Book of Spirits: An Ethereal Supplement for 5E

THANK YOU!
over 2 years 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!
over 2 years 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?

New VTT Partner: Shard Tabletop!
over 2 years ago – Fri, May 03, 2024 at 06:59:56 AM

Hey Mist Hikers, we are excited to announce our new partnership with Shard Tabletop!

Your Pledge is Worth More

That’s right! By pledging to the campaign at any reward tier, you will receive the Shard Tabletop Player Pack. The pack includes all player options featured in Book of Spirits: subclasses, species, the conduit class, and every new option unlocked through stretch goals.

The rest of the content (creatures, Resonance, phenomena, boons/banes, adventures, and more) will be available through the Shard Tabletop Deluxe Module, which is automatically added to all Digital Deluxe or higher pledge tiers. If you backed one of those tiers, you will get a unique code that can be redeemed in the Shard Tabletop Marketplace.

If you didn’t pledge to the Digital Deluxe (or higher tiers) and still want the full Shard Tabletop experience, you can grab the Shard Tabletop Deluxe Module as an add-on for $15.

Shard Tabletop is a virtual tabletop, character sheet, and campaign manager dedicated to 5th Edition games. It is fast and extensible, allowing a high level of customization with ease. The marketplace is a haven for third-party publishers, featuring content from your favorite content creators!

Check them out here!

Mist Hikers, How do you attract a spirit of surprise?

1000% Funded! New Unlocks, Add-Ons, and More!
over 2 years ago – Sun, Apr 28, 2024 at 10:29:44 AM

Hey Mist Hikers, we are so grateful to have collected ten times our original funding goal!

Stretch Goals Galore!

Here’s a brief summary of the last couple of stretch goals you unlocked:

• $125,000: OST Upgrade (Unlocked). The soundtrack of the Spirit Realm will have three new tunes!
• $150,000: Foundry VTT Upgrade (Unlocked). Deeper integration and new interfaces to streamline the Book of Spirits mechanics on Foundry!

Take a look at the upcoming stretch goals:

• $175,000: Nightmares Expansion. More Nightmares to challenge epic level parties! If we hit this stretch goal, we will design 5 additional boss monsters for the book.
• $200,000: Dungeon Maps. If we hit this lofty goal, each adventure in the book will have a massive dungeon map illustrated by Darkest Maps!

And there’s more, should we make it there. If so, the conduit won’t be the only class introduced in the Book of Spirits!

New Add-On: Despair Enclave Miniature Pack

Face even more spirits on your adventures! This $50 add-on gets you a pack of four hefty miniatures. The pack includes three large-sized dissolvers and one HUGE spirit horror (121mm tall). Miniatures are pre-assembled and unpainted.

These creatures are more than mere models. You’ll find their full statistics inside the book, along with the gloomy environment they inhabit! 

To include this add-on with your delivery, click 'manage your pledge' -> 'change your pledge' and select the pack from the optional add-ons.

Worldbuilding, Storytelling, and More

We are passionate about TTRPGs, and that love goes beyond the Book of Spirits. A few years ago, Aviad (the lead designer of our studio) initiated a project called the GM Bootcamp: a comprehensive online course that teaches new GMs the basics of the craft. We’ve made video lessons on creating and running games, improving communication, and reducing the stress of session prep. 

Originally, the course was designed as a paid product, but after two years of development, we realized that more than anything, we want this knowledge to be available to everyone. 

So we’ve made all of the resources, worksheets, and videos available for free, and began uploading everything to YouTube. This video is an introduction to Aviad’s favorite chapter: Worldbuilding!

Mist Hikers, which spirit are you most likely to attract today?

Stretch Goals, Updates, and Dragons
over 2 years ago – Mon, Apr 22, 2024 at 06:43:37 AM

Hey Mist Hikers,

New Unlock: More Music!

Music is one of the most powerful ways to evoke emotion in games, and we want you to have something to play no matter which spirit you encounter! The $125,000 stretch goal provides more funding to our hired musicians, which means you’ll get three more tracks with our OST!

Our next stretch goal is a BIG one for virtual gamers. When we hit $150,000, we’ll double our budget for the Foundry module, allowing our developers to add deeper integration with Foundry VTT and the D&D 5E game system. Every new system in the book (including Resonance) will get meticulous care, creating new user interfaces to streamline your gaming experience when using them.

The next few stretch goals will add more epic monsters, huge dungeon maps for our adventure modules, and possibly even another new class we've been keeping under wraps!

What Can You Do to Help?

We are sincerely happy that the Book of Spirits is funded. Seeing that level of support is encouraging on so many levels. We want to keep the momentum going, so we can unlock new stretch goals and hire even more professionals to deliver the best book possible.

• Share it. A recommendation from a friend beats any ad. Some people will not even consider checking out a new project if it is not endorsed by someone they know. Post about it in your local communities, group chats, and socials.
• Talk about it. What do you like most about Book of Spirits? Tell us about it in the comments section of the Kickstarter, or on our social posts and YouTube videos. Aside from increasing our engagement on these platforms, you’ll be putting a smile on our faces.
• Join the Community. Jump over to our Discord server and share the hype. See what others are saying about the Book of Spirits, and share your feedback on what you’ve already seen.
• Create. We love seeing homebrew. Just the other day we had a fan share a new conduit homebrew with us, and it was really exciting!

You can use a simple link to the campaign, like this:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beyondthescreen/book-of-spirits-an-ethereal-supplement-for-5e

Dragons in the Spirit Realm?

Yes! Dragons manifest spirits just like other sentient creatures, and by feeding on emotions of mighty draconic souls, those spirits end up quite powerful. 

If you love dragons as much as we do, we recommend checking out Secret Dragons from our friends at Roll For Combat! Their campaign includes FOUR new books, each featuring an entire family of dragons! Aside from a trove of new creatures, the books unlock new player options, including feats and rules on how to use these awesome dragons as player characters!

Check them out on Kickstarter

Mist Hikers, what powers should spirits of anticipation have?