250K!! All 250+ Spells will be released for CC, and new goals unlocked!
almost 2 years ago
– Thu, Feb 16, 2023 at 10:20:29 AM
Hey Folks-
Creative Commons Spells
We've smashed right on past 250k, and that means that all 250+ spells in the book will be released under creative commons for anyone to use for anything (CC-BY, meaning that will be free for any use, including commercial, with no real restrictions - load them into VTTs, Character Builders, your own books, video games, homebrew, it's all fair game, no permission needed). I will release those closer to the PDF launch once the spell list is finalized.
New Stretch Goals
With that we've unlocked two brand new stretch goals:
- 275K: Awakened Undead! Folks have been asking if I could include any new player races, and it looks like we might get our chance. Awakened Undead are a rather... unique option, being a fully modular race I made back several years ago. Originally I hadn't planned to include it, but some folks pointed out it's a good fit for the "Legend and Legacy" theme, so if we reach this tier, it the book it goes! For those that have never seen it, here's the older version that'll be revised into new content for the book!
- 300K: Bestiary+! Last time I included NPC/Monster Block versions of the classes, and with this goal they'll be included once more here! Along with those, I'll throw in a smattering of unique monsters - the ones from the last book have proved quite popular additions to many a DM's arsenal! All with yet more cool art!
If we manage to smash past those, well, I'll just have to dig up more. It's been a strange mid-campaign second wind as we've broken 10K twice in two days again out of the blue. This is all thanks to good folks getting the word out, and I'm always happy each time we hit a goal and I can justify shoveling yet more content into the book!
This is just a quick update I wanted to get out as we hit the 250K a little faster then expected and didn't want to leave folks hanging on the new goals.
Kickstarter Shout Out
To give a quick Kickstarter shout out as I like to include... Isometric content Add-Ons for MapForge! This one is a little bit further afield than I'd normally include, but someone asked me to give it a shout and it's a small Kickstarter on the edge of funding that's ending soon so... If you use the MapForge map making software and are looking for what certainly seems to be a very sweeping asset pack of isometric assets, go check out this Kickstarter! I imagine that's a bit of a niche overlap with this KS, but it happens to be you... they are just a few hundred short of funding their asset pack and ending soon!
Wrap Up
Once more, thank you all for the massive support. If you've reached out to me for something that needed my attention and haven't heard back, please give me another poke or drop by the Discord where it's easier to get ahold of me. My inbox has long since exceeded my organization skills, but I'm doing my best to get back to everyone in a somewhat timely manner, occasionally things fall through the cracks though.
We'll see how long it is before I'm writing another one of these when we've chewed through yet another stretch goal!
All the best,
-Kibbles
230K! Voter's Choice Round 2 Complete! Battle System Expansion in sight!
almost 2 years ago
– Tue, Feb 14, 2023 at 06:32:11 PM
Hey Folks-
The Kickstarter keeps chugging right along! We've now unlocked the full round 2 of voter's choices options, and are closing in on the next stretch goals.
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At 240K I will add Deck 3 to the Battle to the System. This contains more special cards for Heroes, Villains, and Events that can more dramatically turn the tides; a collection of unique cards that shake up battles and give them pivotal moments
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At 250K I will release all 250+ spells into the Creative Commons under the CC-BY license for anything to use for anything. For those that want a sample of what this means, I've actually gone ahead (as I said I would) and released my Generic Elemental Spells under the CC-BY-4.0 license this morning, rendering them completely for anyone to use for anything.
As it is starting to look like you fine blokes might be testing to see if I'll run out of stretch goals this time around, I can assure you I've got more coming. We'll take this Kickstarter to wherever it can go!
Voter's Choice Wildcards? More CC content? New class based NPCs? A stretch goal I'd considered including and forgot to? More spells? Just plan more stuff?! We'll see where things go! A quick glance at the Voter's Choice idea submissions shows that you blokes certainly think there is no end to what the book could have!
I will warn they will have to stretch out slightly; probably no more 10k steps. We are getting to the point where while I'm thrilled to add more stuff, I do have to be mindful that I have to actually make it, and don't want to impact schedules too much... but I love to squeeze as much as possible into each book, and this is going to be a hefty tome of a book to squeeze stuff into.
Nord Games Kickstarter - Oracle Character Generator
Hey folks, as you know I like to include Kickstarter shout outs when I can (have a bit of a queue to catch up on at the moment!), but let's start with a great one to recommend today: The Oracle Character Generator for Fantasy RPGs by Nord Games. Nord Games were a huge help with getting me set up for the last Kickstarter, and are great blokes I wish the best to.
Their new Kickstarter is TTRPG agnostic, but an interesting tool that can be used with 5e, the book and cards they have look amazing with all kinds of great art. They are making a continuation of their Oracle Story Generator (which you can also snag as part of the Kickstarter!) with a new tool for whipping up characters with a casual over-a-billion-unique combinations of their generator!
Their Kickstarter is in its final week, so if this sounds interesting, head over to check it out soon!
Have a good one folks, and thanks for all the support! You folks are what make this Kickstarter possible, and you've made far more than possible - you've made it a smashing success (and it's my expectations I was thrilled to have smashed there!)
All the best,
-Kibbles
200k! The Battle System UNLOCKED! New Tier/Add Ons and into Voter's Choice Megapack 2!
almost 2 years ago
– Sat, Feb 11, 2023 at 02:57:11 PM
Well, we've done it folks - we reached what was the original maximum ambition of the book and unlocked the Battle System.
Before anything else, let me clarify that the Battle System will be included in the Compendium PDF and Compendium Hardcover - all these add ons are just more convenient ways to play or useful tools.
Battle System Add Ons
We that we've unlocked 3 new add ons:
- Battle System Reference Manual - $15
- Battle System Elite Deck & Battle System Skirmish Deck (These will be bundled together) - $20
I've also included a new Bundle:
- Battle System Bundle (Add On) - $35
And a whole new tier which automatically includes that Bundle for folks that just want to grab it all:
- Battle Legend (Bundle) - $135
You might notice that right now bundles aren't discounted right now so here's my deal: if we reach the next Battle System goal ($240K), the battle systems bundles (the new Bundle and new Tier) will both get the Deck 3 included for free! So you can grab those now and invest in the future, as we are barreling straight for 240k! Practically speaking, I just wanted to have bundles folks could grab to get everything now so they don't have to keep checking, as well as help boost it to that goal. Hopefully that makes sense, but let me know if you have any questions.
Battle System VTTs
So here's the deal folks - I would very much like to have the Battle System in some way implemented in VTTs, but there are severe limitations to what I can promise there - the implementations of each system is different, and ultimately there's not much I can guarantee here yet. I will see what I can do, and at least in FoundryVTT where I am more in charge of the module I will do my best for it to have something (and including hiring a bloke if that makes sense). For the other VTTs I cannot promise anything, though I will offer the developers there a bonus if they think they can implement something (if there is any card based integration, at least, etc).
I just want to be transparent here that this will thoroughly be in "best effort" territory rather than "you should expect this" territory. Fortunately, VTTs don't have to hold anything up, so that can be sorted out as stage two implementations.
Battle System Alpha
I am going to try very hard to get you folks a Battle System Alpha release before the end of the KS so you have a better idea of what it is and if you want you want it. It's a system I think is very cool and useful, but I'll need to polish it into a more presentable for for Alpha 2 - I think I can do that before the end of the KS, but I do seem to have a large pile of stuff to do somehow :)
I am pretty sure some update for it will drop my Discord this week, so if you want to join that and take the Draft Notification role, you'll be alerted to that. You may want to anyway as I think I'll have the next update for Blood Magic up there by Monday...
Voter's Choice Megapack Two
But just like that we are back into Voter's Choice Megapack land! Each measly 10k we slam through will unlock yet another subclass for Spellblade, Warden, and Warlord, all of which you beautiful folks will get to vote on each one!
Remember that you can SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS here and there's now a new question for your SPELL THEME ideas! Gravity Spells? Time Spells? Aura Spells? Movement Spells? Druid Spells? Occult Curses? Planar Spells? Summoning Spells? Transformation Spells?! Submit your idea for a grouping of new spells!
On the Horizon
Well folks, that's a lot. I can tell you that I'm already hard at work hammering this stuff out. I don't know where we will end up, but we've already unlocked some much cool shit I have plenty to do!
I will be sharing it on my Discord as I go, so if you simply cannot wait, head over there and grab the Draft Notification role.
If we make to 250k, all 250+ spells will be added to the CC-BY-4.0 license for anyone to use for anything, and if we get beyond that, well, I have' got some more ideas (though content will slow down slightly as I do have to, you know, make the book - still a few new items I can think of, and perhaps more CC goals).
All the best, and thank you all so much for getting us here!
-Kibbles
195k: Doggos Unleashed! The ultimate stretch goal in sight!
almost 2 years ago
– Fri, Feb 10, 2023 at 10:29:43 AM
Hey Folks!
We've smashed through yet another stretch goal, and unleashed 3 new sidekick classes for your game, led by the ultimate sidekick and every PC's best friend: the Doggo!
For those who have never seen the original April Fool's version of the class I made, you can get a preview of what to expect (link to the Instagram post). Now it'll get an improved balance pass, custom art, and be - for some inexplicable reason - printed in an actual book!
The Battle System
That means up next we have the Battle System as our next stretch goal. This is an interesting one, as this was originally the idea for this book - it was going to be the Battle System + Two of my Classes. When the OGL crisis rolled around, I adapted to moving everything into the OGL as fast as possible instead, and decided to go all in with 4 classes, and dropped the Battle System as I felt I could do it outside the OGL if necessary. But the world of D&D 5e is a different world than it was a month ago when I was making these plans, and the future of 5e is safely secured under the Creative Commons and I have the funding with this book to tackle something ambitious, and that means we go for the best of both worlds - all four classes, tons of content, and the Battle System, in a massive book that'll crack 300 pages of cover to cover new 5e content.
From the KS description, the Battle System is "a special "card-based deckbuilding system that layers on top of a typical 5e fight"; in fact, I played in a game just this week that used it for a massive battle that tested the very limits of the system. It provides a line between full war gaming and full abstraction but turning a massive battle into something that your players can easily grasp and direct, having a realistic but heroic personal impact on the battle, while engaging it with the tactical level with cards that are fun to play impacting both the skirmish the players are taking part in and the overall battle.
The full system will be included in the book for everyone, and three new add-on products will be included: The Battle System Reference Guide, the Skirmish Card Deck, and the Elite Card Deck (with more possible beyond that). These will not be added to existing tiers (besides Legacy), because I cannot budget in things that might not exist.
I always felt this system would be a great option for something like KS where more funding is available because it's a system that goes from "fun but a fair bit of work" to "fun and extremely easy" with premade cards that you can simply grab and go. The system can be the culmination of an epic campaign, getting awarded special cards for recruiting allies or completing objects that help swing the tide of battle, or a quick unexpected fight using a grab bag of standard cards.
If we crack this ultimate stretch goal, I look forward to sharing much more about the system as we get through polish and finalization.
This stretch goal will be a fair bit of work, but it's work I'm happy to do as I think it's a great system many folks will enjoy.
And just because it's an ultimate stretch goal doesn't mean things will have to end there - we have stretch goals lined up to 250k where I bring all the spells in the book to the CC-BY-4.0 license.
...and if those still aren't enough, well, I've seen some requests for this or that I think I could swing for a few more stretch goals.
Now, as I like to do in this updates...
This update I have a new Kickstarter for Gelatinous Cubicles; they are just getting started and asked if I could help them get the word out, which I was more than happy to do.
They are launching their own tome of character options with a 28 page preview available on their Kickstarter to see what you'd be getting yourself into - it's got spells, subclasses, magic items, and more!
They've got tons of great art, so if any of that sounds interesting, go check them out here!
As always, this isn't a paid promotion, just me being happy to share out other 5e Kickstarters that look cool; many good folks help me get the word out for my Kickstarters, so I do what I can to help folks get the word out for theirs.
All the best,
-Kibbles
180k! Week 1 is in the bag, and everyday has been amazing! More stretch goals unlocked!
almost 2 years ago
– Wed, Feb 08, 2023 at 09:58:25 PM
Hey Folks-
We are through week one and have powered through two more stretch goals:
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$160K: Better Ancestry Feats. No longer shall certain elves and their certain accuracy be the only ancestry feat you see folks taking. Expanded feats for all sorts of blokes, written in an SRD friendly way... but that's sort of an added bonus because what fits you can between you and your DM. Feats for the stout and strong, feats for the scaled and clawed, feats for divine and infernal, customize your character in all new ways!
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$180K: Even MORE Spells. The spells that make up the compendium come from collections, and this will add a new collection. They can be themed around a class, concept, or similar, and you'll decide what that is - Gravity Spells? Time Spells? Aura Spells? Movement Spells? Druid Spells? Occult Curses? Planar Spells? Summoning Spells? Transformation Spells?! Did you just read that list and think "yes"?! The choices are endless and the power is your hands!
...and now we have Doggos in sight, I repeat, doggos in sight! I apologize to folks here not for the silly, but I assure the Doggo Sidekick Class will be designed with the same standards as the rest of the content, and comes with two more sidekick classes to boot :)
With that stretch goal we are looking at surpassing Kickstarter 1... with a serious chance we might do it before the halfway mark! I cannot thank folks enough for support and being the ones to get the word out. I don't have a giant social media following, so I'm always dependent on good folks getting the word, and good folks have abounded on that front.
Speaking of getting the word out, it's been a little while since I shared a Kickstarter, so without further ado...
JVC Parry has launched a new Kickstarter and asked me to share the word which I am more than happy to do - they are trusted creator that's produced several great adventures - many of which you can grab in this Kickstarter, and the art for their new KS looks simply incredible - I mean, check it out:
If you are in the market for a Tier 2 adventure for 5e, I'd recommend checking it out here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jvcparry/escape-from-undergarden-rpg-adventure-for-5e?ref=377bow
Onward to Doggo Sidekicks!
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. I do my best to get back to everyone, but if you've reached out and not heard back don't hesitate to give me a poke - I'm just a bloke and Kickstarters a busy time. As always, the best way to get ahold of me is my Discord server, where even if I don't help out there's usually quite a few knowledge blokes around.
All the best,
-Kibbles
