We thought we’d start pulling back the curtain a bit and showing how some of the creatures in Vault of Monsters actually came together. One monster at a time, from rough idea to something you can drop into your game.
This project has been in the works since 2024, and it didn’t always look like this. Early on, around the same time we were building The Catalogue of Chaos, we had a separate idea for a monster manual.
Over time, that idea grew. Then it got out of hand. What started as a monster book has now become something much bigger. Not just monsters, but a full adventure framework, with playable species and subclasses woven into it.
This is one of the first creatures we worked on.
Stoneheart Guardian
The Original Brief: Stoneheart Guardian (Probably needs a better name)
The Guardian is a towering construct of interlocking stone plates, each one etched with ancient runes that still glow with a quiet, stubborn sort of magic. It doesn’t move quickly. It doesn’t need to. Every step lands with enough weight to remind you the ground beneath you is optional.
It is bound to a place. A ruined dwarven city. A sacred cavern. Somewhere important enough that someone, long ago, decided this thing should never leave. It doesn’t patrol. It doesn’t chase. It simply waits… and takes a very dim view of unexpected visitors.
Allegedly forged by dwarven rune mages and stone shapers as a last line of defence, it carries out its duty long after they’re gone. No maintenance. No instructions. Just a very old, very clear purpose.
Step into its domain and you’ll understand quickly. Some doors were meant to stay closed.
Inspiration & Direction
This one came from a very specific place. If you’ve ever played Breath of the Wild, you’ll know the feeling. That moment where something ancient wakes up and suddenly you’re very aware you’re not meant to be there. That was the tone that we were aiming for!
Working With the Artist
We’ve been working with Nick Ashton (Chicken Monster) for over three years now, and at this point there’s a kind of shorthand between us. We can send over something fairly rough and he just… gets it.
We sent the brief over, along with a few loose references, and Nick came back with a design that immediately felt right with just enough detail in the stonework to suggest the fact that it's an ancient, nasty bugger and you need to run! ...
Stoneheart Guardian Colour
We’ll be sharing more of these over the coming weeks, breaking down different monsters, where they came from, and how they ended up in the book.
