Spawns of the Mindrender is a massive, 600-page D&D 2014 and 2024 5e-compatible dark fantasy adventure and campaign setting for levels 11-15 with extensive player options.
To everyone who pledged, supported the campaign, contributed ideas, participated in the polls, provided feedback, or simply followed along on this journey: thank you.
Spawns of the Mindrender is stronger because of your creativity, enthusiasm, and support. The monsters, locations, rewards, and even the community-created content were shaped by the wonderful minds that make up our Hive Mind.
We are honored to create worlds and stories for you, and even more honored to create them together with you.
Thank you for being part of the Hive Mind. Now let the madness begin...
Welcome to Spawns of the Mindrender, a 600-page Dungeons & Dragons 5e–compatible sandbox campaign set in the harsh, mountainous realm of Vordan — a land where the gods are shunned, and all forms of magic are outlawed. This epic adventure offers a vast web of exploration, intrigue, and moral conflict against the backdrop of a society teetering on the edge of a nightmare born from madness. Within these pages, you’ll uncover branching storylines that intertwine the destinies of clans, rebels, and outlanders as they confront the rising influence of the Mindrender, an unseen power that breaks the sanity of all creatures in the realm.
Players will traverse war-torn mountain realms, lost giant ruins, and dream-warped landscapes as the madness of Shandar the Mindrender spreads across Vordan. Amid fractured clans, a tyrant king, and horrors born from madness itself, they must reclaim forbidden relics and confront nightmares that defy reason. Whether driven by duty, survival, or the lure of forbidden knowledge, Spawns of the Mindrender offers a descent into a world where madness reigns supreme.
Forge Your Fate in the Mountains of Vordan
Vordan is a war-scarred, mountainous domain where the legacy of the giant empires still shapes the land. The characters are tasked with recovering the Staff of Mapping, a magical relic lost with the agents who were sent to chart these lands and uncover the truth behind the horrors consuming this tormented realm. Their mission soon plunges them deeper into brutal clan wars, ancient technologies, and the lingering corruption of the Farrealm, where titanic ruins, giant forges, and shattered strongholds conceal the tools of their survival. Torn by the madness that fractures the realm, the characters must defeat King Ralukkar Doomhammer VI, whose rolling fortress of a war machine, the Dreadscorcher, thunders across the mountains on a path of conquest.
From colossal fallen constructs and iron giant vaults to disease-ridden caverns and volcanic citadels, the adventurers must brave the brutal highlands of Vordan and its warring clans while facing the nightmarish horrors unleashed by Shandar the Mindrender. Their path leads ever deeper — at last beyond reality itself, into the Farrealm — where they will have to make a Pilgrimage to Madness and become one with the aberrations they face. In doing so, they can finally ascend Steelroot Peak to face Shandar the Mindrender and end its maddening presence. Spawns of the Mindrender is a tale of endurance and revelation, where invention replaces faith, and steel defies sorcery.
Vordan is a harsh, awe-inspiring land of towering peaks, frozen valleys, and colossal ruins left by fallen giant empires. Its people — fierce, clan-bound, and proudly misotheistic — thrive without magic, relying instead on engineering, craftsmanship, and the strength of their own hands. Centuries of war and betrayal by zealous faiths have forged a culture that prizes skill and endurance above all else, where war machines roll through the passes and beast-riders climb cliffs few would dare to ascend.
Beneath the surface, remnants of the Farrealm linger — ancient ritual sites, forgotten temples, and buried giant halls where reality itself was once twisted by cosmic influence. Vordan’s clans are at war under the merciless eye of King Ralukkar Doomhammer VI, whose ambition knows no bounds and threatens to ignite another age of conquest. Among the ruined citadels of the iron giants, the fiery halls of the Lavaborn giants, and the monster-infested strongholds of lost clans, countless secrets lie buried, waiting to be unearthed by those bold enough to seek them.
Five-level map of the Dreadscorcher, King Ralukkar Doomhammer's rolling warmachine
Bring your adventures to life with breathtaking, hand-drawn maps. Featuring more than 20 richly detailed, full-color dungeons, many complete with side-view layouts, these maps capture the scale and atmosphere of Vordan’s most memorable locations. Each one is designed to enhance immersion and host unforgettable encounters. All maps are fully optimized for virtual tabletops and include both DM and player-ready versions.
College of War Bard, Circle of the Mountain Druid, Path of the Slayer Barbarian
Unleash your creativity with 24 fresh subclasses, offering two distinct options for every class.* Each path introduces innovative mechanics, rich lore, and powerful abilities that expand character customization and playstyle. Whether you seek mastery, mystery, or mayhem, these subclasses open new horizons for every kind of adventurer.
The Archivist of Hollow Names, The Starved Apostate, Mindrend Beast
Spawns of the Mindrender features over 50 original creatures, from nightmarish horrors to complex allies, each developed to test your tactics and fuel your imagination. Every entry combines vivid lore, inventive abilities, and striking artwork to bring your encounters to life and keep your players on edge.
Ring of Wakefulness, Staff of Mapping, Razor Ring Shield
Arm your heroes with a collection of 40 new Vordani battletech and magic items, crafted to inspire ingenuity and adventure. From weapons to wearable battletech gear, mechanised war machines, unique tools and magic items, each one adds fresh depth and thrilling possibilities to your campaign.
Harness power with 22 original spells and feats, each designed for versatility and balance within the context of the adventure. These additions let players refine their playstyle, enhance their character's strengths, and overcome impossible challenges.
Download The Dreadscorcher, a complete, stand-alone encounter location taken directly from Spawns of the Mindrender, offering a glimpse into the book’s intense storytelling and intricate design. In this scenario, players will also find complete rules for Vordani battlegear, including battleframes, warhusks, and an arsenal of specialized weapons, such as the razor saw shield and the bolt launcher weapon add-ons.
The party must infiltrate King Ralukkar Doomhammer’s colossal mobile fortress — the Dreadscorcher — a roaring siege engine powered by volcanic volcryn fuel and defended by berserkers clad in mechanized armor. Inside its scorched iron chambers, adventurers will confront relentless warriors, an Oni Shogun, a shape-shifting usurper plotting to seize the war machine and the realm for himself, and finally both King Ralukkar and his son, Prince Vorrak.
This adventure also features a two-page map of the Dreadscorcher, three complete subclasses — the Path of the Slayer barbarian, the Competence Domain for clerics, and the Vordani Battletech Master fighter — as well as a new monster, the Oni Shogun, along with several new feats, spells, tools, poisons, and materials to enhance your campaign.
Whether you play it as a thrilling one-shot or as part of the full campaign, The Dreadscorcher delivers brutal combat, tactical infiltration, and cinematic encounters in one of the most iconic settings of Spawns of the Mindrender.
We just extended the early bird period by 24 hours! Back the campaign before the extended Early Bird period ends on May 8 at 9 AM PT to receive the exclusive rewards:
A VTT monster and NPC token pack with over 500 beautifully crafted digital tokens for use in your online sessions (included with every pledge level).
Seeing the level of excitement around the encounter location being created by Ed Greenwood, we’ve decided to include the exclusive encounter location PDF and the character sheets (for physical backers) as part of our Early Bird rewards.
If you are already part of the hive mind, there is a $20 discount waiting for you as a sign of our appreciation for being part of the Elderbrain collective.
Members of our Discord and newsletter gain access to exclusive discounted versions of the top physical Spawns pledge levels. All links to these members-only pledge levels are available on our Discord server in the #hive-mind-discount channel.
You can select the perfect pledge level to match your preferences. Whether you’re interested in a single book or the full series of our books, digital products, physical copies, or premium bundles packed with accessories, there’s something for everyone.
For the ultimate experience, choose a pledge level that includes the book, maps, booster cards, DM screen, dice sets, VTTs, and other extras — or even the chance to become an NPC within the story!
Become immortalized in Spawns of the Mindrender as an NPC! The adventure will feature custom NPC portraits based on backers’ likenesses, each hand-drawn by our talented illustrators. Take a look at some of our 300+ previous backers who were transformed into NPCs:
Choose the "Spawns Hero Box" pledge level, send us your photos, and we’ll bring your likeness to life as one of these vibrant NPCs! It’s a perfect way to celebrate your adventures or give a one-of-a-kind gift to friends and loved ones. Be the hero or villain you’ve always dreamed of, forever captured in a fantasy epic!
Dive into a dark and immersive campaign through the Spawns of the Mindrender PDF, supported by dedicated Player Options, a spoiler-free Vordan Gazetteer, a Map Pack PDF, alongside a Digital Asset Pack, and the 2024 Conversion Booklet for smooth and up-to-date play. Digital rewards are complemented by backer-only surveys and exclusive Discord roles, giving you direct access to development insights, opportunities to provide feedback, and the community, with a chance to shape the future of the campaign. The same level of support is provided for all our adventures; however, the asset pack and conversion booklet are exclusive to Spawns of the Mindrender.
VTTs
Each campaign is also available in optimized VTT editions for FoundryVTT and Roll20, with select support for Fantasy Grounds and Shard. These modules include dynamic lighting, one-way walls, linked stat blocks, automated dice rolls, special effects, and custom tokens, ensuring a seamless and immersive digital experience. Additional digital asset packs are included to enhance both online and in-person play.
Hardcover Books
For those who love physical books at the gaming table, Spawns of the Mindrender, Crown of the Oathbreaker, Torrents of the Spellhoarder, and Scepter of the Lightbringer are all available as beautifully printed hardcovers. These premium editions feature sewn binding, high-quality paper, and elegant ribbon bookmarks, designed to stand the test of countless sessions and become true centerpieces of your collection.
Accessories
By popular demand, all accessories needed to play Spawns of the Mindrender in the most immersive way possible are available as part of the Spawns Physical Bundle and Deluxe Box pledge levels, as well as add-ons. These include the Booster Cards, DM Screen, Eldritch dice set, poster maps, Vordan Scratch-Off map, miniatures and STLs, and the Digital Asset Pack.
Additionally, we are offering the early-bird Mimic Siege Engine Dice Tower as an add-on option, as well as the VTT NPC and Monster Token Pack, so you don't miss out on these awesome accessories. The Spell Wars party game bundle and Deck of the Hive MindNPC cards are also available as add-ons.
Legacy Accessories
Missed one of our previous campaigns? We've got you covered. A selection of fan-favorite accessories from Crown of the Oathbreaker, Torrents of the Spellhoarder, and Scepter of the Lightbringer is available as add-ons for your collection.
Choose from beautifully illustrated DM Screens that bring the worlds of Aglarion, Xantharos, and the Drayl City-states to life at your table. Expand your game with Booster Card decks packed with handy references for NPCs, spells,l feats, magic items, and factions. Complete your dice collection with themed 7-piece polyhedral Dice Sets, including the radiant Order of the Eternal Light, sinister Nocturne Covenant, and the iconic dice sets from Crown of the Oathbreaker and Torrents of the Spellhoarder.
Spawns Deluxe Box
The Spawns of the Mindrender Deluxe Box is a limited deluxe set built for collectors. It includes the Deluxe Hardcover, Booster Cards, a custom DM Screen, Eldritch dice set, poster maps, including the Vordan Scratch-Off map, a cover poster, three art prints, printed handouts, and a sticker sheet — everything needed for a complete and atmospheric tabletop experience in one stunning package.
Deluxe Box pledge levels also include all physical miniatures and their STL files, as well as the Spell Wars Party Game Bundle and Deck of the Hive Mind NPC cards.
NPC Portrait
Many of you asked for ways to personalize the world even further, so we’re excited to bring back the NPC Portrait option, included in the Spawns Hero Box pledge level and as an add-on. With this option, you — or a friend, loved one, party member, or favorite DM — can be immortalized within the campaign as a unique NPC. Availability is limited, making this an exclusive opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the world.
Stretch Goal Rewards
As we unlock stretch goals, additional rewards will be added to the Deluxe Box pledge levels and as add-ons, such as extra poster maps, additional miniatures, a Shandar plushie, and a premium metal dice set — expanding the range of rewards for physical backers with every milestone we reach.
As the campaign progresses, every unlocked achievement expands the Spawns of the Mindrender experience for everyone involved.
All digital rewards go to every backer — whenever a digital achievement unlocks, everyone gets it automatically.
The physical achievement rewards included in the Spawns Physical Bundle are all unlocked poster maps, DM sheets, and the printed character sheets that evolved through the follower polls.
All physical achievements are included for Deluxe and Hero Box backers, adding even more premium content to those editions.
Extra cards are added directly to the Booster Card box, expanding your in-game tools and handouts.
Once unlocked, select physical rewards — including the Shandar Plushie and Metal Dice Set — also become available as optional add-ons.
The further we push, the richer the campaign becomes — more content, more tools, and more immersion for your adventures in Vordan.
To charge the most accurate shipping rates and minimize complications from address changes over time, shipping costs will be collected through the BackerKit Pledge Manager.
Shipping rates are presented as ranges to account for variations in delivery distances within the US, Europe, or the Rest of the World. These estimates include handling, premium packaging, tracking, and insurance for loss or damage. All estimates reflect current prices and are subject to change until the fulfillment starts. Prices do not include customs fees, which will be charged by your local authorities if applicable. VAT and sales taxes will be paid in addition to shipping fees on the BackerKit pledge manager during the survey.
The digital and physical products of Crown of the Oathbreaker, Torrents of the Spellhoarder, and Scepter of the Lightbringerwill be available a month after the BackerKit campaign concludes. If you don’t mind covering the shipping costs for these and the later installments of Spawns of the Mindrender separately, we can ship these existing physical products to you earlier. This option will be included in the backer survey.
We aim to deliver the final Spawns of the Mindrender PDFs and VTT modulesin July 2027, with physical rewards planned to ship in October 2027.
Boost your tabletop role-playing experience with wonderful background ambiances to make your gaming sessions more immersive. These soundscapes were crafted specifically for Elderbrain's adventure modules, designed to immerse your players and place them exactly where you want them to be. Each soundscape is composed of several dozen beautiful, location-specific sounds, which blend to create a unique, constantly changing atmospheric background. These sounds play at random times, volumes, lengths, distances, reverbs, and velocities to create an infinitely unique ambiance with no repetitions.
Our stretch goals include four new soundscapes, all of which will be featured for Spawns of the Mindrender: mountain, volcano, “inside the machine”, and the Farrealm.
Tomi and Gabor, the minds behind Elderbrain, weave epic tales and run the company with dedication and care. Gergo, Zsolt, and David, our visionary illustrators, bring worlds to life with breathtaking artwork — crafting beautiful imagery for both our books and Magic: The Gathering. Viktor is the glue that holds us together, the one who helps you all and ensures every piece falls into place and takes delicate care of the members of the hive mind. Tyler is our keen-eyed hunter of typos and steadfast protector of stat blocks.
Our books are created without the use of AI. Every page is written by us, and every piece of artwork is illustrated by real artists. We believe in craftsmanship, originality, and the human touch behind every detail.
The story will conclude in the final adventure of this five-book series, Eclipse of the Nightfeeder, taking characters from level 16 to 20 into the Mountainfall — a land shattered when burning mountains fell from the sky, each carrying the essence of a fallen angel. Entire civilizations were erased, the gods were cut off from the Material Plane, and survivors were left to endure a brutal world bathed in darkness. At the heart of the Mountainfall rises Xapto’wa’ttykal, a colossal ziggurat-city carved into the mountain that entombed the Dark Star itself. Here, ash-skinned Dark Descendants rule over countless slaves, led by the fanatical high priest Cadmael the Flenser, who seeks to restore his fallen god through sacrifice.
Take our extensive survey with over 100 questions covering your player profile, style, and preferences on monsters, settings, plots, magic, villains, allies, dungeons, and more. Survey participants will gain exclusive access to the results. Your choices will directly shape the adventure—help us forge a world you’ll want to explore in our next adventure! Check out the survey results here.
Join the thriving community of thousands of DMs and players on our Discord, where you can chat with the creators, dive into and share fan-made content like maps and accessories, and read the stories and experiences of other members of the Hive Mind.
Sign up for our newsletter and receive our Welcome Package, which includes free adventures, maps, new monsters, subclasses, magic items, feats, spells, custom character sheets, and STL files. You’ll also regularly receive new free content, discounts, and updates.
We understand that backing a project is an act of trust, and we take that responsibility seriously. Having successfully completed four previous Kickstarter campaigns, we are confident in our ability to bring this project to life with the same commitment and efficiency.
Our team is built on experience and professionalism. We carefully select our collaborators based on merit and expertise to ensure the highest quality results. Additionally, we work exclusively with third-party companies, manufacturers, and service providers with strong industry reputations — partners we have worked with before and who have years of proven reliability.
The book itself is already partly written, and multiple rounds of playtesting and editing will refine its content to ensure clarity, balance, and an engaging experience.
While unforeseen challenges can arise in any production, we will keep backers informed every step of the way with regular updates on our progress. In the unlikely event that something goes wrong, we are committed to fixing it immediately. We believe in transparency and are always accessible to support our community. Our goal is to deliver not just on time, but with the level of quality that we can be proud of and that our audience deserves. Your support means everything to us, and we are committed to making this project a reality in the best possible way.
