Hello raiders of The Skels! We have a significant update for our wonderful Discord community to our first set, Winterstorm.

We'd like to test the waters of a major update to the balance of the set, including some surgical design changes where we feel the set could use some betterment. This is in anticipation of a future Kickstarter(s) that will reimagine Winterstorm in our new format.

All of these changes are up in the air, and we'd like you to check it out and let us know what you think. We'll be tweaking as we go, and don't worry, the original Winterstorm mod is still saved in case something goes horrible awry.

We like to use the TTS Mods as an easy and accessible means for us to test internally as well as for the community to see what we're up to. We apologize if this causes any issues with deck construction you planned to have on Tabletop Simulator, and recommend that you save a copy of the Deckbuilder right now if you'd prefer to play without an evolving version.

MANIFEST

- Calm Spirit: Now an Attack, additionally deals 3 damage to the target.
- Quiet Spirit: Now an Attack, additionally deals 3 damage to the target.
- Still Spirit: Now an Attack, additionally deals 3 damage to the target.

WITCH

- Curse of Dementia: Cost reduced from -1 -3 to -1 -2.
- Twice Scorned: No longer requires a card to be targeted. It can be any viable choice from your discard.
- Witchcraft: Reworked completely. -2 +2: Attach to yourself. At the end of your turn, Silence 1 each player. After you are controlled for the first time during a turn, gain 1 power.

GIANT

- Giant's Strength: Now additionally grants the card Heroic.
- Grab: Now an Attack, additionally deals 4 damage to the target.
- Overlook: Can target a card that costs two or less resources up from one.

CRYOMANCER

- Cold Snap: Reworked completely. 0 -2, R2: Slow 1 target opponent, then double the amount of Slow affecting them. Deal any Slow in excess of the max instead as damage.
- Crystal Blade: Now works similarly to Ashen Blade. It doesn't set your Attack range to 1, but instead benefits you once you play an Attack targeting a nearby enemy.
- Hailstorm: No longer requires tiles to be targeted upon play, and instead causes tiles nearby the target to become Difficult Terrain.

DRUID

- Brambleroots: Ranged increased from 1 to 2 and it may target opponents near Terrain instead of specifically in Terrain.
- Emerald Seed: Damage increased from 7 to 8.
- Memory of Yore: Cost changed from -2 +2 to -1 +1. Now specifically returns a card that generates power. Additionally is put on the bottom of your deck when it resolves.
- Replenish: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Reseed: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Restoration: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Revitalize: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Thrive: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Standing Stones -> Wild Ward: Reworked completely. 0 -2, R2: Seek. Attach to target player. After they enter Terrain for the first time during their turn, they gain 1 power.
- Wonder: Range increased from 1 to 2.

WARRIOR

- Banner of the Warrior: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Challenge: Now instead travels them up to two tiles towards you.
- Charge: Range removed. Travel up to two tiles towards the target, then if you're nearby, Stun them.
- Goad: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Intimidate: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Warrior's Slash -> Steel: Reworked completely. 0 -1: Return a random Gray card from your discard to your hand.

INCARNATE

- Cease to Be: Deals 7 damage base up from 5. Breach bonus was changed from 2 more damage to "they discard two unrevealed cards."
- End: Base damage reduced from 10 to 8, while scaling damage on revealed cards in their hand was increased from 2 to 3.
- Splinter: May now cause you to exceed your max power.

AVATAR

- Bind: Slow increased from 1 to 2.

EBON MAGE

- Night Infusion: Reworked completely. Passive - After you resolve an Attack card, heal yourself HP equal to the Resource cost of the card. This can cause you to exceed your max HP.
- Doom Hex: Cost reduction clause removed. Damage increased from 12 to 16.

CURSEBLADE

- Blackfire Scars: Cost changed from 0 -3 to -2 +2. Range increased from 1 to 3.
- Curse of Entropy: Cost reduced from -1 -3 to -1 -2. Range increased from 1 to 3. Rework.
- Curse of Hysteria: Range increased from 1 to 3.
- Curse of Mania: Range increased from 1 to 3.
- Ebon Feint: Slow increased from 1 to 2.

ANCIENT

- Gargantuan: Travel cards that target a tile now have their range increased.
- Battering Ram: Range removed. Travel up to two tiles towards the target, then if you're near them, deal 17 damage and travel them one tile away from you.
- Hurl Terrain: Range removed.
- Mayhem: Now additionally Stuns each opponent near the target tile.
- Swat Away: Knockback increased from one tile to two.

JARL

- Dominance -> Dominate: Now additionally Disarms 2 them upon resolution.
- To the Fray: Range removed. Now travels up to two tiles towards them.
- Spit Upon: Range increased from 1 to 2. Attack requirement removed.
WATCHER

- Raven's Eye: Now specifies "if they didn't reveal an Ability card". This means if they have no cards to reveal, Raven's Eye bonus initiative will be earned.

WINTERBORN

- Frigid Gale: Now makes two tiles near them Difficult Terrain instead of two target tiles.

HUNTSMAN

- Runic Slaughter: Damage increased from 5 to 6. Now specifically Silences 1 instead of increasing an instance of Control already affecting them.
- On the Hunt: Range removed. Now travels up to one tile towards the target, then if they're already controlled, you may play Runic Slaughter targeting them for free.
- Rune of Decay: Damage increased from 6 to 7. Silence each tick increased from 1 to 2.
- Runecarve Etch: Cost reduced from 0 -2 to 0 -1. May now only be played if you've resolved Runic Slaughter targeting them this turn.
- Runeshock: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Runesight Etch: Cost reduced from 0 -2 to 0 -1. May now only be played if you've resolved Runic Slaughter targeting them this turn.
- Spoil: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Waystone: Now triggers at the start of your turn instead of the end of your turn.

STEWARD

- Shield Slam: Damage increased from 4 to 5 and the Stun occurs without needing Mitigate.
- Banner of the Steward: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Hammer and Anvil: Damage increased from 10 to 11.
- Shield Bash: Disarm increased from 1 to 2 and Mitigate increased from 2 to 3.
- Steward's Stance -> Shield Wall: Reworked completely. -2 +2, R1: Target player gains Mitigate 6. This can cause them to exceed their max Mitigate.

SURVIVALIST

- Ice Pick: Is no longer considered an Attack.
- Pitfall: Damage reduced from 6 to 3. Disarm removed. Slow increased from 1 to 3. No longer destroys itself when a player enters the tile.
- Retrieve: Now specifically returns a card that costs power.
- Sling Rock: Is no longer considered an Attack.
- Wild Medicine: Range increased from 1 to 2.

WHITE

- Crystal Focus: Cost increased from 0 0 to 0 -1. Allows you to play a card that costs two or less Resources for Free, once per game.

BLACK

- Curseweave: Failure to play an Ability card targeting an enemy causes you to Silence 1 yourself instead of Stunning yourself.

RED

- Giantheart: No longer has a minimum damage reduction.
- Looming: Reworked completely. Passive: After you Reveal a card with Hardcast, Stun each opponent.

BLUE

- Coldblast: Cost changed from -1 +1 to -2 +2. No longer has a cap on the number of times it can be played per game.

GREEN

- Regenerate: Range increased from 1 to 2.
- Emerald Wrath: Range increased from 1 to 3.

GRAY

- Hammerfall: No longer removes your Mitigate.

MULTI-COLORED

- Wary: Is no longer an active. Attaches to you after you Second Wind until the end of the turn. You can't be targeted by en
- Huntmaster: Now generates an action at the end of your turn if you have two or less Resources.

We hope you enjoy these changes, and please let us know what you think on our Discord server!

Added art to On Your Feet! It now grants one action and two power.

Fixed some visual errors with Valor and Oathbearer.

Slightly changed wording on Spellsteal.

Added the clause that prevents Strive for Glory from triggering if you're Exhausted. Good call out, Crazy Gaemer!

Invokes triggered via Apotheosis no longer count as a Second Wind. This is to compel players to play this card more so when it is appropriate to gain the effects of Invoke rather than passive traits like Spellwake or Strength of Spirit. This also means it no longer prevents you from normally Second Winding upon reaching 20 HP if it triggers before you normally would Second Wind. We've ultimately decided that It's important that we preserve the impact of Second Wind and keep its meaning in the game specific to its core rules with few exceptions.

Enigma now causes the next Feat you play this turn to cost no actions. This means it can no longer allow you to play multiple instances of the same Feat in a single turn. This change was made primarily for rules clarity.

Quest was changed. The number of tokens required was reduced from 6 to 5, and Chivalry now only grants 1 token, but triggers regardless of whether you had Chivalry before or not. This card was originally designed to encourage players to run many copies of Chivalry generation in their deck, and we've realized that it is accomplishing this goal without extra rules baggage in this way.

Ponder is no longer a may.

Removed Timerunner and Crystal Ball from the testing category and incorporated them into the main Calbrian blue traits.

Minor card tuning, Archmage spice, and an initiative core rules change as we near design and balance lock!

Initiative core rules change: Initiative tokens now follow the same rule as resources and control: no one player can have more than five initiative tokens at any moment. We believe this creates consistency in the core rules of the game, and also prevents certain degenerate gameplay from occurring now and down the line. Of course, we're interested in bending those rules a bit on a card by card basis in the same way we bend it with cards like Pyre and Pilgrim's Tome.

Kneel: Resources changed from -2 +4 to -2 +3.

Kneel was providing a bit too much as a package, but we think it is still a usable and fun card at -2 +3.

Disintegrate: Reworked... again! Hopefully for the last time. -2 -2: Choose one: - Deal 10 damage to target enemy. - Destroy all cards and remove all Terrain near target tile.

We want to hit two distinct feelings for Disintegrate: to be able to 'disintegrate' an opponent as well as be able to 'disintegrate' "stuff". We're trying this out as a means to hit both of those elements without making Disintegrate too complex or powerful.

Enigma: Resources changed from 0 +1 to 0 -1. Now additionally has Cantrip.

Choosing to either spend one power for Enigma's effect or an initiative is an appropriate decision point for an Archmage, and we feel it tones Enigma down to a level we're more comfortable with.

Crystal Ball: Now additionally can cause you to exceed your max power.

Ponder: No longer has a 'may' clause.

Timerunner and Crystal Ball added to the core card base.

Updated the starter decks with minor adjustments.

Minor updates:

Justice now no longer requires Chivalry to apply its Slow 2 and Silence 2.

Glare no longer specifies '1 Action', instead simply using a single Action token in the text.

Ashen Blade now no longer limits all your attack cards ranges to one, instead applying its bonus damage to all attacks made against nearby enemies. This means you can still use attack cards at range and gain the heroic bonus, but those cards won't benefit from the damage bonus.

Invoke reverted to previous version--no longer removes range restriction on played cards.

Timerunner and Spellbook now have reminder text that specifies how those cards interact with character creation.

Some cards were removed from the Proving Grounds and integrated into the main cards, and some were removed and replaced with their original versions. Additional cards were added to the Proving Grounds.

For the King, No Mercy, Leyline, Unbound, Strive for Glory and Counterspell were accepted and replaced their original versions.

Apotheosis, Arcana, Spellsurge and Invoke were not accepted and reverted to their original versions.

Enigma was entirely reworked. Now a 0 +1 that allows you to play a Feat card without spending actions.

Reworked versions of Crystal Ball and Timerunner were added to the Proving Grounds.

Updated Proving Grounds Leyline.

-1 +1
R2
Attach to target empty tile. While you're in Leyline, increase your cards' Range by one.

The previous Leyline we had conceived was capable of delivering far too much power. We opted to lean into the fantasy of standing directly in your Leyline, and how that can increase your power as a spellcaster. Let us know what you think on the Discord #feedback channel!

Thank you everyone for a fantastic Kickstarter campaign!

We're trying out a new system for testing and iteration on cards—the 'Proving Grounds'.

Below the multi-colored Traits in the Ivion | Deckbuilder mod is a card pile labeled Proving Grounds. Cards in the Proving Grounds have been updated in significant or uncertain ways. We encourage you to test these changes and offer your thoughts on our Discord #feedback channel!

Over time, these cards will be either accepted into the common pool or rejected and reconsidered.

The Discord #feedback channel is another experiment where we'd like to hear your thoughts on these card changes. Please remember to keep it civil here and be respectful.

Patch notes will now be separated into "Patched" cards, and "Test" cards. Patched cards have been altered in minor or definitive ways. We'd like to focus the brunt of feedback on "Test" cards.

PATCHED CARDS

SORCERER

Chaos Storm: Damage reduced from 5 to 4.

This is a great card, but it doesn't need to deal 5 damage. We originally avoided 4 so as not to make it a 'Flick of the Wrist on a stick', but we decided that we can actually lean into that fantasy.

Ire: Now forces each player to discard a card instead of the caster only.

Ire wasn't seeing much play and there were far better card draw choices. We want to keep Ire weak in terms of card draw compared to its peers, but offer an on-plan aggressive edge.

WIZARD

Comet: Damage increased from 12 to 13.

Comet is great and feels impactful, but it deserves to deal a little more damage.

Starlight: Wording was clarified. Now additionally always costs 2 actions, but generates an action if you meet the conditions. Specifically triggers on having played a Cantrip or gaining more than one initiative that turn.

Clarified and altered this card to assist with clarity.

ILLUSIONIST

Phantasma: The target puts the top seven cards into their discard up from six.

We were overly cautious with this card, and have bumped it up slightly to support an Illusionist mill playstyle.

Puppeteer: Can now only target traits.

It has become clear with our future designs that Puppeteer having the capability of stealing ultimates would be highly problematic.

TRAITS

Mentor: Removed the 'plus one' card draw.

Mentor was buffed because it didn't feel like it had enough to offer, but we've since changed our stance on that.

Press On: No longer instant.

We tried to find a way to make Press On more exciting, but we believe this card's best place is serving as a simple power generating trait.

Prodigy: Only generates two power down from three.

Prodigy was overperforming and enabling some incredible early game combos, so we feel this will put it in a more reasonable place and prevent players from feeling like they've lost if their opponent plays first.

Spellbook: Applies during character creation.

The previous wording would have allowed high level players to counterpick specific Archmage cards as a game begins. We intend for this and future effects like it to be more a part of deck construction rather than counterpicking at tournaments.

Timerunner: Reworked slightly. Only applies on the first initiative spent to move each turn.

Timerunner sometimes put players in awkward, feel-bad positions. This makes Timerunner more direct, slightly nerfs it, and provides an interesting choice each turn.

Godsend: Improved clarity.

Confuse: Improved clarity (maybe).

On Your Feet: The power gain can now cause you to exceed your max power.

You can't always control when you gain the power from this card, and it's substantial enough that we want to ensure players always benefit from it—especially with the potent downside.

TEST CARDS

KNIGHT

For the King: Reworked. Now a -2 +2 range one attack that reads: "Deal 5 damage to target enemy. Slow 3 them."

For the King was very similar to Realization and Crystal Focus, and we wanted to differentiate Knight further from Winterstorm white. We noticed they were actually light on attacks, and feel this is an interesting way to provide them with a heavy duty Slow.

WIZARD

Leyline: Reworked. Now a -1 +1 range two attach to tile card with cantrip that reads: "After you spend an initiative, if you're near Leyline, gain 1 power."

Leyline was highly underperforming, and we struggled to create an effect similar to the original intent that felt balanced or polished. We decided to address another problem with this card: sometimes it can feel bad to Cantrip a card, as you need the power it would have generated. This can help soften this blow and make a machine-gun Cantrip deck more power-viable.

ERRANT

No Mercy: Reworked. Now a +1 -1 (plus one action!) range one attack that reads: "Deal 2 damage to target enemy."

Woah! An attack that generates an action and deals a minor amount of damage. No Mercy was hard to pull off and didn't even feel that great when you did. This allows the Errant to continue the assault in the only way they know how: more damage!

INVOKER

Apotheosis: No longer replaces a feat. Simply attaches to yourself.

Apotheosis has a huge cost, and we're interesting in seeing how it plays if it doesn't tinker with core game mechanics (like replacing a feat card).

ARCHMAGE

Counterspell: Cost reduced from -1 -2 to -1 -1.

While Counterspell was already fairly strong, however Archmage is feeling pretty weak. We want Counterspell to feel like one of the most powerful hard counters in the game, so those two elements colliding led to this.

Spellsurge: Reworked. Now a -1 -2 range three attack with cantrip (the cantrip is important!) that reads: "Deal 6 damage to target enemy."

Spellsurge was one of the least exciting Archmage cards, and Archmage feels very light on attacks. Spellsurge is an extremely effective cantrip attack that we hope will enable more traditional, attack-based Archmage decks.

TRAITS

Unbound: Swapped Unbound's effect with Strive for Glory's effect. Now reads: "After you resolve an Attack card targeting an enemy, you may discard an Ability card. If you do, deal 2 more damage to them.

More on this on Strive for Glory's change.

Ponder: Reworked. Now a -1 +1 that reads: "Look at the bottom card of your deck. You may choose one: - Put that card on top of your deck. - Put that card into your discard.

Ponder is an edge-case card that enables some clever combos if you can find a deck to utilize it properly. It also serves as a card-quality engine if you aren't currently pressured.

Strive for Glory: Swapped Strive for Glory's effect with Unbound's effect. Additionally, after this effect triggers, you must put the top card of your deck into your discard.

It was pointed out that this effect didn't synergize very well with red in Calbria. However, we loved the effect—what could we do with it? It works very well for hard aggro decks, so we felt it may make more sense in colors that support that better, like white and gray.

We added the top card into the discard effect to make it feel like there is more of a cost to running this card than there was before. For some decks, this may end up being of a blessing than a curse, but we think this effect can live as a multi-colored feat better than it did as a mono-color one.

Invoke: Now a -1 +3 active that lost the control removal.

Invoke has felt awkward at times, and its easy for your opponent to manipulate its trigger. Now, the Invoker has more control over when it triggers, but chaos and randomness still dominate its effect (unless you can cleverly manipulate the top of your deck).

Arcana: Now a -1 +3 up from -1 +2.

Wow! That's a lot of power! Archmages have struggled with power generation, and we think we can help solve this issue by making their ultimate very powerful. Beforehand, Arcana served to simply offset the power cost of playing an Archmage—this change aims to enable them to reap those rewards and have that benefit aid their class cards as well.

Thanks for reading, have fun, and remember to offer #feedback on the Discord!