A 5th Edition Stone Age adventure. Level 1-20 campaign, setting, and player options. Play D&D in a dangerous prehistoric world!
Please see our FAQ for important information regarding shipping and taxes/VAT:
FAQ on Shipping and Taxes/VAT
Latest Updates from Our Project:
The Creator's Compendium
about 2 years ago
– Thu, Mar 28, 2024 at 04:47:53 AM
A Project We Love - Ending Soon!
I wanted to send out an update this morning to highlight The Creator's Compendium. I've had a chance to see a preview copy and talk with Chris Spradlin, the designer, and think this is a really amazing project that could also use your support.
Chris is an astrophysicist and storyteller, and so The Creator's Compendium unravels the Universe in a humorous and easy-to-understand way, providing everything you need to create exciting, authentic, and scientifically-accurate worlds (and destroy them!).
If you are interested in bringing science into your games (and since you are checking out Born from Ice, that seems like a good bet!), this is a great system-agnostic resource on creating realistic worlds, all based on the science we know of our universe. I think it is an amazing time to be gaming when two science based RPG books can both be successfully crowdfunding at the same time.
Let's Talk Monsters!
about 2 years ago
– Wed, Mar 27, 2024 at 11:32:49 AM
A Look at the Born from Ice Bestiary
Today, we're talking about the creatures and people that inhabit Born from Ice, which will be included in the Bestiary section of the Core Book.
First, if you want to see some early glimpses, you can find some examples of creatures in our Playtest Adventure. While not all of the mechanics we are looking at are included within that PDF, it does give a taste of what you can expect for some of the monsters and NPCs.
More than Monsters: NPCs
Speaking of NPCs, our bestiary isn't just about creatures. It's also about the people who make up the tribes and clans of this ancient world. To help bring your stories to life, we'll be including NPC stat blocks for various Homo sapiensand other Homo species (such as the Neanderthals). These could include entries such as warriors, clan members, scouts, children, and elders.
Megafauna: Giants of the Ancient World
Let's talk about megafauna. These are the large or giant animals that lived during the Pleistocene epoch. Think of mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and giant sloths—real beasts that spark imagination and inspire both awe and fear. A major focus of our Bestiary is on including unique versions of these creatures.
A Glimpse Into the Work
Just a few of the lines from our creature spreadsheet (work in progress)
Our dedication to bringing this prehistoric world to life has led us to compile a massive spreadsheet of 357 line items. This working document includes creature types along with their locations by continent and habitat—caves, coastal areas, mountains, and more. Not listed yet on the spreadsheet, but soon to be added, are historical timelines, providing context on when these creatures thrived and their journey through the ages.
Not all of these items will make it into the final book. Many of the line items are for similar creature types. We plan on the final list containing around 60-70 creatures, and are currently exploring the best ways to get there.
For example, can one mammoth stat block represent all mammoths, with optional sidebar features that allow customization? Or do we need 2-3 representative mammoths to cover the variety that existed?
Additionally, there is a large variety in a number of more mundane animals as well, and so figuring out how best to cover the worldwide variety is a challenge. How many types of snakes do we need to represent, or types of birds?
We also want there to be challenges for all tiers of play, so the Bestiary will include variations based on targeted CR for creatures that make sense to have this level of variety.
Our aim is to preserve the depth and authenticity of the setting, while keeping the number of creatures to a manageable range, and to provide the most interesting-to-play creature stat blocks possible.
Keeping Combat Interesting
To ensure combat in Born from Ice remains dynamic and engaging, we're including several features:
The Bloodied condition, which triggers unique effects when a creature is reduced to half its hit points, adding a tactical layer to encounters. For especially powerful creatures, this essentially turns a battle into a Phase 1 and Phase 2 encounter, where new abilities or threats can swing the tide against the players.
Lair actions, allowing creatures to use their environment to unleash devastating effects.
Not directly in the Bestiary, but within the Core Book there will be a section on Environmental Actions, enabling players to gain unique abilities outside of their standard character build within specific situations or environments. This can add new and dynamic elements to a battle.
Your Voice Matters
As we continue to refine and expand our bestiary, we want to hear from you. What creatures or features are you most excited to see in Born from Ice? Are there aspects of prehistoric life or combat that you feel we should explore further? Your feedback is crucial in shaping this world to be as engaging and authentic as possible.
This is a one shot for players and DMs who want getting from A to B to be an exciting part of the story of your D&D campaign. A great one shot to insert into your campaign or play on its own. Circle the wagons and see if you can survive a monstrous warband, or the highwaymen that haunt the highway. Can you protect or plunder the family jewels – with pages of new magical items? Plus, a handful of battlemaps – day, night, grassland, desert and snow. Not bad for just 1GP. That's half the price of a dagger in 5e. Bargain! Now pay up before I slit your throat and steal everything you have.
We've Reached Our Goal: A Mammoth Thank You to All Our Backers! 🦣
about 2 years ago
– Sat, Mar 23, 2024 at 09:30:25 AM
We Did It! Born from Ice is Funded!
Dear Amazing Backers,
We've hit our funding goal! Thanks to the support of 531 backers, we've met our goal of $40,000. I'm thrilled to announce that Born from Ice will become a reality, and it's all thanks to you.
I am so grateful for your belief in this project. Seeing so many people come together to support my vision for a prehistoric RPG has been incredible. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping bring this dream to life.
Virtual Tabletop Pack Unlocked
With this goal reached, the VTT (Virtual Tabletop) pack of digital assets (including maps, tokens, and handouts) will now be available to everyone who has pledged for a reward that includes digital items. This pack will make playing online easier in whatever VTT you choose.
More Good News!
Here's the even more exciting part: there are still 10 days left in the campaign. This means we are now aiming for our very first stretch goal: unlocking Neanderthals as a playable species at $50,000.
Adding a new species requires a surprising amount of work (more so than a lot of other game elements), which is why this is a stretch goal. Not only does it require mechanics that fit thematically and scientifically with the setting, but it needs to be fun to play and offer something unique and different from other playable species (in this case, Homo sapiens). Beyond that, it then has to be tested and balanced with every other element of the game, since it can quite literally interact with all of them.
It's a challenge I would love to tackle! I know this is an exciting option for a lot of you (me too!), and I think it is within reach!
Let's Keep the Momentum Going!
With 10 days left in the campaign, you can help keep the momentum going! Share the campaign with friends, family, and fellow enthusiasts, and let's see how far we can take this incredible journey together.
Tell the people at your local gaming or hobby store about Born from Ice. We have a pledge tier available for retailers, so let them know you are excited about it!
Post a link in any online groups/forums you belong to where people are interested in RPGs or human prehistory. This could be a Discord server, a Facebook group, a Reddit community, or any other similar place.
Message your favorite RPG content creators on YouTube or TikTok and let them know what you love about Born from Ice, and that the campaign has funded.
Together, We're Making (Pre)History
Thank you for being a part of this incredible adventure. Here's to the stories we'll tell, the challenges we'll face, and the history we'll create together in the world of Born from Ice.
This is such a cool project with some truly legendary people contributing to it, including Ed Greenwood, Shawn Merwin, James Haeck, Dan Dillon, and many more. It features gorgeous hand painted watercolors by Emily Hare, in what can only be described as a dangerously whimsical style. The book is heavily inspired by works like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland, and the work of Jules Verne.
Included are 10+ new subclasses, the new Skulk race, the Channeler class, new feats and backgrounds, and new spells and magic items. For GM's, there are 70+ new creatures (all hand painted), new rules, recipes, and crafts, and a book of adventures set in Strangehollow.
We're Almost There - 90% Funded!
about 2 years ago
– Wed, Mar 20, 2024 at 07:13:04 AM
Campaign Halfway Point Update - 90% Funded!
Dear Born from Ice Supporters,
As we reach the halfway point of our journey together, we're filled with gratitude and excitement. Since our campaign's launch your support has brought us to an incredible milestone: we are now 90% funded, and just $3,400 away from our goal! This is a huge achievement, and it's all thanks to you.
Steady Progress
Our adventure through this campaign has been thrilling. Averaging between $700-$800 in pledges daily (outside the initial launch excitement), we're moving steadily towards our target. While the pace might seem slow, remember: slow and steady wins the race. At this rate, we're on track to reach our funding goal in the next 5-7 days.
A Reminder of What's New
In the spirit of keeping the momentum going and making Born from Ice accessible to even more adventurers, we recently introduced new Player pledge tiers:
$15 Digital Player's Guide Tier: Perfect for those who prefer their RPGs digital. You'll receive a PDF copy of the Player’s Guide, allowing you to create characters and explore our stone age world right from your device.
$25 Print + Digital Player's Guide Tier: For those who love the feel of a book in their hands, this tier offers the best of both worlds. You'll get a physical copy of the Player’s Guide for your gaming shelf, as well as a digital PDF copy for on-the-go access.
And, for those who want to help share Born from Ice with local communities, we created the Library Donation Add-on:
$60 - Donate A Book Set to Library or School: For an additional pledge of $60, you can help us light the spark of adventure in young minds and local communities. Your generous contribution will allow us to donate a complete Born from Ice Book Set—including the Core Book, Player’s Guide, and Adventure Path—to a library or school.
Your Impact
Every pledge, big or small, plays a crucial role in bringing Born from Ice to life. Whether you're backing us for the digital content, holding the physical book in your hands, or generously donating to libraries and schools, you're making a difference. And we appreciate each and every one of you!
Looking Ahead
As we approach the final half of our campaign, let's keep the momentum going! If you've been waiting for the right moment to increase your pledge, or if you know someone who would love to join our prehistoric adventure, now is the time to act.
Thank you for believing in Born from Ice. Together, we're not just funding a campaign; we're forging a community and creating something truly special. Let's make the final push together and bring this stone age saga to life!
In this Kickstarter project, Cabal offers you two books. A book that orbits around the concept of Heists, and a book of wondrous alchemy and treacherous poisons. Both books have dozens of subclasses, items, optional rules along with thematic dungeons and monsters.
Dungeons & Heists is an expansion that introduces new classes, subclasses, items, spells, and monsters that will spice up your game in the right direction. The book also covers group mechanics for heists, party-wide stealth mechanics, and a brand-new dungeon, and heist scenarios to test your abilities against ancient defense systems, fully compatible with 5e. Alchemy & Poisoncraft offers content for every aspect of the game from game master tools to various player options such as a brand new alchemy crafting system.
1000+ RPG maps await! For every new backer, we'll add 1 additional map to the collection. Your search for battle maps is over!
Every day, backer's suggestions will be picked at random, with the chance to see your idea transformed into a full-color battle map, downloadable by all!
Say goodbye to boring battle maps! Expand your collection with over 1000+ battle maps to enhance your DnD & tabletop adventures.
