D&D 5E A huge new sword & sorcery adventure is now available for 5th Edition

[Accaris]

We just published The Doom that Came to Astreas, a sword & sorcery flavored setting primer and complete adventure for 5E!

Set against the backdrop of a cursed isle in a savage age, the Doom that Came to Astreas sees a party of legendary heroes strike out to unshackle the land from the thrall of a dark Sorceress Queen. Take up the mantles of pre-written kings and queens of Astreas, or, choosing from four distinct races, make your own flavorful hero. Eldritch abominations, cursed catacombs, and unceasing hordes of bestial monsters await you as you navigate the wastelands of Astreas... and you're running out of time!

Like the Chronicles of Aeres, "Doom" is a love letter to all the sword & sorcery/pulp fantasy media we grew up with, and an homage to some of the 2nd Edition AD&D games we played as teenagers. It was written to help introduce old-school sword & sorcery concepts to a modern 5E audience, and thus, it's a combination of a structured, epic quest with light hexcrawling, a bit of open-world exploration, and a few new rules to help complement the theme (like morale for all monsters).

Check it out here! The Chronicles of Aeres: The Doom that Came to Astreas - Dueling Dragon Adventures | DriveThruRPG.com Our previous books have also been slashed in price if you want to get caught up!

(This is the first release, and there could be a few minor tweaks over time, but it's more or less edited to the best of our ability. Print copies are coming soon!)

 

[Steampunkette]

Just -look- at it.

That is a cover that belongs to Amazing Stories and Weird Tales.

The interior art? Follows the same style. The whole book is just -dripping- with the power and majesty of Conan and Kull and more than a little Elric.

The SORCERY.

Sickly green flames and purple tinted darkness clash with noble fire's lively orange hues representing the natural against the unnatural in stunning visual form.

The CHARACTERS

Evocative titles hearkening back to an earlier era of fantasy, their style and identity following suit while maintaining clean modern character blocks.

I'm picking up my copy, now.

When are you getting yours?

 

[Steampunkette]

To be 100% clear:

I am not being paid for this endorsement. I'm not being cajoled. This won't put a scrap of paper in my pocket or a chance at a writing job on my plate.

I just -sincerely- believe that this is freaking cool and want to see more of it, so I'm encouraging everyone I can to buy it so we get more of it in time.

And now that I get to see what's really inside? My opinion remains the same. The story itself is dripping with High Adventure style. There's full page art-prints which bear a first person retelling of events or dreams or thoughts in beautiful purple prose. Everything about it -feels- Epic and Fantastical.

The guide to creating thematic characters in the setting is pretty great, too.

The adventure itself takes up about half the book (the middle half!) and is a fairly straightforward story that's pretty much laid out like a 1980s Sword and Sorcery film. Lots of lurid descriptions, thick history that worldbuilds behind the DM Screen, and not a lot of specific scripted encounters.

Sure, you have to reach X location to do Y thing, but there's a lot of expectation on the DM to fill in the travel sequences with interesting encounters and cool concepts that the setting and adventure provide the framework for. This isn't a hand-holding train-ride through the countryside, even though it has specific goals to achieve.

No spoilers... but your players will take on titles just as cool as the NPCs, and the NPCs in the game specifically (Scripted) refer to the party by titles which gives some weight to the PCs being as important to the world, which is so simple but also great. None of this "Adventurer" nonsense where you're some interchangeable face from a guild.

This adventure? Looks like a ton of fun. Might run it for some friends in an A5e game. Might just keep it to mine for ideas for my own adventures... but it is glorious.

 

[deganawida]

This really does look incredible, and I’m thrilled to see S&S get more support. Might have to pick this up and convert to C&C.

 

[Scribe]

I'll be getting this.

 

[GuyBoy]

This looks superb. Evocative of the best of Conan, bloody tulwar in hand as he stalks through nighted jungles, hearing the distant screeching hunting cry of fell beasts.
This is a must buy.

 

[Accaris]

Thanks! In the adventure, I basically want you to play as Conan or Elric, and not be relegated to just a wimpy adventurer in a tavern. But it's not a super-hero adventure, there should still be plenty of dangerous encounters.

 

[dave2008]

This looks interesting. I do have a questions: Are there any new rules or mechanics to reflect the S&S feel or is it just story and fluff?

 

[Accaris]

This looks interesting. I do have a questions: Are there any new rules or mechanics to reflect the S&S feel or is it just story and fluff?

There are! I don't break the core 5E mechanics too much, that's not what it's about, but:

-We have strict time keeping requirements. Every day, inside or outside the game, a marauding army of pig-faced orc-like monsters invades the continent. The DM populates these invasion zones by hexgrid. Eventually, the party could have nowhere else to turn, and they'd be overrun. We include a special worksheet for the DM to keep track of this invasion throughout the campaign.
-Hireling(s). We include a fleshed out henchman/hireling that the players can send to accomplish tasks for them, with random charts to determine the result. The players can also potentially step into his shoes during downtime for off-schedule roleplaying opportunities.
-Permanent death. If a character dies in Astreas, due to an intense corruption of the spirit, no resurrection is possible.
-Wilderness travel. The players will disembark on foot into a harsh wasteland upon the start of the adventure. Keeping track of things like food and water might be important!

Just a few examples.

 

[dave2008]

There are! I don't break the core 5E mechanics too much, that's not what it's about, but:

-We have strict time keeping requirements. Every day, inside or outside the game, a marauding army of pig-faced orc-like monsters invades the continent. The DM populates these invasion zones by hexgrid. Eventually, the party could have nowhere else to turn, and they'd be overrun. We include a special worksheet for the DM to keep track of this invasion throughout the campaign.
-Hireling(s). We include a fleshed out henchman/hireling that the players can send to accomplish tasks for them, with random charts to determine the result. The players can also potentially step into his shoes during downtime for off-schedule roleplaying opportunities.
-Permanent death. If a character dies in Astreas, due to an intense corruption of the spirit, no resurrection is possible.
-Wilderness travel. The players will disembark on foot into a harsh wasteland upon the start of the adventure. Keeping track of things like food and water might be important!

Just a few examples.

Thanks for the reply!