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Psychonaut is in its last days on Kickstarter! Do you want psychic powers? Do you want to add more psychedelic science fantasy to your game? Do you want new psionic classes and lineages and more? First issue comes with the archon class, eft lineage, crystalline monsters, and more! Just plug and play in any 5E campaign. Ends soon!
Was able to get a draft of the archon ready for viewing. This is very much a work in progress (not final rules or text or layout), and some elements need to be better balanced for sure, but it's complete enough for a preview. The archon is built on warlock-style casting but with limited spell options (that is, only two schools) in favor of psychic implements that can be up-powered using the character’s power points. One subclass is presented here, the psychopomp, and additional subclasses would appear in the final.
Just a quick update to let everyone know that add-ons have been added to the campaign. If you want Along the Twisting Way: The Faerie Ring Campaign Guide and/or Player's Guide (in either print or PDF, both at a small discount), you can add them to your pledge. (If you've already pledged and want them, you should still be able to go in and modify your order.) Note that the printed add-ons require that you be backing a tier that already has printed items.
By what is generally considered as little more than a remarkable coincidence, the thoughts of sentient creatures are able to be embedded within certain crystal matrices. (Also remarkable is that so few scholars seek to probe the ramifications of this, the why of it all: is this simply the realities of evolutionary theory in inorganic life forms, or is there a deeper mystery to be considered. Our task here though is to present the state of research in the field and not to descend into either religion or pseudoscience.) What follows is a brief summary of the realities of psicrystal evolution. The intricacies of embedding one's thoughts into a crystal are not to be minimized but are only discussed here in broad strokes. It is sufficient to understand that only certain crystalline lattices are suitable for holding the patterns of complex thought, especially when considering long-term storage. Thought corruption within the lattice is a nontrivial concern and many investigators have paid dearly for their lack of proper precautions. Of course, as with all things, magic makes the process quicker and safer. It should not be lost, however, that those earliest of psychic delvers made these remarkable discoveries without the aid of external magicks—sufficient time and intention is really all that is required. Truth, even some "baser" beasts have been shown to develop rudimentary psicrystal "companions," as it were, under the right circumstances. (See also Rutherford's fascinating observations of an octopus in his care and the "inseparable crystalline companion" with which it had developed a bond over their years of proximity.) What Is a Psicrystal Many a crystal matrix can be imprinted with a copy of some fragment of thought from another creature. This creates a recording of said thought (to be clear, this is a nonmobile object and capable of no action on its own) that gifted researchers can then access independently. An actual psicrystal is formed, however, only when a sufficient amount of thoughts are embedded within a given crystal to give it a semblance of life. (The threshold for sentience in psicrystals is a hotly debated topic, but the standard at present is that these psicrystals are little more than automatons and not to be considered sentient. It is still considered inappropriate by many to even consider the idea of an "inorganic life form," though that sentiment seems to be fading, and the designation is now seeing common usage.) At their simplest, such psicrystals mimic those patterns recorded within their matrix. You can see how this might cloud the issue of whether they are a unique life form or merely a constructed copy, an object that merely acts upon those processes written within its form. When imprinted with the more instinctual thoughts of beasts, the new entity is deemed a crysmal and will display "personalities" mimicking the model creature. Psicrystal familiars are more advanced specimens, imprinted with the more complex thoughts of intelligent creatures, and they can exhibit some truly fascinating abilities. They begin to raise the question of actual sentience in the life forms. A typical such psicrystal appears indistinguishable from a small sample of the type of crystal is was formed from. It can, however, quickly grow spiderlike, crystalline appendages to move around and manipulate objects, and it can display other remarkable abilities, such as levitation and electrical discharge. The entities grow by accumulating more imprinted thoughts, patterning additional and increasingly complex thoughts of other creatures within their matrices, causing their forms and abilities to become all the more varied and strange. It is in these stages that one can find aggregations (or colonial psicrystals) and corrupted forms (psicrystals whose patterning has become altered in such a way as to make them unpredictable and prone to lashing out), among other types. It is the crystlid that have put many notions of psicrystal evolution to the test though. Crystlids are a recent discovery as some psicrystals seem to have inarguably developed an intelligence all their own. (There are still many researchers that argue that a mere collection of processes, no matter how complex, when copied from another organism, cannot be considered intelligence. Crystlids will have to deal with much fear and hatred in their lifetimes.) (Issue one of Psychonaut will contain four to six statblocks detailing various psicrystal varieties, including some heavy hitters. The crystlid lineage player option will be detailed in issue two.)
The mystic mantle you take on as an archon is a role of cosmic importance—at least to you. It focuses your deep reservoir of psychic potential into a specific purpose. There was no “higher being” that anointed you to your role. You came about it on your own as you discovered your power and what it meant to you, and you followed your calling. That’s why no two archons are ever alike, all of us coming from such disparate backgrounds with no real teaching, only our own stubbornness and curiosity. There’re no guidelines, no rules laid down for our calling, for our mantle. You just do it. And hopefully learn from your mistakes. Oh sure, some have claimed it’s the multiverse itself calling out to those who possess the capacity, leading them, unbeknownst to themselves, toward their “life’s goal.” But that’s for the scholars and priests to argue about.
The archon is a new base class with which you can explore the multiverse. As an archon, you take on a particular role: maybe that’s as a psychopomp, ushering the confused dead to their final rest, or maybe as a ghost hound, investigating anomalous creatures and places, ensuring they don’t damage the fabric of the multiverse. There are many, many roles that you might find yourself in. To help you accomplish this, you wield magic, though this is limited compared to some other spellcasters (similar to a warlock). However, you also have a special affinity for psychic implements—mystical tools that are bound to you and that channel your innate psionic abilities. These are varied from one archon to another and often take the form of grimoires, tattoos, psicrystals, psychoactive skins, third eyes, even bound weapons with minds of their own. You’ll choose your favorites, the implements that prove most helpful to you, and together, you’ll find your way. This is how you’ll shine and chase your dreams. The archon base class is included in the first issue of Psychonaut along with several subclasses.
Calling all fans of psionics... Psychonaut: A Zine Devoted to Psionics for 5th Edition Games Psychonaut is a new serial zine from Zombie Sky Press, presenting psionic options for gamemasters and players alike who are looking for something a little different for their game. Everything is fully compatible with 5E. The first issue contains several fantastically psychical options:
Come join us!
Broken Eye Books is publishing the hilarious debut adventures of Clinton J. Boomer’s fan-favorite fantasy gaming party, Team Murderhobo: Assemble. What happens when the lovable barbarian, perpetually high druid, judgy paladin—absolutely no ninjas—and all the others are thrown together? The punchline to all the RPG jokes ever told... With Team Murderhobo, Clinton J. Boomer has created a series of short, comedic, in-character gaming scenes, composed of all the traditional stock characters of fantasy gaming, interacting with each other in a day-to-day, workplace-style comedy. Lots of gaming jokes and pop culture references thrown in. Rocks fall, everybody laughs. This lovable crew will steal your heart--and your coin purse, so stay wary. "These little slice-of-life comedic moments draw from shows like Archer and Brooklyn 99," says Boomer. "Larger-than-life characters in impossible, action-packed scenarios who still find the time and energy to b$!&# at each other about totally mundane crap—extreme personalities forced to work together, bouncing off one another and creating comedy in friction." New scenes with the characters are tweeted daily by Boomer (@boomer_kid). Read the collected adventures of the series in the forthcoming Team Murderhobo: Assemble under our Stink Eye imprint, with cover art by Jason Bradley Thompson (@mockman).
Wizard: “Ahh. That FIRST sip of coffee.”
Along the Twisting Way: The Faerie Ring Player's Guide (5E) PDF has been released! (Uploading now to Paizo.com.) Live the Faerie Tale
The fey are wild and unpredictable, filled to bursting with magic and secrets. Bring your dark mysteries and odd whimsy to life, exploring the storied lands of The Faerie Ring. We've taken the twelve key servitor fey from the Campaign Guide and made them playable with character traits and tons of new subclasses, backgrounds, equipment, weapons, and feats--everything you need to roll up a fey character for your game. And now you're one of us! Explore the darkness and worlds unknown as one of the fey. Toy with humanity or save its collective ass. Pull the strings in the Courts of Faerie and trade in secrets and memories. Or just explore the vast and wondrous unknown. Come. There is much to be told:
This book is all about the fey, adding new fey options to your 5th Edition game from some wonderful designers (Dan Dillon, Scott Gable, James J. Haeck, Chris Harris, Victoria Jaczko, Jeff Lee, Shawn Merwin, Carlos Ovalle, Kelly Pawlik, David N. Ross, Stephen Rowe, Christopher Sniezak, and more). This is a player's guide, giving you character options for building fun and memorable PCs (and NPCs). Nail down the furniture, and hide the children... the fey are coming. Get Along the Twisting Way: The Faerie Ring Player's Guide (5E) today and discover your whimsy! From the Introduction
We are here not to play in the realms we know but in the realms beyond, in the unknown, seeking wonder and strangeness in unplumbed proportion. These are the places free from judgement. (Except when they’re not.) And you have a mandate to explore and experiment. (Except when you don’t.) And everything is as it should be. (Except when it isn’t.) These are the lands of the fey: delightful and fabulous, complicated and exasperating. Oh, you’re in it now, my friend—delight is waiting for you behind every corner. You can’t escape the delight, so don’t even try. And you’re here to play! How grand. You’re already one of us, so you’re fabulous right from the start. A complex and intriguingly unique sigil scratched upon the fabric of the multiverse. (Along with everyone else here.) You’re already a part of the mystery, a supernatural being with pleasure and misery at your fingertips. Not to worry, for there is danger enough ahead for even the most wary. For sure, there is plenty of excitement in your future. And you’ll only get exactly as many chances as you need. So go find your joy, your mystery, your salvation. That’s all you’ll need. Find your whimsy. Zombie Sky Press is here to create the most delightfully weird games for your enjoyment!
Along the Twisting Way: The Faerie Ring Campaign Guide (Pathfinder) major PDF update. (It has been reformatted to match the print release.) The lands you know are but a speck in the multiverse. Mysteries are but a step away, and strange magics seep from the seams in reality. Faerie is watching you.
It's only a matter of time until you encounter these odd, mysterious, tricksy creatures, and you best be prepared. Their motivations can be inscrutable, their politics alien, and their magics wild, and make no mistake, they are not to be taken lightly.
This book is all about the fey, adding new fey options to your game that are fully compatible with Pathfinder 1E (also available for 5th Edition). This is a combination bestiary and worldbook, giving you tons of new fey creatures and NPCs and new locales and artifacts and more. (Hardcover editions available from zombiesky.com.)
A special Valentine's Day offer for Clinton J. Boomer fans! Order The Hole Behind Midnight or any of Clinton J. Boomer's books from brokeneyebooks.com by February 18 (could be The Hole Behind Midnight, paperback or hardcover, Royden Poole's Field Guide to the 25th Hour, or Tomorrow's Cthulhu), and he'll sign/personalize it and maybe even doodle in it for you. See link for additional details: https://www.brokeneyebooks.com/news/a-bit-of-boomer-for-valentines-day
Dangerous Game, a 3rd-Level Adventure by Stephen Rowe for The Faerie Ring. Our first adventure for The Faerie Ring is now available. A tribe of fir bolg believes they’ve found a possible cure for the Morrigan’s curse, which transforms pregnant fir bolg into hounds by the time they give birth. The women might call upon the power of the Wild Hunt to trade lives for lives fairly taken, or they may seek a loophole whispered by a mysterious oracle. The huntresses must stalk, with wit and weapon, mortals armed with the same. Should they triumph, the tribe believes they might master the pending transition. However, in so doing, they risk death with no child to show for the sacrifice. This theory remains untested until a group of wayward settlers wanders into their territory. Soon the hunt begins. Dangerous Game is a stand-alone adventure (with versions available for 5E and for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game) for 4–5 player characters of 3rd level. The PCs become the prey to sympathetic predators while powerful fey forces move in the background. Can they turn the tables on their pursuers, or are their lives forfeit to the Wild Hunt?
Our latest title, Queen of No Tomorrows by Matt Maxwell, is now available. Part supernatural horror, part crime noir, and set in eighties Los Angeles (and it might as well be a CoC scenario!). Librarian con artist Cait MacReady forges occult tomes, but her latest creation has caught the attention of something magical and terrible. Want to know more? LOS ANGELES, THE EIGHTIES Cait MacReady spends her days in the UCLA library, special collections, restoring old books and saving them from the ravages of time. By night, she works her real job, making copies of antique and occult texts. But don't call them forgeries. She only gives customers exactly what they want. When her ex-lover, now business partner, shows up on behalf of some customers who want a book that isn't written yet, Cait gets suspicious. When she discovers they're from the organization No Tomorrows, she gets scared. And when she finds out that their leader, the enigmatic figure called the Queen, wants a book that only Cait has, she begins to wonder what's real and what she's manufactured on her own. Cait's latest creation, the Smoking Codex, is a work of complete fiction and all her own, nothing but vodka-fueled occult nonsense and heartfelt desire. It's a fake—no history, no power. Or is it? This book takes on a life of its own, and the police get involved as people start to die. Now Cait must somehow manage to stop a thing that has already happened: the book’s secret god is already known. And its name has been spoken. FROM THE AUTHOR "Queen of No Tomorrows is the kind of book that I want to read," says Matt. "I wrote it simply because of that. Instead of placing things in the arcane and rarified (now all-too-familiar and safe) settings of the old and mannered, I wanted to bring cosmic horror and the uncanny out to the sunshine and neon of Los Angeles. Instead of simply revering a period or place, I wanted to poke at things, to see where the horror might show up in the everyday, even in the simple act of creation itself. "Besides, there just aren't enough stories that treat crime like magic, or vice versa."
There's a new horror book box in town! The boxes are from TwitterStone, and each will feature books from various publishers and also other goodies. The first of the mystery boxes is scheduled for Halloween and has books from the small presses Broken Eye Books and JournalStone. But there's only a few days left to order. The cutoff for ordering this box is Friday, October 19. (Our own book, from Broken Eye Books, is meant to be a surprise, but if you want to know, here's a link to spoil it!) There's a brief description of our included book below as a spoiler. I can't tell you what the other book is, but know that this is a horror-filled box of wonder. You can order single boxes or subscriptions through TwitterStone. Book Description: Richard Pett's Crooked is as if Clive Barker wrote Sherlock Holmes. It all takes place in a twisted and Gothic city called Brine with impossibly tall, crooked spires and a giant circular waterfall that powers everything. This is a world where they bring you back from the dead as slave labor, which is not okay with many of its inhabitants. So it's got zombies, it's got Lovecraftian monstrosities tying to break through the mirror into their world, and it's got a good old-fashioned serial killer back from the dead. At it's core, this is a murder mystery with a killer that Jared, former investigator for the church, must deal with again. This is a sprawling world of monsters and politics, of class struggle and revenge. It's terrifying.
Did you miss the Kickstarter? The anthology Welcome to Miskatonic University funded, and we're making a second anthology too, It Came from Miskatonic University. The BackerKit is now live to the public. You can pre-order the anthologies and several other books. Ia ia!
Brandon O'Brien's short story "Some Muses Are Not Gentle" is posted on the Eyedolon Magazine page. This is one of the stories included in (the almost forthcoming) Welcome to Miskatonic University, and it is now available to the public. https://www.patreon.com/posts/17646073
Yes! Great news for the Welcome to Miskatonic University Kickstarter! We now have EU-Friendly and AUS-Friendly options. The paperback and hardcover editions can ship from the UK or Australia respectively. There're five tiers specifically designed for our international friends.
The Kickstarter for Welcome to Miskatonic University has launched! These are modern tales from that most iconic of strange and magical New England institutions, Miskatonic University. In the third of our anthologies exploring a more modern Cthulhu Mythos, this time we're telling tales where it intersects with modern small town life and academics. This will create a minimum of one anthology, but there were so many great stories that there's a second anthology, It Came from Miskatonic University, right behind it to unlock. And additional goodies, like My Miskatonic, a guidebook to Arkham and the university. So many wonderful contributors, you're bound to already know some but also to find new favorites. You can even have your likeness turned into a portrait illustration by artist Yves Tourigny. Plus there're stickers, posters, buttons, squid hats, critiques, hand-bound special editions, and maybe even another open call. Authors in Welcome to Miskatonic University:
Authors in It Came from Miskatonic University:
And Michael Bukowski did the amazing cover illustration. (Authors are listed alphabetically. The final TOC is still to be determined.) As we move along in the campaign, I'll be interviewing our creative partners and showing off their work and unveiling new possible designs (whether for stickers or bookmarks or buttons or even new covers or maybe even hats!) and even explaining why I decided to split the stories into two anthologies. I'll also be giving a taste of what it's like building an anthology and show you a little of the behind-the-scenes work. If you've enjoyed one of our previous anthologies (or other books!) or are just curious about what's going on, I hope you'll go check out what we're building and even become a part of it. >>COME SEE our Kickstarter - Welcome to Miskatonic University from Broken Eye Books https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1557256029/welcome-to-miskatonic-unive rsity-an-anthology
Life requires growth, and growth requires change. From the maturation of a child into adulthood to the adaptation of a species through evolution, biological systems are always in flux, rebuilding and reimagining themselves. This flexibility is key to an organism’s ability to survive and thrive. Yet, sometimes, this adaptability goes too far. (Oleron and the teras designed by James Sutter and Amanda Hamon Kunz; art by Eric Belisle) "All around you, you can see tiny objects, like schools of fish, yet they are not fish, nor do you have any concept of fish, anyway. Little blobs, all different colors, swarming and swimming through the midnight sea. You watch as one of them surrounds and consumes another, growing larger. And so you try it yourself, stretching out a nameless part of you to gather in one of the blobs. You take it into yourself, make it part of you."
DESIGNER'S LOG (FAERIE DATE 09-18-2017) We recently officially released the Campaign Guide (Pathfinder), which many of you now already have as part of your Kickstarter rewards and pre-orders. We're waiting to finalize print files to allow some time for any last-minute changes while I work on the Player's Guide. We had some delays on the 5E version, but Jon Sawatsky is now on board to help us finish that. He's currently catching up on the source material and will be putting his finishing touches on the statblocks in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, I am actively editing and laying out the Player's Guide (Pathfinder). I believe all of the needed content is now there--except for me to update the kitsune starball stats. I expect to make heaps of progress on this book this week. More soon...!
Indeed. Bookmarks make it sooooo much easier to hop around as needed. Many thanks, Mr. Gable (and unnamed InDesign/Acrobat person). You're both very welcome. I had simply forgotten all about them in the rush. (And I am the "unnamed InDesign/Acrobat person.")
Let me see what I can... Just uploaded a bookmarked version of The Faerie Ring: Along the Twisting Way Campaign Guide! ;D
Let me see what I can... And just uploaded a bookmarked version of The Faerie Ring: Along the Twisting Way Campaign Guide! ;D
There's now an updated The Faerie Ring Prelude available for free. You can check out the foreword by Jeff Grubb and the introduction that sets the entire book into motion.
There's now an updated The Faerie Ring Prelude available for free. You can check out the foreword by Jeff Grubb and the introduction that sets the entire book into motion.
We're looking at our POD options and other shipping options and hope to be able to offer better shipping overseas. We should know by the time the print edition goes live.
Yes, there's a hardcover coming. And that's a current link you posted! (Just had a wrong date.) The hardcover will only be available through Zombie Sky Press.
Over 10 years ago, I started writing The Faerie Ring (RPG setting). It was just a thing I had to do. It scratched an itch of what I wanted in my own games, expanding on faeries, adding new oddities. That is, more crazy adventures to strange planes meeting weird creatures but still focused on the fey and built upon centuries of folklore (real or otherwise). But I knew so much less back then, and it took a long while to finish with many obstacles in the way. And it was dangerous to go it alone. So THANK YOU to all the many people that helped this book get here. The first book (for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game) is finished. The 5E version is coming soon as are more books. (Credits for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game version.) FOREWORD
LEAD DESIGNER
DESIGNERS
DEVELOPER
EDITOR
COVER ILLUSTRATOR
INTERIOR ILLUSTRATORS
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Special Thanks to Michael Bauer (for those early talks) and BJ Hensley (for promoting the Kickstarter) Tremendous Thanks to the support of our 315 Kickstarter backers for making this all possible. You’re wonderful.
Over 10 years ago, I started writing The Faerie Ring (RPG setting). It was just a thing I had to do. It scratched an itch of what I wanted in my own games, expanding on faeries, adding new oddities. That is, more crazy adventures to strange planes meeting weird creatures but still focused on the fey and built upon centuries of folklore (real or otherwise). But I knew so much less back then, and it took a long while to finish with many obstacles in the way. And it was dangerous to go it alone. So THANK YOU to all the many people that helped this book get here. The first book (for Pathfinder Roleplaying Game) is finished. The 5E version is coming soon as are more books, such as the Player's Gude. (Credits for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game version of the Campaign Guide.) FOREWORD
LEAD DESIGNER
DESIGNERS
DEVELOPER
EDITOR
COVER ILLUSTRATOR
INTERIOR ILLUSTRATORS
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Special Thanks to Michael Bauer (for those early talks) and BJ Hensley (for promoting the Kickstarter) Tremendous Thanks to the support of our 315 Kickstarter backers for making this all possible. You’re wonderful.
The Faerie Ring: Along the Twisting Way Campaign Guide for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game is now available in PDF. Nail down the furniture, and hide the children... the fey are coming! If you've always wanted a "Feynomicon," here's your chance. (Print and 5E versions and Player's Guide coming soon.)
Originally, I had no intention of responding to your query, let alone honoring your request. There is certainly little love between the fey—my brethren—and humanity. And, really, what would it accomplish? Needless to say, I’ve had a change of heart. I have come to appreciate that sharing my knowledge and insight with you might go far. Not in the useless notion that you harbor of bringing our peoples together, but in instilling the proper respect—and perhaps even a little fear—for us. Humanity knows so very little, after all. I believe they need a glimpse of what is out there in order to better appreciate their own insignificance. More selfishly, I am limited by the scourge of time—though perhaps not as much as you. The fey are so scattered and diverse that even being one of their own, I could not hope to catalogue them all in one lifetime. Together, perhaps we can learn a bit more about the fey. So where to begin? Perhaps by laying the foundations . . . —Zheddo the Bluetongue, Most Knowledgeable Sage-in-Exile of the Darkling Dominance
The 5th Edition and Pathfinder Campaign Guides for our setting THE FAERIE RING are coming along beautifully. We are beginning to finalize chapters, and we're sending pre-release copies to those who have pre-ordered. We're accepting new pre-orders through August 31: get your own previews and guarantee the low pre-order prices.
We've had three new titles release in just the last few short months. All ridiculously good, and all available here at the Paizo store. The authors are mighty, and many are those you know from Pathfinder fiction and other games. Ghost in the Cogs: Steam-Powered Ghost Stories is an anthology of supernatural steampunk tales from authors such as Siobhan Carroll, Folly Blaine & Randy Henderson, Howard Andrew Jones, Nayad Monroe, Nick Mamatas, James Lowder, and Cat Hellisen. Tomorrow's Cthulhu: Stories at the Dawn of Posthumanity is an anthology of near-future transhumanist sci-fi tales set in the Cthulhu Mythos from authors such as Desirina Boskovich, Lynda Rucker, Kaaron Warren, Damien Angelica Walters, Darrell Schweitzer, Cody Goodfellow, and Molly Tanzer. And Royden Poole's Field Guide to the 25th Hour is over-the-top game designer Clinton J. Boomer's return to the world of weird urban fantasy he created in The Hole Behind Midnight. It's a collection of short, foulmouthed, irreverent, darkly humorous tales featuring the over-the-top private investigator Royden Poole. Goes live April 1.
Wolfgang Day is finally here! Hide the dragon eggs in your mine somewhere, fill the kobold-shaped pinata with candy, booby-trap the front yard, and burn down the village!
We've been getting everything in order for the coming fey invasion. (Check out our latest blog post, complete with a new illustration!) The first adventure from Stephen Rowe is in layout, as are the first chapters of the Campaign Guide. As for samples, the Pathfinder kitsune and twilight children are still linked at the Kickstarter page (along with the 5E version of the darklings.) And TriOmegaZero, there will be the pixie-like goodfellows as a player race. Those player options are being developed right now as part of Mab's chapter. We'll have much more to show in the coming weeks.
Indiegogo InDemand picked us up! With InDemand, we can continue where we successfully left off our previous campaign. You can still pledge, and the stretch goals will keep coming for new and old backers alike. Missed us the first go around? The campaign continues. Bring the fey into your game wit the The Faerie Ring. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-faerie-ring-for-pathfinder-rpg-and-5 e
Been crazy here at ZSP! Clawing my way back through all the long weekends and emails and colds and fey shenanigans. To answer the outstanding questions I see... 1) This is intended to be open ended. So we certainly hope to have future expansions. 2) We just set up our online store, and you can now pre-order most of the options from the Kickstarter: https://www.zombiesky.com/store/c2/The_Faerie_Ring.html All the same prices. Hope that helps! Let me know if you don't see what you're looking for.
Wheee! The fey are on their way. And though there was a last minute drop below the second stretch goal, I plan on honoring it. There will be two additional chapters--and one by James Sutter.
There's 2 hours left and those stretch goals are very close. Won't you join us?
We did it! We made our goal. How exciting! This is going to be a fabulously fun-filled year of fey. We are hard at work assigning adventure writers and getting things up to full steam.
This time, we wanted to show off some of our newest content with some darklings (a new player race): The Darklings. (This one has 5E mechanics, but the flavor will be the same as for Pathfinder.) Kindred to the shadow and tormented by their ancestors, darklings are strong-willed fey that call the Plane of Shadow home. They live in constant fear of their dark heritage, never knowing when their darkling curse will consume them, turning them into terrible beasts. This draft is very much a work-in-progress, but we wanted to give an idea of where we're going with our 5E development. There will be more class variants and backgrounds and magic and other options for players. Along with, of course the shadowy monsters--like the grue!--and details on the city of Zussael for GMs. And there's a new darkling illustration, also still in progress, in the latest update. I'm as excited to see this new material come in as you are! ;D JUST ONE DAY LEFT TO JOIN IN!
... Play as a fir bolg, bitterclaw, darkling, goodfellow, wyrd, putti, twilight child, black hat, kitsune, matabiri... maybe a sidhe. Bring some plane-hopping fey adventure to your game: Kickstarter for The Faerie Ring Yeah! The black hats are actually corruptions of the far darrig (which I wrote back in Kobold Quarterly). The latter are gnome-like tricksters that wield illusion from their hats. The black hats,though, have gone down the path of necromancy and death, and pull nastier things from their hats. In our setting, they both fall under the gnomekin subtype (which we would also include redcaps in). So yes, they will have some similarities to redcaps, though less of the bloody violence and more of the steal (and sell!) your soul violence. We'll be updating the far darrig and creating the black hats new. Both are player races. And there will be other gnomekin.
Just updated the twilight child sample with some racial stats and feats for Pathfinder: The Twilight Children. Twilight children are the lost and stolen and half-breed children known to many as changelings. Or the Fair Folk. Given their mixed heritage, they have a variety of options that will be further developed in The Faerie Ring, including taking on aspects of their lords (like Manitou).
We've just added 12 fey adventures for 2016. Want a steady supply of shenanigans for gaming? Come to the Fey Side! Check out our fey setting The Faerie Ring. We've got 6 days left to fund.
New sample pages ready! Here's part of the Manitou chapter, which also includes the twilight children (or changelings) as a playable race. A sample archetype is included for these elusive fey.
A Jeff Grubb chapter added to the stretch goals! And another preview is up at ENworld. Over half way there. More soon!
Been busy getting another PDF sample together. It's a bit of the Manitou chapter along with the twilight children (a player race and one of his servitor races) along with an archetype just for them. I'll let you know soon where and when you can check that out. And some wonderful stretch-goal news... James Sutter, Architect of Paizo's First World(!) and a Super-Fine Storyteller, will write one of the new fey lord chapters. AND... Robert Schwalb, Creator of Shadow of the Demon Lord and a World-Class Devourer of Souls, will write one of the new fey lord chapters. You can help make this happen.
Do you think you will make it? I'm optimistic we can do it! The talent is top notch, and there'll be over 300 gorgeous, full-color pages. :) We're seeing new backers every day. And we just announced the Magic Guide in the latest update. This is a third book for backers and details the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, ritual magic, and more distinctly fey magical options.
The Faerie Ring is moving along wonderfully toward being funded! Today, we'll post about fey magic and stretch goals.
We also have monsters! In addition to the lords and player races, we have the... silent ones
...and more! Plus, several unique monsters, like...
Now with 100% more Boomer, I hear. Absolutely! Boomer is joining our troupe of merry fey designers. He's working on some fun player options now.
Just posted another Kickstarter update for The Faerie Ring. Including the text here for your reading pleasure: One of the key aspects of The Faerie Ring, we built new whim-fueled locations filled with secrets and violence, intrigue and adventure. These tend to take three forms: the preternatural planes, the demesnes of the fey lords, and fey cities and other sites of power. THE PRETERNATURAL PLANES These are the Realms of the Fey. A new type of plane that's easy to slot into your campaign as a faerie otherworld. (The "Sample of The Faerie Ring" PDF linked in Update #3 goes into greater detail.) The Preternatural Planes—countless in number and constantly changing—are inextricably linked to the Material Plane, existing on its very edges and orbiting like moons. Sheathing the Material Plane, they dance around it in complex patterns, each plane’s cycle as unique as the plane itself. At one extreme is the Astral Plane, stubborn and still, content to fill its given role and never budge its course. Others go so far as to periodically overlap and coexist with the Material Plane. And just as the analogous moons, the planes are constantly waxing and waning in relation to the Material Plane, advancing and receding in their influence. They are entangled so closely with the Material Plane that they often behave as a single, highly complex plane. Perhaps, the Preternatural Planes are simply layers in a vaster Material Plane within which what we now call the Material Plane is but the dominant layer—for now, anyway. For the most part, these realms are reasonably similar to the Material Plane, sharing many qualities but for a significant emphasis on some force or characteristic. The Plane of Shadow, for instance, resembles a Material Plane engulfed and twisted by shadow. Planar traits can vary widely, of course, and some Preternatural Planes are so bizarrely idiosyncratic that they seem baffling and unsettling to those from more “normal” realms. Scholars busily try to make sense of it all, of course, using science and magic to seek patterns to the mysteries, plotting the vastness of unlimited realities on complex maps and in intricate orreries that seek to mirror reality itself. Some secrets, however, may not be coaxed away from the selfish planes so easily, and it can be perilous to pry. Here are merely a handful of the Preternatural Planes: Aralu (or the Gaol of Always): The endless subterranean labyrinths of Aralu serve as a terrible, secret prison for the fey. No one admits to knowing its origins although, of course, one hears rumors. I’m told the chambered caverns seem to extend to forever, no one knowing just how far or the number of prisoners held within. Many of the inhabitants are artifacts of forgotten ages. What secrets must they must hold. Dream (or Dreamtime, the Dreamlands, the Plane of Dreams): A meandering but pervasive realm of dreams and nightmares, this plane connects all those entities with the capacity for dream. A constantly changing realm, whose natives flit along, following the currents of dream. Nibiru: The Hidden Crossing, the Lost Alleyways, Nibiru is the unseen framework of the multiverse. The behind-the-scenes byways that connect one plane to another. If you know how to get here, there's nowhere you can't go. Finding your way back is another story entirely. Nowhere (or Plane of the Lost): Where do lost things go? Nowhere. All of the things ever lost can be found in Nowhere. And once things find their way to Nowhere, they typically stay. This junkyard realm is not an easy place to leave, for Mahu is the door, and he jealously guards what he considers his—which includes anything and everything within Nowhere. It is not just objects, though; creatures are caught within its borders as well, giving rise to odd ecologies as creatures of random races are forced to make do within the vast fields of junk. Sea of Rahab: As if entrapping the darkest and most terrible depths of the sea, the Sea of Rahab is a watery nightmare created during the fall and rebirth of the Chaosbringer, Rahab. Forever, she occupies her throne within, choreographing the chaos. Of late, her twisted children stir more than usual and are beginning to cast their gaze beyond the borders to which they had grown accustomed. CITIES AND SITES OF POWER Within those planes are the fey cities and centers of power. This is where gather the masses for courtly feasts, launching raids on the humans, buying and selling of things that would make a golem blush, gathering of shadowy cabals, and more. Here are merely a handful of important fey centers: The Embassy: Nestled in the crossroads realm of the Eternal Twilight, the Embassy is the center of the faerie world. It serves as neutral ground where the various courts (both Seelie and Unseelie) meet, whether in grievance or revelry, in accord with ancient treaties. Those lands peripheral to the Embassy are claimed by various of the more powerful fey lords and are anything but neutral ground, being typically strongly contested. The Goblin Market: This massive, city-sized market is never in the same place twice with its dizzying array of exotic goods and its cutthroat mercantile ecosystem. It is a sea of fey and non-fey, all looking for that special something: a memory, an exotic slave, a forgotten dinner set, a lost god in a bottle, the way out. Kalapa (in Shambhala): The submerged city of the matabiri is not really as the legends would have it. The tales of Shambhala as the land of the peaceful and pure were lies to draw in more test subjects. It is really a den of nightmares from which few escape. Perdition: A vast necropolis, Perdition rests in Purgatory—a soul trap for the dead and a very unpleasant place. Here, the resident lost souls are lorded over by mysterious fey, the so-called angels of death. Are they jailers—or are they prisoners, too? All the plane’s inhabitants cling to mythical claims of a path out of Perdition but continue in their unending unlife as its citizens. Tír na nÓg (in Mag Mell): The Morrigan's own twisting demesne city. It is the Escher-like home of her minions the sidhe. Her rule here is absolute, and you are always in terrible danger should you find yourself within its walls. Xibalba: Mysterious walled city at the end of all time and creation. None have breached its walls to find more. Zussael: The great city-state of the Darkling Dominance. Impossibly tall spires, swaying to the seeming breaking point, oddly angled alleyways, and a shifting layout, the shadowy darklings call this city home and headquarters. DEMESNES Fey sovereigns possess a connection with their demesnes from birth. These demiplanes are an extension of themselves: sovereigns are either born in the demesne’s tender grasp or immediately hear its call and seek it out. Their demesne is specifically linked to them. It is theirs. Its traits and landscape are completely controlled and alterable by the sovereign, slowly molding and remolding in tune to each sovereign’s subconscious over the course of a lifetime or rapidly shifting in response to conscious manipulation. Sovereigns can travel back and forth from their demesnes at will and, seemingly, even draw power from them when needed. Each demesne can exist either as a pocket dimension (a demiplane with attributes according solely to its sovereign’s whim) or superimposed over part of another plane, again at the sovereign’s whim. For most sovereigns, this latter method is typically only possible with the Material and Preternatural Planes serving as host planes although certain lords have been known to travel the multiverse, latching on to whatever plane is available. When superimposed, the host plane is pushed from the demesne’s insertion point to its periphery, possibly creating an incongruous seam. Kept too long like this, the demesne risks becoming a permanent addition to the host plane: Manitou’s abdicated lands, for instance, have long since “taken root.” Mogwoi sovereigns are alone in possessing no true demesnes. However, they can form permanent links with portions of the Material Plane; such a territory acts as a surrogate demesne and, indeed, is typically called their demesne. These mogwoi territories are typically remote and dangerous. Though not as malleable as the true demesnes of other sovereigns, they still respond and lend their power to their mogwoi lords in a limited capacity. Should a sovereign be permanently destroyed, his or her demesne collapses if a demiplane. However, those demesnes that have bonded to another plane—and, of course, mogwoi territories—remain but become twisted and warped. Here are merely a handful of demesnes: Heartwood: Korapira’s demesne, the Heartwood lies as the hub of the Green Expanse, connecting all the old, dark forests of the multiverse. Its shifting boundaries suffuse with other forests and make possible passage even between planes. Of course, without knowing the paths of power, it’s almost impossible not to get lost, which can prove disastrous. Korapira's living and growing Palace of Leaves, breathtakingly composed entirely from the surrounding forest, and the vast Gardens of Sheol, exquisite flowers and elaborate landscapes where Korapira's perverse experiments take place, take up its majority. Scáthbaile: Queen Mab's demesne of Scáthbaile is a land of dreams and darkness, though this makes it sounds stranger than it is. The trees tower hundreds of feet high. The moon glides above the forest, fully thrice the size it appears in the familiar skies of mortal lands. Within the pale white halls of the queen's Shell Palace are hundreds of star sprites, who provide most of the illumination. Indeed, those sprites who have displeased her are often chained into Queen Mab's chandelier for days or even weeks. Strangle Grove: Red jack's adopted demesne, Strangle Grove appears to have developed a spark of sentience. It has much more control over itself than other demesnes do. It is capable of morphing its features at an alarming rate and has developed quite the imagination over the years in shaping itself. Very much the predator, it devours those hapless souls that find themselves within its borders. It is allowed to pretty much do as it pleases as long as its actions support Red Jack’s goals.
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