As of this posting, the rules for the design (crafting) system have been changed. The rules have been streamlined to facilitate creativity and ease the accessability of participation, whilst continue to ensure that the designs submitted are sensible of Lusternia's world.

Due to the extensive nature of these changes, We will not attempt to recount them all here in full. Rather, you will find the new rules under the following helpfiles:
- HELP DESIGNS
- HELP HOWTODESIGN
- HELP DESIGN COMMS

In general, there are no longer many niche, specific rulings for things. This does not mean you can now begin making armour out of sugar, scrawling on everything in Divine, or imply that your design is perpetually in brilliant sunlight.

What We care about is that your design is grammatically and linguistically correct, that it makes sense, that it could reasonably be crafted by a mortal hand, and that it fits the setting of Lusternia.

Here is a summary of the system and ability changes made as part of this process. These have been made to facilitate the new rules as well as to respond to previously made changes to armour and weapons:

o The following tints have been added to the Arts skill and to the commodities available in designs:
- Black
- White
- Grey
- Brown
- Orange
- Pink
- Silver
- Bronze

o The following commodities have been removed as fewer than 5 such items are readily available in Lusternia:
- Ginger
- Babygoat
- Crystalegg
- Nightingale
- Partridge
- Pheasant
o All designs using these commodities (if any) have been modified to use more readily available substitutes. If you find any other commodities with a similar problem to this, please let the Charites know.

o Base commodity costs for Forging have been completely changed.
- Costs now scale according to value ratings in HELP ARMOUR.
- Scale and Chain armour may now be upgraded to Masterarmour.
- Weapon costs are now standard (2h weapons remain x2 cost) as weapons no longer have statistics. These costs are based on their enhancement slots.
- Masterweapons have an additional cost scaled per enhancement slot.
- The costs for forged pieces that do not have an armour rating have been reduced.

o In accordance with the above, base commodity costs for Tailoring armour have also been changed.
- These costs likewise scale by value rating in HELP ARMOUR, and with a premium for the enhancement slots found on Splendours.
- The costs for Greatrobe and Splendour pieces that do not have an armour rating have been reduced (namely, hats).

o Base commodity costs for Artisan have been modified.
- Instruments now require 100 commodities of which 50% must be wood, or 200 commodities.
- Horns and Timepieces now cost 30 and 75 comms respectively, down from 75 and 120.
- The costs of Beds and Teasets have been swapped, because they made very little sense.

o In light of these commodity cost changes, the costs in every affected pattern and standard design have been changed.
- For details on how to request changes to your own existing designs, please see the Trademasters News.

o Mortal Reviewers now receive 1 credit per successful review at base, 2 credits per if they are a Senior Reviewer.

o A bug allowing Mortal Reviewers to see designs submitted by their alternative characters has been fixed.

o Designers may now COMMENT on their designs to their heart's content, including after the design is approved.

o The Charites are now made aware if a design has been in the queue for 3+ days and for 7+ days. This time is now cumulative, meaning it is based on the design's TOTAL time in the queue, not its time since last submission.

We appreciate that you will have many questions. We have created a forum thread for this purpose, but you are also always welcome to message the Charites directly.

As we all become used to these new rules, please understand that designs may take a little longer to process than usual, and that whilst We will endeavour to respond to queries as soon as possible the volume of such requests will be high.

Thank you,

Charites

Penned by My hand on the 22nd of Dvarsh, in the year 538 CE.