Stoneshard News

- Fixed the inability to back out from the dialogue about renting the Bank vault.
- Fixed some of the new amulets' incorrect prices.
- Fixed all new Proselytes granting the same amount of experience on death.
- Reduced the conversion rate of a Backfired spell’s Energy Cost into Sanity loss.
- Innkeepers now have more money (to make it easier to sell Barrels of Beer to them).
- Moved Fiends to a higher tier.
- Slightly nerfed Marauders.
- Reduced some of the low level Proselytes' Accuracy.
- Risen Axonians no longer have access to “Nail Down”.
- Fixed the player character being able to acquire the effect of “Crimson Gift”.
- Fixed the crash caused by explosions.
- Fixed the exploits allowing to steal items from containers without it being registered as a crime.
- Enemies should now correctly recover Health when the player character leaves the location.
- Increased doors’ durability.
- Taking a cart ride no longer counts as sleeping and doesn’t decrease the maximum sleep duration.
- Increased the duration of Elven Mud’s effect.
- It should no longer be possible to click through the animation of “Impulse”.
- “Pyromania” now grants Miracle Chance instead of Crit Chance.
- “Triumph” now grants Miracle Chance in addition to Crit Chance.
- Fixed “Body and Spirit” decreasing Sanity loss from Backfired spells by 80% instead of 20%.
- Nerfed Flagellants’ “Driven by Pain” passive.
- Fixed incorrect Attribute requirements of “Endurance Training”.
- Reduced Fumble Chance and Backfire Chance from dual wielding.
- Fixed the inability to rent a room from the hostess in the Close Harbor Tavern.
- Fixed the missing greeting line of the University’s Physician.
- Fixed the ability to accept a contract after completing it.
- Increased Fatigue reduction from consuming exquisite foods.
- Increased the strength of Gulons.
- Various fixes to most spells’ Energy Cost, Cooldowns Duration, and Backfire Chance.
- Reduced the restock speed of Herbalists’ wares.
- Added sound effects to some of the new Proselyte abilities.
- Added more sound effects to “Gwynnel’s Answers” cutscenes.

- Added sounds to Electromancy and Magic Mastery spells.
- Ghouls’ level is now taken into account when spawning them in Crypts.
- Increased the damage of “Jolt” by 10%.
- Slightly nerfed low level Wraiths.
- Removed the possibility of finding usual Shackles on tool racks instead of Rusted ones.
- Fixed the bug with Brewery NPCs cloning themselves.
- Fixed the bug that generated Shrines instead of Abandoned Carts.
- Fixed glass bottles not shattering when thrown.
- Fixed overly powerful minibosses spawning in Mannshire Bastions and Crypts (this change will come into effect after completing or failing already generated contracts).
- Fixed loot in the Watermill.
- Fixed the Cart Driver’s description.
- Fixed the Fence’s name.
- Fixed elven traders’ descriptions.
- Fixed harbor merchants’ descriptions.
- Fixed the missing price of Bronze Isles and Barcia folios.
- Fixed Beets adding to Fatigue when eaten.
- Fixed Bandages and Lockpicks missing the "Merge" option.
- Fixed the bug with the cell door’s context menu that occurred during contracts with kidnapped NPCs.
- Fixed the incorrect cooldown of “Step Aside!” when this skill was used by enemies.
- Fixed the bug allowing to fill non-vessel items with water.
- Fixed shop signs attracting thrown items when aiming at tiles close to them.

- Changed the effects of “Impulse” and “Resonance”.
- Fixed excessive Thirst gain from abilities, which was caused by an incorrect comma placement in the formula.
- Young Trolls now have shadows.
- Slightly nerfed enemies in the Prologue.
- Junk dealer Tott will no longer sell his wares for 1 coin each.
- Gulons no longer attack each other.
- Fixed the crash caused by attempting to learn a “paid” rumor.
- Fixed the softlock caused by dual wielding.
- Fixed incorrect Attribute requirements for “Short Circuit”.
- Fixed Fatigue Resistance being displayed twice in the character menu.
- “Potential Difference” now has its Immobilization Chance displayed correctly.
- Fixed the effect of “Impulse” being applied twice when using it on Resonating targets.
- Fixed the potential crash caused by interacting with tool racks in the Catacombs.

IMPORTANT: this is a major update that includes changes to the global map generation, so it requires you to start a new game. If you want to continue your old playthrough, it can be done by rolling back to the previous version in the game’s Steam options



[h3]- New boss[/h3]
…and a quest that goes with it. You can receive it in a location of questionable repute after reaching level 14.

[h3]- New magic school: Electromancy.[/h3]

[h3]- New ability tree: Magic Mastery.[/h3]

[h3]- New enemies[/h3]
13 high level Proselytes.

[h3]- Brynn content[/h3]
Added the House of the Azure Thread, the Bank, the Golden Grain Inn, the Cathedral, the University, the Printing House, the Alchemical Emporium of Curious Goods, a dockside store, the Close Harbor Tavern, and the Fence’s hideout - each new location has its own characters and gameplay function.

[h3]- Next stage of the main quest: “Gwynnel’s Answers”.[/h3]
It will wrap up the introduction sequence and prepare you for the sandbox part of the game.

[h3]- Stationary Caravan Camp[/h3]
It comes with access to a sizable storage. This location becomes available after arriving to Brynn and completing “Gwynnel’s Answers”

[h3]- New system: Fatigue[/h3]
Using abilities and performing various actions will now generate Fatigue, which lowers your character’s Max Energy. Fatigue can be kept at bay with regular sleep, quality food, and some consumables.

[h3]- Changes to the Sleep System[/h3]
The character can now only sleep for a limited amount of time that depends on how long they spend awake and their Fatigue.

[h3]- Changes to the Magic System[/h3]
Added several new magic-related stats and a Backfire mechanic that causes reckless mages to take damage from their own spells.

[h3]- New loot type: Folios[/h3]
11 unique books that provide information about the game’s lore and grant some experience when read for the first time.

[h3]- New items[/h3]
1 new sword, 7 new necklaces (including a unique one), 3 new artifacts, 12 new valuables, crabs, crab meat, and shells.

[h3]- New Points of Interest.[/h3]

[h3]- New biom: Seashore.[/h3]

[h3]- 4 new achievements.[/h3]



- New camp types.
- Changes to some of the existing Proselyte abilities.
- Added a few unique interactions with Brynn guards.
- Changed Jonna’s starting Affinities: instead of Daggers and Dual Wielding she now has access to Electromancy and Magic mastery. Also changed her starting inventory and unique trait.
- Added an option to fill various vessels with water.
- Added a system that lets time pass in locations even if the character isn’t present there.
- It’s now possible to read signs and comment on certain important items.
- Damage Reflection now returns damage before the application of Protection and Resistances.
- Added Armor Penetration to the majority of spells.
- Armor Penetration gained from Perception now also applies to spells.
- Changes to the Curses mechanic. Removed Curses of Goldhoarder and Loudmouth from the game.
- Starting from 2 stacks, the effect of Wetness will increase Backfire Chance for Electromancy spells.
- Some merchants are now willing to purchase artifacts.
- The Witch’s Hat will have a few things to say about your Miraculous and Backfired spells.
-- Hunger and Thirst gain from using abilities now scales with their Energy cost.
- Walking through shallow waters will now slowly drench the character until a certain threshold.
- Walking through shallow waters now takes 2 turns instead of 1.
- Changed some of the existing interiors and Points of Interest.
- Removed thyme from the Herbalist’s request.
- Reading treatises now awards you with experience.



- Reduced the distances between settlements and dungeons.
- Greatly reduced experience and loot gains in the Prologue to be more in line with the Adventure Mode’s gameplay.
- Reduced spawn rates for the Brigands and Wolves you meet in the wilderness.
- Max Health no longer increases with level.
- Major buffs to most 5+ lvl enemies to improve scaling of mid and late game content.
- Increased the difficulty of Brynn and distant dungeons.
- Reduced the impact of Willpower on Cooldowns Duration and Abilities Energy Cost.
- Numerous tweaks to the Survival tree.
- Buffed the bedroll: removed the chance of Body Aches after using it and reduced its price. Investing a point into “Make a Halt” will now completely offset most of the bedroll’s downsides and grant it additional bonuses.
- Increased base damage of all maces. Reduced base damage of most two-handed weapons (with the exception of spears and staves).
- Nerfed bonuses granted by “Dash”. Buffed “Adrenaline Rush”.
- Reduced bonuses from “Runic Empowerment”. “Rune of Fortifying” now allows adjacent boulders to quicken the decay of Backfire Damage.
- Swapped Crit Chance and Fumble Chance for Miracle Chance and Backfire Chance on magic abilities and equipment.
- Reduced the starting Block Power Recovery by 10%.
- Shields now grant less Block Power
- Rest Mode no longer replenishes Morale.
- Changes to dual wielding penalties: reduced the penalty to Abilities Energy cost and Cooldowns Duration and added a penalty to Backfire Chance.
- Increased Immunity gain from vegetables, fruit, and certain other foods.
- Immunity now has a 25% stronger effect on Intoxication decay.
- Greatly increased the duration of most drugs. The duration of an Aftermath is now equal to half the base duration of a drug.
- Reduced the chance to vomit from Hornet Honey’s Aftermath.
- Reduced the Ancient Troll’s Health and some Resistances.
- While in jail, the character will only be fed gruel.
- Enemies will now be less eager to occupy burning tiles.
- Most effects that used to increase Fumble Chance now also increase Backfire Chance.
- Added new effects to exquisite foods.



- Removed the option to choose your reward after killing the Ancient Troll - it was a placeholder that was only meant to exist while the Troll was the only boss in the game. Now you’ll be rewarded with gold and a unique cloak.

The unique items, which were previously awarded for completing this quest, were relocated to distant dungeons and high level secret rooms.
- Changed the repair cost formula: the base cost was reduced, but it now increases with an item’s level. Starting with level 24, the cost will be the same as it was before the update.
- Reduced Durability loss from both delivering and taking hits.
- Increased Brynn bailiffs’ stock size.
- Reduced the initial level range of the equipment sold by Brynn bailiffs.
- Bailiffs will no longer sell magic gear - it was moved to Renod Kann’s Alchemical Emporium of Curious Goods.
- Increased the impact of Brynn reputation on the level range of sold items.
- Doubled the chance of receiving unique items from distant dungeons' final chests.
- Raised the selling price of pelts to be roughly equal to common loot in terms of value per cell.
- NPCs will now purchase treatises at a better price.
- The Brynn quartermaster now sells lockpicks.
- Brigands now have a chance to drop high value rings and necklaces.
- Increased the price of most valuables.



- Numerous fixes to map generation.
- Fixed the bug causing major categories of damage Resistance (Physical, Magic, Nature) to not be taken into account when attacking enemies.
- Fixed the bug with the incorrect “Wetness” duration when entering deep waters.
- Fixed the bug preventing the loss of Block Power when blocking Nature and Magic damage.
- Reduced the frequency of the character and NPCs’ speech popups.
- Fixed the bug causing damage to enemies’ Armor to be applied twice.

Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog, we’ll tell you more about the second ability tree, Magic Mastery, which will be a part of the next major update - “Forgotten Lore”, to be released on August 5th.

Magic Mastery is designed to be a highly impactful support tree, useful to any mage build. As a result, its abilities are mostly focused on two things: increasing the effectiveness and safety of your own spells and countering enemy magic.

To better understand our design choices, we highly recommend you to check out the previous devlog - it contains important details about the upcoming changes to the Magic System.

[h2]OVERALL STRUCTURE[/h2]



Magic Mastery consists of 12 abilities: 6 actives and 6 passives. The ability tree can be roughly divided into two paths: the left one mostly targets pure mage builds, while the abilities on the right have a lot to offer to hybrid characters.

[h2]Active Abilities[/h2]

Seal of Finesse



Activates an effect that lowers Fumble and Backfire Chances, reduces Cooldowns Duration, and speeds up the decay of Backfire Damage. When used, this spell also vents a large amount of already existing Backfire Damage.

The Seal works similarly to Weaponry stances: the number of the effect’s stacks increases with every passing turn, but decreases when your character moves to another tile.

Seal of Power



Activates an effect that grants major bonuses to Magic Power, Weapon Damage and a bit of Bonus Range. But that’s not all: whenever your character uses a specialized spell, the effect transforms into the Seal of a corresponding Magic School with its own unique bonuses and has its duration slightly prolonged.

For instance, Seal of Pyromancy grants Pyromancy Power, a fiery enchantment for your weapons, and a boost to Crit and Miracle Chances. In addition to Electromantic Power and Shock Damage on strike, Seal of Electromancy reduces Backfire and Fumble Chances. Seal of Geomancy comes with a bonus to Geomantic Power and Block Chance as well as faster Backfire Damage decay and lower Damage Taken.

Seal of Insight



This Seal reveals a few places of power in a small area around the caster. When the character occupies an empowered tile, they gain Magic Power, Miracle Chance, Energy Restoration and have their Spells’ Energy Cost reduced. The effect persists as long as the character remains in place, growing in power with each passing turn and getting weaker with each cast spell.

This means that if you plan to cast a lot of spells within a short period of time, it might be a good idea to make use of places of power along with Seal of Finesse. This tactic comes with a price though - you’ll have to sacrifice your mobility for it to work.

Seal of Cleansing



This spell allows you to remove all magical and physical effects, both positive and negative ones, from the main target and everyone adjacent to it. Additionally, the spell extinguishes burning tiles, clears puddles of acid, unholy blood, and magma, and also removes runes and other magical entities. Each removed effect or object replenishes a small amount of energy to the caster and reduces their active Cooldowns.

If the caster targets themselves with the Seal or is affected by its AoE, they gain Miracle Chance and reduced Damage Taken for each removed positive effect and are applied with reduced damage Resistances for each removed negative effect.

Using the Seal on magical creatures, such as the Undead and Wraiths, temporarily increases the damage they receive.

Seal of Reflection



This powerful defensive buff not only increases your character’s Resistances to all types of damage but also reflects* half the damage received from melee attacks. And most importantly, while under the effect of the Seal, all spells aimed at your character will be redirected to a random target within Vision (if there is one).

* - there were some tweaks to the Damage Reflection mechanic: the damage will now be reflected before Protection or Resistances are applied, which greatly increases the effectiveness of this stat.

Seal of Shackles



The ultimate Magic Mastery spell applies a powerful Seal that significantly reduces the target’s Energy Restoration and increases its Skills’ Energy Cost, Cooldowns Duration, and Fumble Chance.

While under the effect of the Seal, enemies can’t use spells, and each ability that comes off cooldown will burn their Energy (scaling with its Energy Cost) and deal Arcane Damage for the same amount.

[h2]Passive Abilities[/h2]

Precise Movements

Investing Ability Points into specialized Magic Schools reduces Backfire Chance of their spells.

Remaining on the same tile gradually lowers Backfire Chance.

Dissipation

Each point of received Magic or Nature Damage replenishes one point of Energy and grants a small stacking bonus to Magic and Nature Resistances.

Body and Spirit

Spellcasting generates 20% less Fatigue. By 20% reduces Sanity loss from Backfired spells.

Lingering Incantations

Increases the duration of all magical effects - this includes Areas of Effect created by magic, such as magma or ball lightning.

Thaumaturgy

Grants all spells a bonus to Miracle Chance and Miracle Power. Performing a Miracle provides a stacking reduction to Backfire Chance and Backfire Damage.

Arcane Lore

Grants a small bonus to Magic Power for each learned magical ability*, including Magic Mastery actives and passives.

* - In the current version of the game, this effect exists as Jonna’s starting trait. It will be changed in “Forgotten Lore”: Jonna will receive Magic Power for reading magical treatises, and each learned magical ability will permanently increase her Experience Gain. This is the first of many changes to the preset characters’ starting traits that will arrive with the fully fledged Trait System and Character Creator.

============================

That’s all for now: we hope you liked these new abilities and will soon make them a part of your newly created characters’ builds. Make sure to follow the news, it won’t be long until the update is released!