┌─── ∘ May 2025 Newsletter ∘ ───┐
Firstide, Season of Vernus, Year 1641

	“The first season, remarking growth and regrowth, begins each calendar year. Life flourishes in verdant green and prepares its buds for the Summer season to follow.”
	- Standard Calendar, from The Compendium

A late newsletter has finally arrived! New combat balancing, an upcoming crafting update, and new plugin features including a new contributor perk.

° New & Upcoming

Systems Updates

Combat & Feats

• Combat Balancing Hotfix - mainly aimed at making Dexterity builds feel better:
  
  • Removing evasion -3 penalty & capping DEX: Acrobatics modifier to +3 max for evasion checks.
    
    • This lowers the overall xp cost of dex builds, helps dex characters come online faster, and brings the expected evasion modifier to +6 (assuming quickfooted), which the system is balanced around.
  • Adding +1 damage against medium/heavy armor for meteor hammer
    • This gives light weapon builds another decent option against heavy armor. While it can’t be used with piercing strike, it does pair nicely with the following skirmishing range adjustment for an interesting kiting technique. 
  • Increasing skirmishing max range to 8
    • This allows skirmishing weapons to feel useful in that they can’t be closed in on a single turn without dashing or lightning speed. This also enables a kiting technique for those without movement penalties, which punishes those who do have them.
  • Increasing ranged min range to 6
    
    • This is a slight rebalance of ranged weapons since they have little to counteract them right now. This also helps distinguish recurve bows by enabling the wielder to dash+attack (or volley) and still get a hit or two out while keeping a distance. Heavier bows will not be able to match up, and are better utilized from more strategic emplacements.
    • Evasive tactics: Dodge and weave. When critical, the first grazing hit you take each round does not trigger a Death Save (including those that normally bypass grazing). Additionally, you may make Riposte Attacks without triggering a Death Save. Cannot be taken with Death's Dance or Second Wind.
    • This makes DEX builds capable of contending Second Wind, and challenges the established “meta” of the latter by allowing Dex builds to retaliate with punishing death saves on their opponents attacks at no risk to themselves.
  • Quickfooted 
    • When evading, add a +3 evasion bonus against attacks from unarmed, maces, greatswords, polearms, slings, javalins, and arcane staffs. Does not take effect if you are holding a large shield or wearing heavy armour.
    • This removes the ability for those in heavy armor to reap the benefits of +3 to evasion with the mitigation of heavy armor, even if the evasion is already less potent in heavy armor.
  • Fanning Blade
    • When wielding a throwing knife, meteor hammer, sling, or arcane wand, you spread your attack as a Limited Action: make one attack roll for every target in a 5x5 area in front of you, each with a flat -1 aim penalty. Any allies in this zone are also at risk of being hit and you must target everyone within the area.
      
      • This clarifies how the mechanic works, since it was confusing to even Systems Team.
  • Corporeal Weapon
    • As an action per hand, you can reshape the flesh and bones of your arms until they resemble one handed melee weapon templates of average quality, which still utilize the default stat requirements. Corporeal weapons count in place of unarmed for other mutant feats and carry acidic blood if the user has it (this does not stack with Rage). Corporeal weapons cannot be used for Riposte Attacks, cannot be a Lineage Weapon, and taking this feat will permanently reduce the number of weapons you can carry by 1.
      
      • This is a nerf for mutants; stacking acidic blood damage + rage damage was far too oppressive especially against dex builds. 
    • Dual Striker + Normal 1 Weapon Swap per Turn
      • With any combination of two small blades, arming swords, finesse blades, meteor hammers, maces or fists (unarmed) equipped, you can dual attack as a single limited action. Each aim roll has a -1 penalty added to the weapon's normal aim roll. Can only be used once per turn. You may also draw, stow, or swap both Dual Striker weapons at the same time for no additional opportunity cost.
      • This allows Dual Striker builds to draw and stow both weapons for one action economy rather than splitting it between two turns. In the case of corporeal weapons this allows the user to form/change both as one action rather than two.
      • Mechanics page now also clarifies that only one free weapon swap can be done per turn (hence why Dual Striker now has this addition). Additional weapon swaps can be done, at DM's discretion, by using up an action.

Crafting & Alchemy

• Cloth & several pieces of clothing added, with DEX (the overall stat) affecting quality
• (Upcoming) AvaloreProducts 2.0:
  • Will replace the current system for crafting items with a new metadata based one (mostly a backend change)
  • With this update, items will be able to have tags added to them, including lineage weapon, cursed, magical, etc.
  • Holding a weapon and typing /roll will automatically roll the attack for that weapon, likewise with shields, etc.
  • Consumables will be getting an overhaul - this includes new tools being added thanks to the work of @Systems, especially @ - that will have both text on how the consumable works and lore-able text.
  • Alchemy items will be loreable.

Community Updates

General

• After much delay, the Spire Marshals are officially live per the Circle of Four! If you are a (player or official) DM and looking to run investigative/detective type events, please reach out to @Vigilance ! This invitation also extends to guild leaders who want to have Marshal-involved event lines, such as Phonquis, Thieves' Guild, and any other shady fellas.
  

Website/Forums

• Changed 'Characters' section to 'Character Profiles & Journals' section [Character Profiles & Journals]
• Added Character Profiles & Journals subforum titled 'Character Journals' [Character Journals]
• Changed whitelisting wait-time before inquiring to 24 hours. [Whitelist Application Template]

Discord

• New channels & pingable roles:
  • #weather-alert in 'In-Character' category
  • #commission-info channel
  • #commission-info forum
    • Both may not stay, but for now, both options are available during a testing period.
  • #commission-request
    • Comes with @Skin Commission, @Art Commission, and @Figura Commission.
• General re-organization of channels and categories
  • #notice-board moved to 'In-Character' category
• Needle bot added
  • Auto-creates threads off of messages in both #art-and-creativity and the #feedback-and-suggestions channels

Technical Updates

In-Game

• Do Not Disturb:
  • Toggle on or off with /dnd
    While enabled, all DM sounds are muted, and anyone trying to DM you gets a warning that you are on do-not-disturb. They have to confirm before they can send you a message.
    You get a reminder every 30 minutes that you have DND on.
  • DND disables when you rejoin.
• Player Event Announcements:
  
  • All players can make an event announcement using /event <event message>.
  • There is a three hour cooldown on using this command, and it will ask you to confirm before announcing it.
  • If abused, can be removed on a per-player basis.
  • If you want to mute these announcements, use /muteannouncements.
• Custom DM Sounds (Contributor Only):
  • Change what sound is played (or none at all) when you are DMed by using /dmsound <sound>
  • Tab complete has all sounds and is subject to change, but currently is Default, Muted, Underwater, Amethyst, Debris, Anvil, Bamboo, Beacon, Chest, Copper, Extinguish, Snow, and Pickup.
  • Just typing /dmsound will display your current sound.
• Fixes/Changes:
  • Ruby added to the Exotic Merchant
  • Bug: when drinking a potion that puts you over 5 tox, it now only adds negative effects for how much you go over, not the full toxicity
  • Bug: attack roll penalties from alchemy affecting evasion
  • /dmsound now plays the sound on change

° Player Events & Projects
Player-lead events and projects of Avalore, curated by the editor and Community Team to feature for the month.

Player Events

• Recurring - Foraging in the Reach: Enter for a chance to win a DMed foraging mini-event trip!
• Recurring - Nutward Putward Cave: "A number of groups have taken interest in the rumors of the recently found, recently named Nutward Putward Cave just north of town and a bit off the beaten path, due to its uncharted and labyrinthine tunnels, small bounty of crystals, and other details. While nothing sinister no fearsome creatures have been found lurking within the cave as of yet, it is full of narrow passageways, rough edges, and flooded chambers, and should be navigated accordingly.
  

Player Projects

• Wake Up by @Hoeftificus
• Facade Has Dropped by @yoursecondexwife
• The Bitter Field by @GoldieSenpai
• Gwenna's Escape by @PipsMcPips

° Player Photos
Players are able to submit photos through the Photo Album channel (via our Discord server) to be featured in our newsletter, and may be used as promotional material for Avalore!

Brynja overlooking The Spire, taken by @RianNeverfield

The new Envoy of the Valkian Realm visits, taken by @cosmic_evil



Beachside Sermon by @Faye Spiritscribe

First Hunt, taken by @BmZuzu

Mulrath vs. Jeremiah Van Pelt, taken by @Xeno_Wyvvern



Taken by @Groggles



The Fog, taken by @D_K

Vihn's store, taken by @omari


Brynja reading Sun's future in the stars, taken by @RianNeverfield


The Fesyla wedding ceremony, taken by @Waffleheart



A cloudless day, taken by @Waffleheart



Spire carpenters brooding by the beach, taken by @Olomet

Floppa Gametris, taken by @FortuneFool

i'm so informed!!