BackerKit Surveys Sent!
almost 5 years ago – Wed, Jan 22, 2020 at 09:25:05 PM

Huzzah, the surveys are away.  Let me know if you have any questions or issues; thank you!

Onward!

Production Update, BackerKit, and More
almost 5 years ago – Tue, Jan 21, 2020 at 10:22:28 PM

Happy new year!  Hope everyone had a great winter holiday season.

BackerKit Survey Coming Soon!

I've completed setting up the BackerKit survey.  This campaign's rewards and options were pretty straightforward, so this will mainly be to capture your email address, shipping info and hardcopy system preferences if applicable, and so on.  But I cannot fulfill stuff you're entitled to without it, so when you see the survey, please do go ahead and fill it out.  We've got plenty of time, but it always helps my record-keeping if we can get it done sooner rather than later... say, by March 1st, if that's okay.

A number of you have expressed interest in upgrading your pledge level--a choice that the holiday season may not have made possible at the time of the campaign closing!  Rest assured, this will be an option in the BackerKit survey.

Production Update

I've finished and published Aquilae: Bestiary of the Realm, Volume 1 for 5E and Pathfinder Second Edition.  That's an enormous accomplishment, and an important milestone on the path to Monsters of Aquilae.  

The good news for you good MOA folks is that I've improved and automated my approach, so laying these books out is quicker than ever before.  That will help me keep on-pace to finish over the next few months as I had planned.

I'm basically ready to lay MOA out, and will do so immediately following completion of the Bestiary books.  As of now, that's still on-target for June 2020.

Onward!

Funded! Huzzah!
almost 5 years ago – Thu, Dec 19, 2019 at 06:13:54 PM

Thank You!

Thank you all so very much for your interest, support, and enthusiasm.  I'm thrilled that the campaign was so successful!

What's Next?

Kickstarter typically takes 2 full weeks to process pledges and finalize things, at which point I will be free to trigger the BackerKit survey.  This will allow you to change your pledge level if you want, do Add-Ons, and provide information such as shipping address and hardcopy edition preference, if applicable.

I'll post an update as soon as we get closer to all of that happening, but for now, I'm targeting to release the BackerKit survey on December 16th.

I will aim to trigger PDF fulfillment of all already-published content (i.e., the Pathfinder 1E PDFs) by the Christmas holiday for all who have completed the BackerKit survey by that time.

Onward!

Content Conversion Guide KS, 5E & P2E Edition Progress
almost 5 years ago – Mon, Dec 16, 2019 at 06:13:45 PM

Hi folks!  Happy encroaching holidays!  Two quick updates today:

Content Conversion Guide Kickstarter

Due to a lot of backer requests, we've launched a small KS project to gauge and fuel interest in a Content Conversion Guide, which documents and elaborates on what we've done to convert 1,600 monsters from Pathfinder First Edition into 5E and P2E edition rules.

Check it out here.

BackerKit Soon

Now that we've passed the two-week window Kickstarter and BackerKit recommend, I will be launching BackerKit soon, probably later this week.  I'll make an update explicitly about this when it launches.

5E & P2E Edition Progress

The 5E edition of the Bestiary fully underway in layout now.  It's my entire daily focus.  I've developed a desktop app tool to facilitate the layout--not fully automated since I've determined that's impossible with InDesign, but it accelerates things for sure.  It's taken me from a 20-minute-per-monster cycle time a month ago down to about 5 minutes or so per monster.  That's where it needs to be in order to meet my expectations.

I'm super thrilled with the output, and have reviewed it with some 5E friends, who have recommended some tweaks here and there.  The layout is crisp, organized, and consistent, and it's loads more easy on the eyes than the Skelettin example from oh-so-long-ago.

Here's an example just to get a sense of the visual effect:

Progress / Status / Timing

I had been planning, and tracking, to complete the 5E and P2E editions of ABRE Volume 1 by Christmas.  I'm behind that target, which I'm sure comes as little surprise to many, but I wanted to be transparent.  The big impact has been my Day Job, which has been demanding leading up the end of the year.  The other time hit has been the streamlining of my layout tool, which I'm sure nobody cares about, but the good news is that nearly all of that time has been an investment in things have gotten much easier and quicker now.

So Volume 1 will take more time, unfortunately, but the remaining volumes will be quicker as a result.  Note that I do not anticipate this impacting the timeline for Monsters of Aquilae itself, given this planned acceleration once Volume 1 is done in the new year.

Onward!

Monster Snippets: Alacritern, Alcove Thing, Anaconda Ivy, Angelwhisper
almost 5 years ago – Thu, Dec 05, 2019 at 05:43:41 AM

Ugh, between wrapping things up with Day Job before the Thanksgiving holiday, and general life stuff (not to mention trying to wrap up my latest book to publish shortly), I've been remiss in updating Snippets.

So, today, here's a bunch of critters for you today.  :)

Alacritern

Lore

1. Common: Some birds are much swifter than others.
   
2. Expanded: Long sought after as possible message couriers, Alacriterns are coastal birds capable of very rapid sustained flight.

Environment

1. Alaciterns live on coastlines, though they venture into any terrain inland in search of food.

Encounter Behavior

1. Combat: Alacriterns will typically avoid fighting, escaping using their speed.  If forced into combat, they will dive and dip out of harm's way if possible.  They loathe all other forms of avian life, and will attack any flying creature if they are aware of them.

Story Hooks

1. An alacritern becomes aware of a PC's familiar or animal companion, and attacks it.
   
2. An NPC's familiar or animal companion has been attacked and/or slain by a mysteriously rapid bird; the PCs are asked to investigate or enact revenge.

Actions & SQ

1. Swift Flight: The Alacritern is capable of very rapid sustained overland flight.  If it makes no more than a 15 degree turn each round, and takes no other actions, it may quintuple (5x) its Fly speed for up to 3 hours total time each day.
   
2. Darting Dive: Once every 3 rounds, an Alacritern may take its full Fly move, attack, and take another full Fly move, without provoking opportunity attacks along this entire movement.
   

Alcove Thing

Description: A huddled humanoid, or a shadow thereof--it's difficult to tell what an Alcove Thing truly is.  Ever lurking in the depths of shadows, it haunts out of the way man-made places of all manner and background.  Typically created as guardians of final resting places or treasure caches through dark preparation, Alcove Things are the enbalmed, undead remains of servants or slaves, set on eternal watch duty.

Aura: Lurking Shadows: 10', provides partial concealment from all observers.  Any creature may attempt to overcome this effect using their Perception against the Alcove Thing's Stealth; this requires a swift action and lasts for the duration of the encounter if successful.

Lore

1. Common" Slaves of powerful evil kings are sometimes set to eternal guard duty over the remains of their masters.
   
2. Expanded: Alcove Things are humanoid guards of treasure caches and coffins, set to this duty through dark ritual by evil leaders and necromantic advisors.

Environment

1. Alcove Things always guard a thing or place, and do not venture from this duty.  The target of their guard is typically a coffin, sepluchre, or treasure cache, usually in ruins but potentially in urban settings or even dungeons or caverns or lairs.

Encounter Behavior

1. Combat: Alcove Things will fight to the death any living creature that ventures within their senses.  They will pursue such intruders, but only up to 100' from the center of their guard duty, after which they will return to their normal watch.  When not actively fighting, an Alcove Thing will lurk in shadows, waiting and guarding.  It is extremely unusual to encounter an Alcove Thing that is not already hidden; nearly everyone encountering them is surprised by their presence.

Story Hooks

1. Legend tells of a long-dead king whose body and treasure are guarded by undead servants.  Are the PCs brave enough to seek the loot?
   
2. Through bizarre ritual, a group of Alcove Things has been set to guard an ordinary gravesite, on which a house has been built in ignorance of the grisly history of the earth beneath.  The current owners were renovating their basement, and inadvertently set the Things free.  Only one family member escaped alive, and asks the party's assistance in investigating what happened to his family and house.

Actions & SQ

1. Lurking Stab: Alcove Things have Sneak Attack 3d6.  They may use this ability at reduced effect (-2d6) even when their presence is known, so long as their target has not yet overcome their Lurking Shadows Aura.
   

Anaconda Ivy

Lore

1. Common: Some climbing plants are animate and semi-sentient, and can choke the life out of you.
   
2. Expanded: Anaconda Ivy is a semi-aware plant capable of wrapping itself around victims like the snake of its namesake.  Once the victim dies, the plant waits until scavengers have torn out large chunks, then subsists on the carrion and decay that fosters afterward.

Environment

1. Anaconda Ivy can be found in any forest or jungle, though warmer climates are more common.
   

Encounter Behavior

1. Combat: Anaconda Ivy prefers to strike with surprise, and will wait and blend

Actions & SQ

1. Plant Blend: Anaconda Ivy may always Take 20 in Stealth or Disguise checks to appear as other, nonvolatile, plant life in the area.  It may not benefit from Plant Blend against targets that are aware of its presence as a hostile life form; that is, if it has already been detected or has attacked.
   
2. Constrict: Against an opponent that has suffered a successful melee attack this round, the Anaconda may follow the attack up by wrapping around the victim.  It may then inflict 1d8 bludgeoning damage per round until it is removed from the victim.
   

Angelwhisper

Description: A rare form of undead that is itself still holy and good in purpose, an Angelwhisper seeks out those about to befall horrid events, in an attempt to warn them toward avoiding dire circumstances such as those that felled the Angelwhisper themselves in life.

Aura: Beneficent Prescience: Non-Evil creatures within 20' gain a +1 insight bonus on skill checks, ability checks, saves.  These creatures also gain a +1 insight bonus on attack and damage rolls against Evil creatures (the evil opponents need not be in the aura's radius).

Lore

1. Common: Good people who die horribly may remain on earth as a benevolent spectre, whispering warnings to those like them.
   
2. Expanded: Angelwhispers hover around non-evil people, whispering quietly.  Though the whispers themselves are indecipherable, they convey warnings and predict the next few minutes of events enough to warn the unfortunate.
   

Environment: Angelwhispers haunt urban environments, or the area where they perished.

Encounter Behavior

1. Combat: Angelwhispers will avoid fighting altogether if possible.  If close to a battle that involves Good creatures, they will approach the fight and lend assistance where they can via their aura and Whispered Warning abilities.  They will avoid actual fighting themselves unless forced to do so.
   

Story Hooks

1. A slain good elf haunts the nearby caverns.  Some say she whispers words of good omen, acting as a boon to those who would venture within.
   
2. An NPC the party knows is slain by a thief or assassin.  Tied yet to life, the NPC rises as an Angelwhisper, and helps the PCs.
   

Actions & SQ

1. Detect Good and Evil: As per the spell, these are constant effects.
   
2. Whispered Warning: Once per combatant, per encounter, an Angelwhisper may chant a message of specific warning, warding against a proximate event.  A Whispered Warning is a full-round action for the Angelwhisper.  The next time that combatant would fail a save prompted by an opponent in that battle, the combatant instead succeeds in the save.  This effect lasts until the end of the encounter.