-friendly. Functionality of all stats is unchanged. As of today, the Word document is up-to-date. Also, Ninjutsu has been added to the Sample Tech Listings.

April 3, 2002
Made the following updates:

• Invulnerability now has two versions: at Tech Level 4, it lasts one round and may be combined with Area Effect; at Tech Level 6, it lasts two rounds and is single-target only.

• Added Debilitate to the list of Unique Techs.
• Tools have been added to the Sample Tech Listings.

April 2, 2002
White Magic is now online in the Sample Tech Listings. Also, the Status Effect tech now correctly has a power level listed in the HTML version. I have also fixed some broken links within the Third Edition Conversion Guide, which resulted from moving the guide to a different directory.

April 1, 2002
I've decided to do the intelligent thing and post the Sample Tech Lists as I finish them, rather than waiting to finish all of them. Currently only Black Magic and SwordTech are completed, but Tools and White Magic are partially complete and should be finished fairly soon. Also, a minor rules update: FF6-style Limit Breaks can now be triggered by Techs as well as by normal attacks (good news for mages!).

March 24, 2002
The Premade Armor Lists have now been updated and enhanced with Third Edition powers. Also, the correct version of the MS Word rulebook is now online- the previous version did not include the Armor Construction System. In other news, Premade Tech Lists are still being worked on.

March 15, 2002
After much delay, the Premade Weapon Lists are now back online and updated for Third Edition. I'll add special abilities to the Armor lists as soon as I can, and a list of premade Tech sets should follow. Also, a Monster Sheet for OpenRPG has been uploaded to the Resource section.

February 12, 2002
Second update today. The Expanded Combat Rules are now available in the Optional Rules section.

February 12, 2002
The long-overdue Armor Construction System has been added to the Core Rules. This system allows customization and special abilities for Armor and Guards, similar to the Weapon Construction System. The previous armor listings have been moved to the Resources page, but do not yet have ACS powers added.

February 11, 2002
Scott Wilson's new Limit Break System is now available in the Optional Rules section- all you FF7 fans, check it out. The Expanded Combat System, with rules for detailed critical hits, map combat, etc. should be online later today or possibly tomorrow.

February 9, 2002
A minor update today. A character sheet for OpenRPG is now available in the Resources section. Also, errors have been fixed in the Word character sheet, and in the description of the Magical Attack tech in the HTML version of the rules. In other news, ZODIAC celebrates its first year online on Monday, February 11.

January 12, 2002
Updated the following:

• Renamed Strength Bonus and Magic Bonus to Attack Power and Magic Attack Power to eliminate confusion with similar terms.

• Altered the arrangement of the damage formulas to make them less complicated. Weapons now have bonuses to Attack Power instead of to the base die roll, and Magic Attack Power increases directly with level, rather than through the Magical Tech formula. Weapon Techs and Magical Attacks have been adjusted to compensate.

• Quadra Slam's power level now scales with weapon class in the same way that Weapon Techs do.
• Clarified Stat Boosters and Break Arts for Strength and Magic.
• Monsters now have fewer HP and MP, and have access to more Tech Levels.
• Attack damage for monsters is now determined by the Master, rather than being set at d6.
• Adjusted points for weapon special abilities.
• Updated the Food Recovery Items for Third Edition.
• Fixed some HTML errors in Chapter II, including the erroneous Resistance power listed under Primary Effects.

January 3, 2002
The web site is now fully updated and back online. Players with existing characters should read the Third Edition Conversion Guide to make converting their characters a little easier. Premade weapons and classes are not available at this time, but they should be back before long. Finally, for those who downloaded the MS Word document within the past few days, there's an updated version online with a few corrections, clarifications, and other errata. Welcome to ZODIAC Third!

December 30, 2001
The Microsoft Word version of the rules is online, but the web site is not yet up-to-date. There is a list of Rules Changes in Third Edition available, if you would like to get a better idea of what's new. Coming shortly will be a Conversion Guide for converting Second Edition characters to Third Edition.

December 22, 2001
The update is finally nearing completion, and I'm working to get everything updated and online. Here's a preview of some of the things you can look forward to in ZODIAC Third Edition:

• ;A new, more flexible Tech System, including rules for upgrading old Techs into new powerful forms- very handy for fighters who want to keep their trusty Dispatch.

• The ability to deal either Physical or Magical damage with a Tech, regardless of what type of Tech it is. This finally makes true Sword Magic possible.

• Techs that inflict negative status will be much better.

• Magic has been integrated into the Tech System, as well as being rebalanced to keep it on par with both normal attacks and Weapon Techs at all experience levels. A 99th-level Black Mage can now use Fire 1 as his primary attack, and still easily hold his own with the fighters in the group.

• Blue Magic is now a system in itself, with two new ways to learn enemy skills.

• A modified stat system makes character archetypes a thing of the past, allowing you ultimate freedom to develop your character in whatever direction you like, and making the "balanced" character a more viable choice.

• Simplified mechanics, most notably the change in armor- from Defense and Magic Defense to HP / MP bonuses.
• MUCH simpler math!

In other, more important news, the update is still plodding along. Our main stumbling block is magic- in the current version of the rules that you see here, low-level magical attacks become outdated quickly, falling behind normal attacks, whereas physical damage Techs do not. I'm reluctant to say anything further about the update, because things are still changing. However, I can say for certain that the math in the system will be a good bit easier to do, especially in live games (as opposed to playing online). There will also be a general streamlining in several areas. Finally, we are most likely going to go for a variant on the Pool system, which follows the same general idea of slowing down character and stat growth. Rather than stats increasing gradually, in fractions, they will increase by whole numbers, but each individual point- as well as stats in general- will have a lower impact.

October 15, 2001
A quick update on the update. First of all, we at ZODIAC have decided to eliminate the Defense mechanic altogether, due to the difficulties in getting such a mechanic to work correctly. Instead, we will be using the more abstract FFT system of armor. For those of you who are not familiar with Final Fantasy Tactics, armor added a set amount of HP to the wearer's total when equipped, rather than directly reducing the damage the character recieved. This change should speed up and simplify combat considerably. For everyone who's curious about the new stat system, it will essentially run on a system of fractions. No, this doesn't mean your fighter will have 38.4 Strength- rather, instead of a flat increase to each stat every level, a character recieves a certain number of points to his Stat Pool, which accumulates until it reaches a certain level, at which point the pool empties and the stat increases. This MAY change before the final update is released, but we're fairly sure that this is how it's going to be. Any changes that occur will still follow the same general idea. There are quite a few other, more minor changes in the works as well, but I will say that you can expect Status Attack powers to be much more useful than they are now.

September 28, 2001
Yep, it's been a while. I've gotten some emails asking about the next site update, and I realized I should clue everyone in who isn't on the mailing list. The next update is in development and should be finished soon. It will meld magic and Techs into one unified system, and feature a new stat system that should be more manageable and balanced than the current one. Defense will also be boosted to make both armor and Vitality / Spirit more useful. Of course, these changes demand some minor adjustments to monsters, as well. Additionally, several abilities from the newly-renamed Tech Creation System will be revised, along with a few Minor Abilities. Finally, the Expanded Combat System, delayed due to conflicts with the upcoming revision, will come online. Expect a few other modifications here and there, as well. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause for existing characters, but updating shouldn't be too difficult (not, at any rate, as difficult as the conversion from v1.0 to v2.0). After all, ZODIAC is still a new system, and it is still in its formative stages. Fortunately, I don't anticipate any major changes like this in the future, or at least the near future; honestly, I don't know what else could be changed. After this, the second major upgrade to the system, everything should be pretty well set into place.

August 18, 2001
Flare and Nuke are now variable-element spells called Super Elemental and Ultra Elemental. Also fixed a few typos.

August 6, 2001
Fixed multiple errors in the Complete Level Advancement Chart, and added two optional rules for the Magicite System.

August 4, 2001
The Morph ability now has a variant that allows the user to morph into a variety of different forms, albeit not as powerful as the primary Morph function. In addition, the FAQ has been updated with new questions and a more organized appearance.

August 2, 2001
It's been a while since the last update, but we've got something new for you. The Magicite System, ZODIAC's first fan-written article, is now complete and available in the Optional Rules.

July 5, 2001
I will be out of town all of next week. I'm leaving tomorrow morning and returning on the following Saturday. During this time, I will, of course, be unable to update the site or respond to emails. Thank you for your patience.

July 2, 2001
Due to WebRPG Online's recent decision to convert to a paid subscription service, ZODIAC will no longer support the program. All WebRPG-related documents, links, and references have been removed.

July 1, 2001
I've finally come up with a way to balance multiple weapon classes under the new version, so the three different weapon types- Heavy, Medium, and Light- have returned. The damage difference is not quite as dramatic as it previously was. Also, because the varying damage levels are balanced out by the varying number of points for special effects, all weapons will still have the same price, regardless of weight. Finally, any Character Archetype may use any weapon class.

June 29, 2001
The Resource Page is now up. Currently all that is available are character sheets for Word and WebRPG, but more will be added eventually.

June 28, 2001
What's new:

• Oops! I made a mistake when balancing damage formulas for the new version. As a result, die codes for weapons and spells have been remixed, and physical damage Techs now deal +2 damage per level instead of +3. Multiple dice are back, although a bit less extreme than in ZODIAC 1.0.

• Added three new Minor Abilities: Endure, Resist, and Morph!
• To keep up with the altered Tech damage, Quadra Slam was given a higher MP cost. This may come down slightly later on.
• Monster stat bonuses and penalties are now all equal to (Level / 2), rather than percentage values.
• Cleaned up a few things here and there.

• Fixed a multitude of errors and omissions in the Word document (oops). There is an updated version available for download.
• Doubled the HP and MP increase for Bonus Points. The old values were relics from an earlier version of the revised rules.
• The site now has pictures! Don't worry, I haven't overloaded it- just enough to make things a little more interesting.
• There is now a mailing list for the ZODIAC Final Fantasy RPG. This list is a forum for discussing the system and what's going on at the moment. The list is powered by YahooGroups.

• An optional set of expanded combat rules, covering detailed critical hits, FFT-style battles, etc.
• An optional Ability Point system for learning new spells and powers. Will be compatible with Jobs, Materia, etc.
• A Resource page with character sheets, WebRPG files, and anything else that will fit.

June 22, 2001
Finally! After a week and a half of working, testing, revising, and changing some things completely, ZODIAC 2.0 is now completed. At the moment, only the Word document is completed. I plan to update the web site as soon as possible; however, I am most likely going to be out of town all of next week, so the HTML version will either be up this weekend (if it goes quickly) or next (if it doesn't). A quick rundown of the major changes in ZODIAC 2.0 can be found here. Note: This new version is by no means perfect yet, and the updated rules are in a semi-liquid state. I've done a lot of playtesting and calculating, but I haven't caught all the potential problems yet, and some last-minute changes may require adjustments elsewhere. I hope to have things smoothed out over the next couple of weeks. It would help me greatly if you would email me with any observations or experiences you have with ZODIAC 2.0.

June 21, 2001
This is taking far longer than I expected (or wanted). I am ALMOST done, I just have to work out a few issues with stats and combat. Rest assured, I haven't been lazy about this update. In fact, I've been spending most of my time working on it. Creating functional, balanced damage formulas can take quite a while...
A quick update- I've taken a slightly less rigid approach than I originally planned, allowed more bonus points and less set advancement. This, by the way, is what has delayed the release of the new version, as well as the rewriting of the damage formula. This is what I get for trying to make things work correctly.

June 15, 2001
A MAJOR update and upgrade is on the way. The core of the update is that characters will have a fixed base advancement of stats, with a few discretionary points to spend here and there. Before you groan, let me explain. I have found in the course of my playing and testing that it is far too easy to create an overpowered or underpowered character. Focusing on a few stats is only natural, but it provides too much power and causes other important stats to lag too far behind. As a result of this change, I'm going to have to make some changes to the rest of the system. The game system will remain mostly unchanged, except for numerical values such as Defense. I've been working on this for several days, and it may be a few more before I finish. The site will remain online as-is until I finish my work. Don't worry, I think you guys will like the new version.

June 13, 2001
The Speed stat has been removed. Accuracy, Evasion, and combat order is now determined solely by Agility. This was done to both simplify the system and improve the usefulness of Agility and Speed as compared with the other four stats. Any abilities or effects that previously affected Speed now affect Agility. In addition, because there are now five stats instead of six, player characters now have 25 points for stats at level 1, and monsters have 20. In addition, the Cure spells have been toned down slightly.

June 5, 2001
Removed the far-outdated and unnecessary clause that states that Black and White spells used by monsters have a Tech Level equal to their original level plus two. Also fixed a few other errors I missed yesterday.

June 4, 2001
Boss monsters now have TRIPLE their base number of Hit Points, rather than double. They also give (Level * 150) Experience and (Level * 75) Gold, a little more than twice than what they previously had. Also fixed a few errors here and there, like the duplicate 'Coffee' item.

May 26, 2001
There's a new addition to the Optional Rules section- a list of 33 different food items for recovering HP and MP. They're intended for campaigns set in modern times, but they can easily be adapted to any time period to expand the number of recovery items.

May 22, 2001
I've added an Introduction to Role-Playing Games for those who are interested in playing ZODIAC, but don't have any experience with RPGs. Hopefully, this addition will prove helpful to those people. Do let me know if anything has been left out or seems confusing; it's there to help.

May 20, 2001
This latest update has to do with the balance of power between heroes and monsters. The following changes have been made:

• Upgraded both character and monster HP to make combat a little less lethal. Check out Chapter 1 and Appendix I for more information. Note: Characters have had adjustments made to the HP dice, starting HP formula, and HP per level formula, so be sure not to miss anything.
• Monsters now give (Level * 35) XP and (Level * 15) GP when defeated.
• Boss monsters no longer have access to powers above their level. This often proved too much for the characters to handle.
• Ethers now restore 35 MP instead of 25.

May 15, 2001
The ZODIAC web site is now Netscape-friendly! After finding several errors on a Netscape-using computer, I've gone over the site and cleaned it up. It should now work fine with Netscape. In other news, Potions now restore 150 HP instead of 100. Hooray!

April 23, 2001
Premade Ability Sets are finally updated to reflect the latest rules changes. If you use these premade sets, you should check out Appendix II to see what's changed.

April 22, 2001
I have created a section for Optional Rules, which will be expanded rules or alternate game systems not supported in core ZODIAC. Currently, the only optional rules covered are a Skill System and rules for purchasing Techs and Magic. To be added later is an AP system, which will then be expanded to include Materia and other similar ability systems. In other news, I've adjusted the following Secondary Effects for Techniques:

• MP Attack
• Status Effect
• Steal Gold

April 7, 2001
I've finally gotten around to adding those new spells I've been meaning to add. Most of the additions are new Black status effect spells. Also, almost all status spells have had their chance of success altered, and some have even changed spell level. I have also corrected a few errors in the Word document. Expanded Premade Ability Sets are still to come...

April 1, 2001
I've added a Frequently Asked Questions page to answer some of the more common questions I've been asked about the system. I've also finished updating Magic in the Word version of the rules. It hasn't been uploaded yet; I'll do that once I finish making the same changes to the web site.

March 28, 2001
A minor update this time. The Stat Booster ability now has a base cost of 10 points. The only other things I've done are various minor cleanups and clarifications, particularly for Steal Gold. Angelfire was inaccessible for a day or two, and I've been a bit busy, so I haven't been able to do what I planned to do earlier- update and expand magic. I'll do it soon.

March 23, 2001
Whew! One major update and a lot of minor ones, adding up to one huge, time-consuming update. Here's what's new:

• The major update involves armor. Some adjustments have been made to Defense and M. Defense ratings. Besides some tweaking with the actual values, they have been moved closer together- in other words, Heavy Body Armor, for instance, provides a little less Defense and a little more Magic Defense.

• The premade list of basic Black spells, such as Fire and Comet, has been replaced with a single spell- Elemental. Each spell level has an Elemental spell, which deals a set amount of damage, carries any element the mage chooses, and may be learned multiple times with different elements. Thus, you could have a 1st-level spell that deals Evil damage, or a 2nd-level spell that deals Water damage. This was done to remove some of the rigidity of spell selection and allow a little more freedom and customization for the player. The same adjustment was made to the Resist and Anti spells in the White Magic section.

• Adjusted the Chance of Success slightly for various spells.
• Temper and Saber have been adjusted upwards, mostly to reflect the change to the Accumulate Minor Ability.
• Clarified the Anti-Magic Field spell.
• Fixed two errors in the Complete Level Advancement Chart.
• To clarify: Monsters gain new powers at the same rate that players do, meaning that they now gain multiple powers of levels 1-5. Overdrive has been adjusted; it now requires that the monster give up both slots of one level in order to access the stronger power.
• Last but not least, I have finally added spell descriptions for Black magic.

• Descriptions for Blue, Call, and White magic.
• Additional Techs for the Premade Ability Lists to reflect the expanded ability progression.
• A few more spells, mostly status effects for Black Magic.

March 18, 2001
Two updates this time. First, and less importantly, the Aim Minor Ability has been removed. Its effect was redundant with Charge, and to a lesser extent, with Jump. The second, and more major, update is that Tech-using characters now have more Techs available to them. Although there are still eight ability levels, characters now gain two Techs for ability levels 1-5. Take a look at the progression chart in Chapter II for more information.

March 17, 2001
Mostly error corrections this time.

• Fixed a minor formatting problem in Chapter III, and a major one in Chapter VI.
• Fixed some missing zeroes in the Armor section.
• Adjusted the Aim Minor Ability. Aim no longer deals maximum damage to its target.

• Accumulate
• Chakra
• Focus
• Health
• Luck
• Terrain

March 13, 2001
Removed Traits. They were not really necessary to the game, and there were not nearly enough of them to be interesting or varied enough to remain in the rules.

February 22, 2001
Updated the Magic Attack tech. It now functions essentially the same as a direct-damage Black spell.

February 15, 2001
Made the following changes to the rules:

• Minor Abilities that granted bonuses to AP or MAP now give a flat bonus to base damage.
• Increased damage done by the Magical Attack technique.
• Removed the CoS from Demi Attack.
• Squashed a bug that would allow a character to take both HP Drain and Sacrifice.
• Clarified the Charge minor ability.
• Fixed various typoes, spelling errors, and other minor mistakes.

February 12, 2001
Finally! All content has been HTMLed and uploaded. So what now? Now I'm planning to go through and add more Black and White spells where I can, and also provide more thorough descriptions for magic and certain premade Ability Sets.

February 11, 2001
Chapter VI: Magic is now complete, and all spell lists are online.

February 11, 2001
Uploaded Chapter VI: Magic, and the Black Magic spell list. White, Blue and Call magic to follow shortly.

February 10, 2001
The site isn't exactly finished yet. As of right now, I've finished coding the HTML rules through Chapter IV: Equipment. Hopefully, I will have finished HTMLing the rest of the rules by the middle of next week.