International trade is useful for Rhizel in a wide variety of ways. For example, gold ore for coin and ornamentation comes from the mines of Thau, as there is little to be found locally.

However, the overwhelming majority of Rhizel's major Houses treat other nations and their people with disdain. They see the Khavans as barbarous savages, treat Aeskellians as criminals, and the more distant lands as anything but equal. To the highborn, only Rhizeli are fit to rule #Auvia...

#Lore24 30/06/24

#Auvia is home to a number of weapons and fighting styles that travellers from other lands may consider unusual or outlandish, but are common in some nations or the hands of adventurers.

For example, adventurers specialising in hand-to-hand combat often wear fistblades: paired fingerless leather gloves with short dagger-style blades attached to the back of the hand. Their design frees the hand for other purposes, but few wield a fistblade and another weapon at the same time.

#Lore24 01/07/24

Despite their utility, fistblades are difficult to properly make and maintain. If the leather is weak or of poor quality, the blade will simply detach from its housing. If the blade is badly forged, it will snap under pressure.

Fistblade | Martial Melee Weapon
Cost: 40 gp. Damage: 1d8 slashing or piercing. Weight: 2 lbs. Properties: Light, special
While wielding paired fistblades, features and abilities that apply to your unarmed strikes also apply to your fistblades.

#Lore24 02/07/24 #Auvia

Spears and axes are most common among thrown weapons, relying on solid balance and sheer strength to get them where they need to be. For those inclined to precision strikes, however, the humble knife is ideal - unless you have the coin to acquire more elegant weaponry.

It was in pursuit of grace and elegance that a Zesh-Muran dwarf, Koto-Lyn the Battledancer, sought the aid of craftsfolk to create the first kotors: discs balanced to return to the wielder when thrown.

#Lore24 03/07/24 #Auvia

Owing to a lack of common metals in Zesh-Mura, kotors are usually made of wood at their core, and sharpened stone or glass to serve as their blades. Metal mimicries have been made in other nations, but a Zesh-Muran will most often swear by Koto-Lyn's designs.

Kotor | Martial Melee Weapon
Cost: 25 gp. Damage: 1d6 slashing. Weight: 2 lbs. Properties: Finesse, light, thrown (range 30/120), special
When thrown, a kotor always returns to your hand after the attack resolves.

#Lore24 04/07/24 #Auvia

Some weapons found in #Auvia were first fashioned in generations past from simple farming tools. The humble gardener's scythe, its blade purely intended for the harvesting of wheat, served as inspiration for the warscythe: a polearm comparable to the glaive in composition, but wielded very differently.

Despite what tales of Rhizeli rebellions might say, the warscythe is not easily disguised as a common wheat scythe, nor are the two interchangeable in their purposes.

#Lore24 05/07/24

Warscythes are designed to be adaptable to the wielder's fighting style. Their blades feature a keen point akin to a spear in addition to their carefully-honed single edge.

Warscythe | Martial Melee Weapon
Cost: 40 gp. Damage: 1d6 piercing. Weight: 4 lb. Properties: Versatile (1d8), special
When wielded in two hands, this weapon gains the Reach property and its damage type changes to slashing, in addition to the increased damage from the Versatile property.

#Lore24 06/07/24 #Auvia

Aeskellian sailors and soldiers alike use a wide variety of weapons and fighting styles. Some of these migrated across #Auvia to other nations, where curious folk took them in hand and made them their own.

The wielding of dual swords, one large and one small, originated in Aeskell and was co-opted by many, including a group of Zesh-Murans who sought to perfect the technique and refine it. These days, it is best known as "Sa Dua" - two blades - despite its piratical origin.

#Lore24 07/07/24

The name "Sa Dua" comes from the Zesh-Muran word for 'blade' and the Aeskellian for 'two', reflecting its piratical heritage and disciplined refinement. Traditionally, a longsword and shortsword are seen together, but other combinations exist. For example, rapier and dagger, paired axes, or paired hammers.

Fighting Style: Sa Dua
You can use two-weapon fighting as long as one of your one-handed melee weapons has the light property, instead of needing both to be light.

#Lore24 08/07/24 #Auvia

Use of an anchor as a weapon is the stuff of Aeskellian legend. The song of how Captain Tief took up his ship's anchor to battle a fiend of Zhel is often one performed by Aeskellian tieflings. And upon hearing it, it gave one enterprising smith an idea.

Nowadays, war anchors are kept on most sailing ships. In the event that the usual anchor is sabotaged, war anchors are bound together and used as a replacement. But until then, they make excellent bludgeoning weapons.

#Lore24 09/07/24 #Auvia

Raucous - and often crude - songs of anchors being used for things they shouldn't be may have been inspired by the development of war anchors as weapons.

War Anchor | Martial Melee Weapon
Cost: 35 gp. Damage: 1d12 bludgeoning. Weight: 12 lb. Properties: Heavy, two-handed, special
You can use a war anchor in place of a free hand when you attempt to grapple another creature, and have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks made to shove creatures you grapple this way.

#Lore24 10/07/24 #Auvia

The humble crossbow: a weapon for hunting and warfare alike, valued for its simplicity among hastily-formed military units. Said units are most commonly drilled in firing in formation: after the first rank fires, they take a knee and reload, giving the second rank full visibility to fire.

Thaun combat engineers, seeking reliable ways to conduct heavy barrages without committing forces en masse, found an alternative: all of their crossbows feature automated reloaders.

#Lore24 11/07/24 #Auvia

Thaun auto-crossbows feature bolt cases fitted atop the weapon. When the crossbow is fired, mechanisms inside draw the string back for another shot, and then the loader-case drops a new bolt into place.

Each loader-case costs 5 sp and holds up to 10 bolts. While there are bolts in the case, an auto-crossbow ignores the loading property. You can use your action to swap an empty case for a loaded one. Auto-crossbows cost 25 gp more than standard crossbows of their type.

#Lore24 12/07/24 #Auvia

All across the Wild Untamed of #Auvia, the need to defend one's home is constant. Most settlements haven't the coin or expertise to train and outfit dedicated guards, so they do their best with what they have, or can afford from travelling merchants. It's not much, but everyone practices with their weapons of choice.

Fighting Style: Civilian Militia
Your attacks with simple weapons (excluding your unarmed strikes) score critical hits on a d20 roll of 19 or 20.

#Lore24 13/07/24

Druids of the wild often take up wooden staffs, which serve multiple purposes in their travels. A staff made from wood sacred to the druid's people serves them well as a focus for their spells. Some reinforce their staffs with carefully shaped stone bands, marking them as a weapon and focus both.

Giving up the staff's inconspicuous nature is often worth it for a druid willing to get up close and personal with their adversaries, and thus deliver a resounding BONK or two.

#Lore24 14/07/24 #Auvia

Not to be outdone upon the discovery of druidic staffs, the magical academies of Ioh-Né developed a counterpart to the weapon.

Banded Staff | Simple Melee Weapon
Cost: 5 gp. Damage: 1d8 bludgeoning. Weight: 6 lb. Properties: Two-handed, special
A stone-banded staff can be used as a druidic focus, while a metal-banded staff can be used as an arcane focus. Druids are proficient with stone-banded staffs, while sorcerers and wizards are proficient with metal-banded staffs.

#Lore24 15/07/24 #Auvia

Many in #Auvia think of the shield as a defensive tool, but some know well that when built to last, a shield can be a weapon in its own right. A well-timed shield bash has saved many an adventurer's life.

If you are proficient with shields, you can replace one of your attacks with a shield bash when you take the Attack action. This is a melee weapon attack that deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage. On a critical hit with a shield bash, you may knock the target 5 feet away from you.

#Lore24 16/07/24

Some who favour shields in battle take their use of it as a weapon even further than shield bashes. They sharpen the outer edge of the metal or stone, adapting their tactics to allow for opportune slashes with their off-hand.

A sharpened shield must be made of metal or stone, and can be used to attack in the same way as a shield bash, dealing 1d6 slashing damage. On a critical hit with a shield slash, the target takes 1d4 slashing damage at the end of their next turn.

#Lore24 17/07/24 #Auvia

The bow is widely used across #Auvia, whether for hunting, warfare, sport, or all of the above. But Khavan archery is a cut above the rest, even without reliable access to forges to make metal arrowheads.

Due to their training by hunting creatures of the wild, the archers of Khava excel in attacking in unusual ways. Their cavalry archers strike and move, while their foot soldiers ambush from concealed positions, high ground, or otherwise where their foes least expect.

#Lore24 18/07/24

New Feat: Khavan Accuracy
Prerequisite: Proficiency with shortbows or longbows, and either a Khavan Cultural Origin or training under a Khavan archer
Your relentless Khavan archery training grants you the following benefits:
• Increase your Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom by 1.
• When you make a ranged weapon attack against a hostile creature that's at least 10 feet below you, you gain a +2 bonus to the attack and damage rolls, and may move up to 10 feet after attacking.

#Lore24 19/07/24 #Auvia

Adventurers often develop the solutions to problems they face in their travels across #Auvia. When their unorthodox ideas take root and develop a community, a new weapon or tool is routinely the result.

The rope-arrow is one such idea. Originally assembled to embed ropes to climb much like hurling a grappling hook up a cliff, it can be used to attach a rope to anything the arrow can pierce - even a monster's hide. Darts can also be fitted with ropes in the same way.

#Lore24 20/07/24

Some nations of #Auvia, particularly Zesh-Mura and Khava, are limited in their supplies of metal. Whether from scarcity of the materials, a nomadic cultural lifestyle limiting access to forges, or any number of other reasons, metals are traded for and often reserved for use in special circumstances.

So, naturally, these parts of Auvia must make do with alternatives. Their peoples use stone, bone, and claw in the craft of their weapons, and leather armours are commonplace.

#Lore24 21/07/24

Alchemical treatments to reduce the overall weight of specific types of stone while retaining the rock's hardness and durability are commonly seen in nations lacking in metal. In particular, granite and its cousins are favoured for their properties and resilience.

Zesh-Muran weapons, and heavier armours such as scale mail or plate, are made from treated granite. It takes considerable training to adapt to them, highlighting the nation's emphasis on discipline and focus.

#Lore24 22/07/24 #Auvia

New Tool Proficiency: Stoneshaper's Tools
This specialised set including alchemical solutions to lighten stone and render it easier to carve, a hammer and chisel, and whetstones, enables the creation of weapons and armour from stone instead of metal.

Proficiency with stoneshaper's tools grants you an understanding of stonework in a similar manner to mason's tools, but focused on similar items to smith's tools. You may also gain insights when examining stone items.

#Lore24 23/07/24 #Auvia

"Day thirty-six. We have located the lair of Abierre the Mindweaver and xeir enthralled underlings. I must confess that, when we first set out, I privately mocked my companions' choice of arms and armour. But the black glass of my lander friend's sword has yet to chip or crack, and our hoblin mercenary hefts his great stone shield as if it were light as wood. Thrice now both have saved me from an untimely end."

- Excerpt from Kael Iselline's 'Charting the Autumn Moon'

#Lore24 24/07/24 #Auvia

In a battle between parties of roughly equal size and skill, victory will often go to the side who uses their surroundings to their advantage. The depths of a forest, a raucous tavern, the foot of a mountain, caverns underground, even a grassy plain can yield itself up to trying something different to defeat your foes.

All of which is to say: running a combat in an #Auvia campaign will ideally be a more immersive experience than placing characters in an unchanging environment.

#Lore24 25/07/24

Let's talk about monks. In standard D&D, they're still very much a product of their time: the exotic 'other' from a reclusive monastery or a distant land - or both.

Not here, and not under that name. In #Auvia, monks are being replaced with the Adept, a homebrew rework. Adepts can be found everywhere, honing martial skills with an emphasis on close-quarters combat. When an Adept becomes an adventurer, they often ask themselves, "What is strength, and what does it mean to me?"

#Lore24 26/07/24

Some examples of adept characters could include:
• A dedicated martial artist, honing their skills by fighting in their homeland's army
• A wrestler who once fought to entertain crowds, now seeking to test themselves against new challenges
• A hunter who takes down monsters of the wild with their bare hands
• A sailor who earned their fitness through years of scrambling in the rigging
• An assassin trained to wield their body - and alchemical agents - as their weapons of choice

#Lore24 27/07/24

Training to become an adept can come from any number of origins. Some cities have dedicated gymnasiums where anyone can learn to improve their physique. Others include instruction in unarmed combat as part of their basic military training. Many adepts are even self-taught, developing their own makeshift fighting styles that have unexpected strengths and weaknesses.

Regardless of their training, adepts can hold their own in a fight against an armed and armoured opponent.

#Lore24 28/07/24 #Auvia

Something that may cause problems for adventuring parties without a spellcaster: compared to monks, adepts don't gain any features that count their attacks as magical. A savvy DM will need to provide adept characters with magic items.

However, in the absence of magickal knowledge, some adepts support their martial training with alchemical concoctions to heal and harm, mimic a wide variety of elemental magicks, or thwart their adversaries' attempts to track them.

#Lore24 29/07/24 #Auvia

Adepts are quick on their feet: their movement speed increases as they gain levels, and eventually gain climbing and swimming speeds equal to their walking speed.

However, they are quicker with their fists. Adepts who train for speed and strength in equal measure can unleash incredibly fast barrages of attacks in a span of seconds - some of whom can land strikes before their adversary has a chance to see them coming.

#Lore24 30/07/24 #Auvia

An adept's journey often begins as one of personal growth, but eventually they must determine the answer to the question: "What is strength, and what does it mean to me?"

To some, it means wielding their might in service to a greater good, defending the realm and aiding those in need. To others, their strength is a means to achieve a personal goal. And to those who walk darker paths, it is a tool to assert their own dominance: the strong rule, the meek are ruled.

#Lore24 31/07/24 #Auvia

Rare is the artisan capable of designing magicked items, but rumours and reports alike tell of creators among the ranks of tradesfolk and adventurers.

Naturally, Ioh-Né has an interest in these items and their owners. The research and development of magicks has always been the Iohnites' domain. Only a handful of people are widely known as the creator of a magicked item, and fewer still are willing to share their knowledge - whether out of suspicion, prudence, or fear.

#Lore24 01/08/24 #Auvia

In contrast to the objects that grow in power and reputation through belief in what they can do, items imbued with magicks have quantifiable, detectable power to them. A city guard trained to sense the presence of magicks can pick up on the latter, but not the former.

There have been attempts to dismantle magicked objects to determine the source of their power, but thus far exactly one has met with any success: a staff whose core was made with deeply-charred black wood.

#Lore24 02/08/24 #Auvia

There have been many iterations of attempts to recreate magicks through non-magickal means, of course. Such experiments are unable to exert fine control over the effect to, for example, shape a blast of fire around a target without hitting them. However, that particular line of inquiry did give rise to the 'cananade', an amount of canandust packed into a shaped sphere, lit with a fuse, and thrown.

The explosion is spectacular, if unhelpful for the magickal sciences.

#Lore24 03/08/24 #Auvia

"We have your staff, Khavan. Without it, you're powerless. Now, tell us what we wish to know, and you'll be free to go. Resist, and this will be difficult."
"And what exactly do you want to know?"
"The secret to working your druidic magicks - as we have told you, seven times now."
"As *I* have told *you*, wizard, I have no secrets, nor tricks. All I have is knowledge that I wish to keep from you."
[BAMF]
"Gods damn him, he's escaped! ... Strike my last from the record."

#Lore24 04/08/24 #Auvia

The exact workings of a lot of magicks remain a mystery, but somehow the discovery of magicked items is not unusual among adventuring parties. As a result, many adventurers over the generations have left behind their "Magicked Legacies": items bearing their name that grow in power over time.

A Magicked Legacy reveals itself to an adventurer under certain conditions. They might only answer to those of a certain bloodline, or folk who uphold the original owner's ideals.

#Lore24 05/08/24 #Auvia

Deck of Many Futures
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
This 70-card deck, depicting a wide variety of figures and concepts, is often used to tell the future. While you are attuned to the deck, you can use it as a spellcasting focus for your divination spells, and you can use your action to throw a card at a creature you can see within 60 feet. Make a ranged spell attack that deals 1d6 force damage on a hit. A thrown card returns to the deck after the attack.

#Lore24 06/08/24 #Auvia

Arcanoscientist's Tome
Wondrous item, common
This leatherbound tome contains a wealth of knowledge on one specific school of magicks (the DM chooses which school). It serves as both a spellcasting focus and a spellbook for your wizard spells, has a number of spells of the tome's school inscribed in it, and once per day, you can cast a spell of 5th level or lower inscribed in the tome without expending a spell slot if its school of magic matches the tome's.

#Lore24 07/08/24 #Auvia

Gemstone Splitblades
Weapon, common
This magical longsword and shortsword pair features a pair of matching gemstones in the hilts. When the two gems are pressed together (no action required), they fuse: the weapons become a double-ended blade, using the following profile:

Fused Splitblades | Martial Melee Weapon
Damage: 1d8 slashing. Properties: Finesse, two-handed
As a bonus action, you can attack with the other end of the weapon, dealing 1d6 slashing damage on a hit.

#Lore24 08/08/24 #Auvia