Book of Spirits: An Ethereal Supplement for 5E

Empath Unlocked! More Stretch Goals Incoming!
4 months ago – Fri, Jun 14, 2024 at 07:07:26 AM

Hey Mist Hikers,

You did it! The Empath is HAPPENING!

WOW. Thanks to your phenomenal support, the campaign surpassed the $225K by a LOT! 

The Empath class: Energize your allies and paralyze your foes by tapping into their emotions with this new psychic support class! Think Mantis from Guardians of the Galaxy (do you have other references you want us to consider? share them in the comments!) Aside from 3 unique subclasses, the class will include 15 original spells.

So far, your efforts in the Kickstarter, Pledge Manager, Pre-Order Store, and Patreon helped us raise $240,118 (not counting shipping fees and taxes), and only 64% of you completed the survey on the BackerKit pledge manager. Which means it's time to talk about...

The Next Stretch Goals

We never thought we'd need so many!

• $250,000 - More Miniatures. Two new spirit models will be sculpted by Dragon Trappers Lodge: spirit of self loathing and spirit of terror. These two will expand your digital STL collection (available on Digital Deluxe+ or the STL add-on). The miniatures will also be printed and included with every Deluxe Box pledge!
• $275,000 - More Spells. Let's expand your magical arsenal! If we hit this milestone, the book will include 15 more spells for the Conduit and the Empath classes.

Pledge Manager Locks on July 12th

Your completed BackerKit pledge manager surveys will be locked and your credit cards (if not using PayPal) will be charged on July 12th to pay for shipping, VAT, and add-ons not paid for on Kickstarter.

Hurry up and complete your survey to ensure we can deliver your game smoothly. If you lost your invite email, you can find your survey here: 

https://beyondthescreen.backerkit.com/

Mist hikers, excited for the new Empath class? Tell us about fictional characters who are actually Empaths!

Pledge Manager, Late Pledges, and more!
4 months ago – Thu, Jun 06, 2024 at 12:52:29 PM

Hey Mist Hikers,

Our journey to the Spirit Realm continues, and we are preparing for the next big steps of the campaign.

Pledge Manager Coming Next Week!

Due to an unexpected (but welcome) circumstance, the Pledge Manager is delayed to the start of next week. Some of you will get the survey invitation this coming Monday in your mailbox. Most of you will receive it slightly later, probably on Tuesday or Wednesday (we’re running a Smoke Test, to be extra safe).

If you do not receive the survey by Friday, June 14th, please reach out to us at [email protected] 

With the survey, you will be able to:

• Let us know how you want to be credited in the book
• Upgrade your pledge level
• Pick up add-ons: dice, maps, GM screen, miniatures, and more!
• Insert your address, if you pledged for physical items. You will be able to change this address again when it's time to ship the book.
• Pay for shipping and any applicable taxes, such as VAT. Your shipping fees will be calculated based on the total weight of your order and your shipping address. Note that you may see a high shipping fee before you enter your address, this should correct itself once an address has been entered. As for VAT, some items, like books, incur reduced VAT in some countries, while dice and miniatures usually incur the full VAT rate. We will calculate your VAT item by item, so you only pay the necessary VAT.

The pledge manager will remain open until July 12th, 2024 at which point we will lock all orders and charge credit cards. Don't worry, we'll remind you again when it's time.

Late Pledges!

Many of you asked about this, and we are glad to share that starting Monday, June 10th we are opening the campaign for Late Pledges. If you’ve been following the campaign, or if you have friends who missed it and still want to join the party, this is the chance to do that! This is absolutely the last chance to get the Kickstarter bundles with all the digital and physical stretch goals included!

Reminder: Stretch Goals Continue on Pledge Manager

All pledge upgrades, add-ons, and late pledges will contribute to unlocking more of the campaign stretch goals. Shipping fees and taxes, however, are not included in this amount. We will keep you updated on new stretch goals that we unlock as we raise more funds on BackerKit. 

The next two goals are:

• $225K - Empathist Class. Energize your allies and paralyze your foes by tapping into their emotions with this new psychic support class! Aside from 3 unique subclasses, the class will include 15 original spells.
• $250K - More Miniatures. Two new spirit models will be sculpted by Dragon Trappers Lodge, expanding your digital STL collection (available on Digital Deluxe+ or the STL add-on). The miniatures will also be printed and included with every Deluxe Box pledge!

That’s it for this update, everyone! Keep an eye on your inbox next week for the pledge manager survey, and watch the comments for any updates.

Thank you for your patience and excitement!

Pledge Manager Coming Soon! New Add-Ons and More!
5 months ago – Fri, May 31, 2024 at 07:38:07 AM

Hey Mist Hikers, it’s almost time...

Pledge Manager Incoming!

If all goes according to plan, the BackerKit Pledge Manager will go LIVE on June 7th (next Friday). In there, you’ll be able to insert your address, pay for shipping + applicable taxes, and upgrade your pledge with exciting add-ons.

Stretch Goals Continue Through Pledge Manager

Funds collected through the Pledge Manager contribute towards new stretch goals, including:

• $225K - Empathist Class. Energize your allies and paralyze your foes by tapping into their emotions with this new psychic support class! Aside from 3 unique subclasses, the class will include 15 original spells.
• $250K - More Miniatures. Two new spirit models will be sculpted by Dragon Trappers Lodge, expanding your digital STL collection (available on Digital Deluxe+ or the STL add-on). The miniatures will also be printed and included with every Deluxe Box pledge!

Your add-ons will determine how far we get! Additionally, late pledges will be available during the Pledge Manager, so if you know anyone who missed the campaign, let them know they have another chance to pledge.

Add-Ons by Popular Demand

Here are some add-ons you liked most or requested throughout the campaign:

• Book Cover Upgrade ($30). Many backers requested this, and we heard you! If you pledged on the Book tier or the Game Ready tier, you can get this add-on to replace your regular hardcover book with the deluxe version!
• Encounter Maps ($15). This is a very popular physical add-on, but did you know that we’ve made it even better? We’ve upgraded the prints so that the maps are going to be double-sided. This means that instead of 3 maps, you’ll have 6!
• New: Digital Asset Pack ($15). This pack gives you all of the book’s art in high-res, including creature pogs for all your VTT needs. 
• New: Digital Mist Hiker Fields Notes ($8). 16 high-quality images, depicting in-depth observations about the Spirit Realm, its inhabitants, and its unique phenomena.

More Ways to Support

Aside from the ongoing development for Book of Spirits, our studio publishes new 5E content every month through Patreon. Over the past three years, we have published 30 PDFs, including adventures, spells, magic items, regional supplements and more. 

Patreon is our space to experiment with new ideas and hone our craft. The support we got through Patreon made Book of Spirits possible. In fact, if you read through our catalog, you’ll find concepts that evolved into the Book of Spirits, and many others that may, in due time, grow into new Kickstarter campaigns. 

Until the end of the Pledge Manager, every Patreon subscription (new and recurring) will count towards unlocking stretch goals! (Can you tell we're excited for those?)

This month, our team is creating Casimir’s Cache of Conundrums. This PDF features ten unusual puzzles and traps that you can drag and drop into any dungeon to challenge the adventurers (and let’s be honest: the players). The supplement includes a guide to help you scale each challenge to fit the party’s level.

You can get the latest PDF whenever it's ready by joining our $4/month subscription, or instead unlock the entire catalog (30+ PDFs) by subscribing at $7/month.

Check out our Patreon here

Thank you for making Book of Spirits a reality. We are grateful for this opportunity to explore the Spirit Realm with you!

Stay tuned for the Pledge Manager launch next week, let’s smash through all the stretch goals!

THANK YOU!
5 months ago – Thu, May 09, 2024 at 04:05:26 PM

THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT A REALITY!

We are astounded and extremely grateful to have so many of you join us on this incredible journey. Thanks to your overwhelming support on this Kickstarter, Book of Spirits will be bigger and better than we ever anticipated.

We are proud to share all of the stretch goals you unlocked:

• Multiple book upgrades, including 40 additional boons and banes, 10 spirit creatures, and two additional subclasses.
• More physical goods: stunning art prints and 8 more Mist Hiker Field Notes.
• Digital upgrades that make your gaming experience more engaging, ranging from an epic upgrade to our Foundry module to additional dungeons maps and soundtracks.

Next Steps

If everything goes according to plan, you will get a backer survey via BackerKit Pledge Manager in the first week of June 2024. There, you will be able to insert your address, and pay for shipping of non-digital goods, as well as any applicable taxes. You may also supplement your pledge with additional add-ons (like upgrading the original book to the deluxe edition).

Stretch Goals Continued on Pledge Manager 

We are extending all remaining stretch goals to the pledge manager! This means purchasing add-ons contributes towards unlocking the Empathist class and new miniatures!

Development

Immediately after the campaign ends, our team will begin development on Book of Spirits.  About 40% of the book is in draft form, and much of the rest is outlined and blocked out. Our initial plan is to start game design along with art direction, since illustrations require a lot of time. We are confident that our team can get everything in excellent shape by the end of the year, whereupon we’ll move to layout, proofing, and finalizing the book.

September Playtesting

Your contribution and feedback are vital to realize the potential of the book's ambitious ideas, especially with the Resonance system and the new classes. As we approach September 2024, we will hold a wide community playtest, where you’ll have the opportunity to try out our early designs before the rest of the world. To join the playtest, stay tuned for Kickstarter updates around September, or join our community Discord server today.

Fulfillment

Once the book is proofed (estimated April 2025), we will deliver digital copies and start the process of print production. After verifying the quality is up to our standards, we will ship the books along with all the beautiful miniatures, dice, and other physical goodies. Physical fulfillment is currently estimated to start in July 2025. 

We’ll keep you posted with Kickstarter updates at least once a month!

A Few More Thank You Notes

This project is the culmination of years of work by a team of dedicated and passionate creators. This includes not only the core team at Beyond the Screen, but every amazing freelancer we hired, and our partners studios: Dragon Trappers Lodge and Darkest Maps.

We’d also like to thank our Patreon subscribers, who have, for years, given us reason and means to keep creating and polishing our craft every month.

On a personal note, I (Aviad) had a network of people who supported me in pursuing what I love. I’d like to thank my muse and partner in crime, Moran, for bearing with me through the rough phases of this adventure. All the best ideas (and names) are hers. I’d like to thank Itamar, for being an amazing friend (no matter what time it is), and always lending me his brilliant ideas. And lastly, I’d like to thank my mentors, you know who you are. This campaign wouldn’t be here without your faith in me.

And finally, we'd like to thank you once more for the relentless support you’ve given us. We’ll make you proud!

It’s time to step into the Spirit Realm. What legends will we uncover together?

- The Beyond the Screen Team

More Nightmares Unlocked! Final 48 Hours and More!
5 months ago – Tue, May 07, 2024 at 03:46:37 PM

Hey Mist Hikers, are you ready for one final push?

Less Than 48 Hours Remain!

The campaign is almost at the finish line, and thanks to your support it blew past all of our expectations. If you haven't already, reach out to your friends and communities and let them know now is the time to explore the Spirit Realm!

Unlocked: More Nightmares

Legends speak of ancient spirits born from the essence of titans; entities that dwell in the darkest reaches of the Spirit Realm, drawing power from the sleeping minds of mortals throughout the world. The nightmares embody the deepest anxieties and unspoken dreads of humanoids. Murals in god-forsaken temples portray them as silent watchers and subtle influencers, shaping dreams into realms of fear, torment, and twisted fascination. Above all, they are a testament to the complex (and often unsettling) depths of the humanoid psyche.

The community LOVED the Nightmares in our draft sample, so we are excited that we can give you even more of these epic boss monsters! Now that we’ve crossed the $175K threshold, we will make 5 more of them! Starting with this one:

More Stretch Goals to Unlock!

Here are the next few stretch goals, do you think we can reach them?

• $200K Epic Dungeon Maps. Each of the 3 adventures in Book of Spirits will have a MASSIVE dungeon map, designed by our friends at Darkest Maps. The maps will be available as digital files (added to our digital encounter maps) and included in our VTT modules!
• $225K Empathist - An All-New Class! Energize your allies and paralyze your foes by tapping into their emotions with this new psychic support class! The new class will feature 3 subclasses and introduce 15 new spells!
• $250K More Miniatures. Dragon Trappers Lodge will design two new miniatures for the campaign: spirit of self-loathing and spirit of terror. The miniatures will be available as part of the STL pack, and physical prints will be added to Deluxe Box pledges!

Dazzle your Players with Detailed Towns

Planning towns and villages can be a lot of fun, but it is time consuming! Especially if, like us, you like being extra prepared. That’s why we absolutely LOVE the Worlds at a Glance Kickstarter project!

Worlds at a Glance is a fantastic project that helps you create thousands of unique shops and locations along with all the items, NPCs, weapons, side quests, food, rumors and much more. 

Our favorite part was the shop cards that you can just hand over to your players when they enter a store!  

Check them out here!

Mist Hikers, what powers would you give the Nightmare that embodies fear of drowning?