I was going to wait until after everyone got back from Gen Con, but then I realized that some folks--like me--can't go this year. So here's something to help ease the pain!
We're trying out a new community project using Kickstarter. If the project gets funded, you get to help create the sacred necromancer.
With your input right from the beginning and your playtesting, it will be a class that you can't wait to play and that you know will be balanced.
A class worth dying for! ;D
Sounds cool, Scott. Ghost Detective? That would be a nice twist.
Sounds cool, Scott. Ghost Detective? That would be a nice twist.
Do they Whisper?
And fill out sweaters really well?
I was going to wait until after everyone got back from Gen Con, but then I realized that some folks--like me--can't go this year. So here's something to help ease the pain!
We're trying out a new community project using Kickstarter. If the project gets funded, you get to help create the sacred necromancer.
With your input right from the beginning and your playtesting, it will be a class that you can't wait to play and that you know will be balanced.
A class worth dying for! ;D
I'm the sole backer atm
@F2K: Thanks! A ghost detective should be fun.
@Boom: Sexy, indeed!
@SmiloDan: As the patrons wish, so the patrons receive... :)
@Hyperion & Dudemeister: Welcome aboard! Spread the word, and we'll get the awesome started! :)
For those of you interested in new classes, here's your chance to help build one. Join us, today, in creating the sacred necromancer.
Mysteries of the Dead Side is a new mini patron project that will explore the depths of necromancy magic.
In case anyone has questions...
What is this? This is a mini patronage project, tightly focused on a single element of the Pathfinder RPG. As with all patronage projects, for those not already familiar, you fund the project up front, but if it doesn't meet the goal, it never gets completed. This way, if there's just not enough interest in a particular idea at a particular time, resources can be focused elsewhere. You get only what you want, and the publisher can start on the next project.
What does the patron get? That varies with the project. In this case, for the minimum pledge, you at least get the final product for the same price as you would have anyway. In addition, if you choose to and at no additional cost, you can participate in the design discussion on Google+, including throwing in your ideas and playtesting the results. Deeper access and other opportunities are available at higher pledges if you're interested.
Where do the funds go? All the funds go toward the final design, editing, illustration, layout, and associated costs of completing the product to the high quality that fans of Zombie Sky Press have come to expect.
What is the product in question? Mysteries of the Dead Side will explore necromancy magic in new and exciting ways. The core will be a new class of specialist necromancer. Along with that will come new spells, feats, and more. Barring any changes decided on by the patrons, it will be similar in content to Mysteries of the Tengu Road.
Why should we trust you? Because I rolled a natty 20 on Diplomacy? OK, how about because I have several years of experience designing and developing content in the industry. I've been a contributing editor for Kobold Quarterly magazine and blog almost since the beginning, and my design work can be can be found in all Zombie Sky Press products and a scattering of other companies' products. As for class design for Pathfinder RPG specifically, my article "The Holy Remix" in KQ #12 gives a new take on the cultist (or phantom) among others, and Mysteries of the Tengu Road gives you the yamabushi.
Do you have any specifics you can share for the sacred necromancer? I will make a pitch to the patrons, but the nature of the project means that things will likely change as the discussion continues. That said, I will pitch something built from the skeleton of the oracle (pun most certainly intended)--similar to how the yamabushi is built. (So there will likely also be tons of new oracle mysteries in the final product.) I will pitch sacred necromancer "mysteries" that include communicating with the dead, exorcizing the dead, eating the dead to gain power, and more. And I like to push the limits, so I will pitch some off-the-wall stuff that you can run with or slap down as "just too far, Scott." For instance, the revenant version of the sacred necromancer is dead to start with: this looks at the revenant as a class, instead of as a monster, in which you advance as an undead character. Remember, the sacred necromancer need not be the hero... they are just as well suited to being the villain.
Have other questions? Let me know.
Give Mysteries of the Dead Side a chance. I think it'll be a lot of fun!
A third of the way to funding! Sign up for our Kickstarter project Mysteries of the Dead Side.
As a backer, you won't just sit there and wait for product, you get to participate and make us dance for your amusement. Interested in learning how to design a new class and other mechanics from seasoned freelancers? This is the place. Interested in having a say in the shaping of the final product? This is the place. Interested in seeing the nuts and bolts of putting together a project? You guessed it--right here.
This is a small, intimate project, tightly focused around the theme of necromancy and the (un)dead. The number of patrons will be small, so you know your voice will carry a lot of weight. Want to try your hand at design? You'll have instant access to the brains of the designers and constructive feedback. Including myself, +Scott Gable, with over 5 years of RPG freelancing experience, +Ben McFarland has signed up, fresh off of the lead design role for Open Design's Streets of Zobeck patronage project and dozens of other projects.
Tentatively, the new class will follow the model of the oracle with at least 5 fully compatible mysteries and at least 40 new revelations, so you can either use these options as a sacred necromancer or as an oracle. You could play as an exorcist, protecting innocents from undead threats or coercing the undead to do your bidding. You could play an eater of the dead, gaining dark powers from ingesting the flesh of the fallen. You could play as a spirit detective, cajoling whispered secrets from the corners of the realms of the dead. You could even play as a revenant, risen from the dead and driven by terrible vengeance. Tight mechanics that are full of flavor. There will also be new spells, new feats, new items, and more.
All for just $4. All necromancy, all the time. Do it!
(And if you're not on Google+, yet, let me know and I can invite you.)
Already over 50% funded! Join us on the Mysteries of the Dead Side project. We bring death... and you can, too!
I spent an unhealthy portion of the day imagining how to enable PCs to build (literally) their own minions. Come, help me bring that idea to life.
Come, help me bring that idea to life.
We are in. Good luck getting your project funded.
Very cool and good luck with the project. I just don't have the time or money to join in though.
Baseline support is $4 which you don't pay for another two weeks-- heck, you'd pay about that for the final when it was up, so why not help make sure there's something to review? ;)
-Ben.
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Very cool and good luck with the project. I just don't have the time or money to join in though.Baseline support is $4 which you don't pay for another two weeks-- heck, you'd pay about that for the final when it was up, so why not help make sure there's something to review? ;)
-Ben.
Mostly cause there is a very real chance I will be dropping some paizo product lines in the very very near future and other cut backs if things in RL don't change. I know 4 bucks isn't much but right now things are getting trimmed. That and I really don't have the time to get involved as a patron.
No worries, DM! The PDF will be available after the the project is over to everyone (if it's funded). We are now at 63%!
Sorry to hear about the RL issues. (I hear the RL is going around lately! ;D) I understand completely.
Hope everything works out for you!
We're at 75% on the Mysteries of the Dead Side project. Come, join us in exploring all new realms of necromancy for the Pathfinder RPG!
Today brings funding for the mini-patronage project Mysteries of the Dead Side to 77%! That's awesome support, but we're not quite there, yet, and there's only 10 days left.
Are you playing or running a certain gothic adventure path now or soon? What could be better than more necromancy options? This is a small, tightly focused project introducing a new class of necromancer that you help design and playtest. And if you're only interested in the final product, never fear, the polished, playtested, beautifully illustrated PDF will be delivered to your inbox before you know it.
And for those fans of The Faerie Ring, you might care to know that Ren (Red Jack's daughter) will be statted up in this project as the iconic exorcist!
It's alive! Thanks to all the wonderful supporters, Mysteries of the Dead Side reached 100% funding!
But... there's still a week left until the project goes live! Any funds pledged above our goal will go directly to upping the page count--more player options and more illustrations.
Sure, you can buy the final product when it's released, but pledging now just means you could get that much more content for your buck. And in joining the project, you can participate in the design discussion!
Viva la dead!
Tossed you some dough. Looks like an interesting project!
Tossed you some dough. Looks like an interesting project!
Thanks, Patrick (and everyone else for their support)! The more funds pledged for Mysteries of the Dead Side, the bigger and better the final product!
Only 3 days left to get your dead on! Mysteries of the Dead Side is already funded, but it could be even bigger and better with your support. How can you hope to survive the looming zombie apocalypse without this firsthand knowledge of necromancy?
Come, explore the perilous and forbidden depths of death itself with us. Most won't return. It'll be fun!
Down to the last day of the funding drive for Mysteries of the Dead Side! What would Herbert West do?
Trying to get your cold, dead heart beating again? Or maybe someone else's? We have exactly what you need. Join now, and get first dibs on replacement body parts!
Only 8 more hours until funding ends for Mysteries of the Dead Side! What will you do when the zombies rise? WHAT?!?
Not to worry, we have the design power. We can show you how to build the only necromancer you could ever need for your Pathfinder RPG game. And you can lend your own insights to ensure that it's FREAKING AMAZING.
Become a patron for only $4, reserving your copy, expanding the pool of character options, and letting your own voice shape the results.
... just pray we're not already too late.