Answers for Daily #24

The starting word was

First moves

18 words are one letter away from BOW.

COW: noun An adult female of the species Bos taurus, especially one that has calved.
HOW: adverb To what degree or extent.
LOW: adjective Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty.
MOW: verb To cut down grass or crops.
NOW: adjective Present; current.
ROW: noun A line of objects, often regularly spaced, such as seats in a theatre, vegetable plants in a garden, etc.

Also: SOW, TOW, VOW, WOW, BOA, BOB, BOG, BOO, BOP, BOT, BOX, BOY

BOW → BOX → POX → PYX

Once the words before it are used, nobody can change PYX: a dead end, worth 3 extra points.

Every Daily hides one golden word a few moves from the start. This one was RAM.

From BOW, 568 words can be reached one letter at a time.

Definitions from Wiktionary