Classic Creatures v0.9a PDF (and Pathbuilder 2e) is Available Now!
Hi everyone!
Big news: Classic Creatures is nearing completion, and you should have received an email from Stephen with a download link for the 0.9 PDF for PF2 or 5E, depending...
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Roll For Combat
14 days ago
Big Classic Creatures Updates! PDFs Incoming!
Big news, everyone; here is the quick rundown!
• The Pathfinder version of Battlezoo Ancestries: Classic Creatures is ready... expect for one piece of art. We just finished the ...
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Roll For Combat
26 days ago
Classic Creatures Incoming!
Hey everyone, big news, the books are nearly done! Here is the general update so you know exactly where we stand.
1. The Pathfinder version of Battlezoo Ancestries: Classic Crea...
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Mark Seifter
30 days ago
Slimeheart Sneak Peek
Hey everyone!
We're getting close on the PF2 pdf, and last time, it looks like slimeheart was the most requested preview, so let's take a quick look at slimeheart today!
Sli...
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Mark Seifter
about 1 month ago
Preliminary PF2 Done for New Content! 5e Conversion Underway!
Hi everyone! I'm delighted to announce that the preliminary text is written for the Pathfinder 2e additional content for this project (demonic marauder, nymph queen, yai adept...
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Mark Seifter
about 2 months ago
Get Battlezoo Ancestries Fusions Free and Check Out Secret Dragons!
This is not an April Fool's fakeout! You can go to our new Kickstarter page now and download Battlezoo Ancestries Fusions for free. This new ancestry will allow you and your fri...
Big news: Classic Creatures is nearing completion, and you should have received an email from Stephen with a download link for the 0.9 PDF for PF2 or 5E, depending upon what you backed. Our proofreaders have been hard at work, but we wanted to give you early access since it's so close to being done.
Since there are several hundred changes from the original Year of Monsters (in addition to somewhere around 50 pages of all-new content), if you spot something in the version 0.9 PDF, let us know on the Roll For Combat Discord channel at https://discord.rollforcombat.com/.
In the same vein, we have a Pathbuilder file for Classic Creatures v0.9 (for those who ordered the Pathfinder PDFs or have the Foundry Pathfinder module), which is not final either. If you notice any issues in the Pathbuilder file, you can report them on the RFC Discord channel, too.
The Foundry modules are still under development and won't be available for a few more weeks, though progress is moving forward well. Based on your feedback on the 0.9 version, we expect to release the final version of the Classic Creatures PDFs shortly.
Thanks for your help, and enjoy your classic creatures!
~Mark Seifter, Roll for Combat Director of Game Design
The Pathfinder version of Battlezoo Ancestries: Classic Creatures is ready... expect for one piece of art. We just finished the final layout and proofing for the Pathfinder version of Classic Creatures. However, we are still waiting for one piece of art to be completed, and then we'll send the PDFs to everyone! FYI, here is a little sneak preview of this piece of art in it's current state.
The 5E version of Battlezoo Ancestries: Classic Creatures is nearly done. All text and layout are done, and we are currently performing copyfit and proofing. Expect the 5E version to follow the PF2 version around 1-2 weeks later.
We will also update the Pathbuilder 2e and Foundry VTT files in the next few weeks. As those get closer to release, we'll let everyone know when to expect them.
It looks like the final page count will be 224 pages for the Pathfinder book and 248 pages for the 5E version.
The pages are at the printer now and we are in the process of proofing.
The mimic dice boxes are being produced in bulk right now. I should have a final sample to show everyone in a few weeks, and I'll share it with everyone once it arrives from the factory.
Finally, we are also in the process of finalizing the limited edition covers. Here is what they currently look like (ignore the extra black around the edges; that is for the printer bleed). We worked hard on the back page so that it's custom for each limited edition version of Battlezoo going forward, where we can easily update/change the icons for each specific book. Check it out!
Time is running out to back our latest project, Battlezoo Ancestries: Secret Dragons!
Secret Dragons is four new dragon books, each detailing a new and exciting family of dragons: fairy dragons connected to fey, misfit dragons with weird magical mishaps, leshy dragons connected to plants and fungi, and battle dragons who live for the thrill of battle.
Over 30 New Dragons Added and over $200k Raised!🎉 There's something for everyone!
🐉 20 New Playable Dragon Races! ⚔️ 100+ New Dragon Statblocks! 📚 400+ pages packed with hundreds of Dragons! 🐲 Dozens of pages of Lore! ✨ 100+ VTT tokens! 🔥 Free Pathbuilder 2e file! 🏰 And much more!
Hey everyone, big news, the books are nearly done! Here is the general update so you know exactly where we stand.
The Pathfinder version of Battlezoo Ancestries: Classic Creatures is done and currently undergoing proofreading. After proofreading is complete, we will begin updating the Foundry module and Pathbuilder 2e files to reflect the updates. Proofreading should take 1-2 weeks, and then module development will follow shortly after. For backers, we have included a sneak preview of the Nymph Queen Archetype below!
The 5E version of Battlezoo Ancestries: Classic Creatures is being worked on currently and should be finished within 2 weeks. The 5E version will follow the same pattern as the PF2 version, with the PDF and Foundry module updates following around 2 weeks behind the Pathfinder version.
For your information, the Pathfinder book is approximately 224 pages long, and the 5E version is approximately 248 pages long.
As for the hardcover versions, we have already sent the initial files to the printer and expect the final hardcover to be shipped in late summer if everything goes well. So far, so good.
We also started sending files and codes to people on BackerKit. For those of you confused when you redeemed the codes on the battlezoo.com store and only received the Year of Monsters files, that is correct. We haven't completed the Classic Creatures single book yet, so you will be receiving the Year of Monsters PDFs instead for now. But don't worry—you'll receive the Classic Creatures PDF as soon as it's ready to go!
Finally, for those people who are having issues redeeming your codes on battlezoo.com, please follow these steps:
If you already redeemed the same code in the past, the new code won't work as it's for the same product. Don't worry if you purchased the hardcover book in the BackerKit and the PDFs in the past, you don't need to redeem the PDFs at battlezoo.com a second time (nor can you). Your hardcover will ship even if you don't redeem the code, the codes are simply for the PDFs.
Make sure you click on the redeem link and redeem the correct version of the PDFs. The codes only work for a specific version of the book that you ordered, so if you accidentally add the PF2 version to your cart when you ordered the 5E version, the code won't work.
If you continue to have issues, please write me at [email protected] and I'll help you out.
So, hold on tight, as Classic Creatures will be flooding your inbox (and mailbox) shortly!
Time is running out to back our latest project, Battlezoo Ancestries: Secret Dragons!
Secret Dragons is four new dragon books, each detailing a new and exciting family of dragons: fairy dragons connected to fey, misfit dragons with weird magical mishaps, leshy dragons connected to plants and fungi, and battle dragons who live for the thrill of battle.
Over 25 Stretch Goals Unlocked!🎉 There's something for everyone!
🐉 20 New Playable Dragon Races! ⚔️ 100+ New Dragon Statblocks! 📚 400+ pages packed with hundreds of Dragons! 🐲 Dozens of pages of Lore! ✨ 100+ VTT tokens! 🔥 Free Pathbuilder 2e file! 🏰 And much more!
We're getting close on the PF2 pdf, and last time, it looks like slimeheart was the most requested preview, so let's take a quick look at slimeheart today!
Slimehearts are creatures who have become part slime through some means or another. In the versatile heritage, I describe four origins for slimehearts: slimed, experiments, hosts, and divisions. There's a lot more information in the full write-up, but TLDR slimed are creatures who survive a dangerous encounter with an ooze forever changed; experiments are creatures who gained oozelike powers through their own experiment or that of another (whether they were a voluntary test subject or not); hosts are creatures who bonded with an ooze symbiote, potentially allowing them to survive a lethal situation; and divisions are creatures who divided from a slime while not being entirely slime, possibly due to pieces of other creatures in the slime at the time.
Mechanically, much like draconic scion before it, slimeheart can take a ton of the slime ancestry feats (the base heritage does a lot of work making slimeheart compatible), while possessing a few ancestry feats of its own: a slime form feat and a motionsense feat.
Take a peek at the full intro section in the backers-only exclusive content below, and let me know in the comments which versatile heritage or archetype you'd like to see next!
~Mark Seifter, Roll for Combat Director of Game Design
I just received an email saying that I could download the digital version of the book, but when I use the code provided via the Backerkit Update, the page says the code has already been used. Was this an error with the code itself or something?
I don't see the option to get a Classic Creatures PDF only. I would like to have both 5e and Pathfinder versions, but not both physical books. I have one physical book with PDF, and I'd like to add a PDF for the other one in the survey, but I do not see the option. Unless I'm missing it?
Hi everyone! I'm delighted to announce that the preliminary text is written for the Pathfinder 2e additional content for this project (demonic marauder, nymph queen, yai adept, doppelborn, faerie scion, nymphtouched, and slimeheart). They came out really well! I've been passing the pieces over for conversion as they were written, and so the 5e conversion is underway as well. I'll include a couple juicy feats from demonic marauder in the backer only section below (which of the others do you want a sneak preview from next? I just had to do the demonic marauder given we have the vrock art in yesterday, but let me know in the comments below).
What's left? We did some weird layout wizardry starting with the old layout files to save importing and exporting multiple times and make copyfit faster, but we will still need to wait for a few art pieces and then copyfit and fix the page numbers (always last after the copyfitting in case they change) before the PF2 pdf is done done. 5e is coming along too; it'll be a race between the last art pieces and the 5e conversion. I'd expect 5e conversion to be complete (and then checked by me) in the coming weeks, and that means we're getting close on the pdfs!
Once the text is done, Foundry and Pathbuilder will get started, and the text will go to the printers who can get started on making the physical copies.
~Mark Seifter, Roll for Combat Director of Game Design
This is not an April Fool's fakeout! You can go to our new Kickstarter page now and download Battlezoo Ancestries Fusions for free. This new ancestry will allow you and your friends (or just you if your game is short on players) to jointly take control of a hydra, cerberus, or two-headed giant and work together to create powerful combination effects like the mighty Omega Beam! It's available for PF2, 5e, Pathbuilder, Foundry VTT, animated tokens... the works. And it's all free!
While you're over there, we'd love it if you wanted to back our new project, Secret Dragons, four new dragon books, each detailing a new and exciting family of dragons: fairy dragons connected to fey, misfit dragons with weird magical mishaps, leshy dragons connected to plants and fungi, and battle dragons who live for the thrill of battle. To continue the wild launch day offers, if you back in the first 48 hours for all four dragon books, we're throwing in a special edition of the original dragon book, plus PDF, plus digital assets (all three combined worth a total of over $100) for free!
We just got approval to go live from BackerKit, so the initial "smoke test" surveys have been sent out! If you are among the lucky 49 people who got their initial survey, go nuts! :)
This is actually a very complex survey, as every tier has a different set of questions to answer, so we are going to take our time to make sure we got everything right before we send out the surveys to everyone else sometime next week.
Last week, I talked about the art process for the new nymph heritages (which also serve as art for nymph queens as well).
I gave Stephen everyone's feedback, and he sent notes back to the artist, who produced the next stage of art.
Here we have the asteria queen:
The art does a great job of capturing the way an asteria embodies the mystery of the stars and space!
And then below is the maenad queen:
The maenad queen just wants you to join the party... it'll be completely safe, right? Well... maybe not. Check the exclusive backer update below for a wild bacchanalia feat available to all maenads at higher levels that captures the mythology of maenads leading people into a frenzy where they might tear you apart!
Hey everyone, we have an update on the survey. As usual, we are doing many complex things inside BackerKit, so we needed to have a few meetings with BackerKit last week to have them assist us with the setup and testing. I believe we are all set, and BackerKit is currently performing their final review of the surveys and will give us their feedback/approval by the end of the week.
Once the surveys are approved, we can begin sending the smoke tests to a random 5% of the backers and then send the remaining surveys, assuming there are no issues.
In addition, Mark has been working hard all week, adding the next pages of content to the files, which is going well and should be completed in a few weeks. Once Mark completes his new work, we'll have this converted for 5E, release the PDFs to everyone, and update the Foundry modules with the new updates.
I also received a sample of the Limited Edition hardcover, and it turned out incredible. I can't post videos here directly, so check out the YouTube link below:
Finally, we have received the completed artwork for the cover. As usual, it came out amazing and will wrap around the book. You can't go wrong with either cover! :)
I finished writing up the basic information for the two new nymphs. They're going to be asteriai (star nymphs) and maenads (nymphs of wine and poison), based on popular demand when I mentioned them as options. To kill two birds with one stone, I had Stephen order art for the two nymph queens from the two new heritages, and we just got in our first sketches. So let's take a look at what these new heritages will look like, from Classic Creatures:
Asteriai, or star nymphs, have skin as dark as the night sky, speckled with silvery-blue stars across their body, with silvery-blue hair and eyes that sparkle with twinkling motes of stardust.
Maenads, nymphs who embody the wild uninhibited nature of wine as well as the poisonous aspects of nature, have a wild feral beauty with sharp teeth and nails long enough to serve as claws. Veins of reddish-purple wine trace across their body, with grapevines wound through their hair, and they’re rarely without various containers of alcohol stored on their person.
So how would I get that across to the artist while also making it clear that this is a nymph queen? Here's what I had Stephen send to the artist:
Asteria Queen: This is a queen among star nymphs, called asteriai. Asteriai have skin as dark as the night sky, speckled with silvery-blue stars across their body, with silvery-blue hair and eyes, both of which sparkle with twinkling motes of stardust. As she is a queen, she is wearing a wondrous starry gown and a silvery crown studded with stars instead of gems.
Maenad Queen: This is a queen among maenads or wine nymphs. She has a wild feral beauty with sharp teeth and purple fingernails long enough to serve as claws. Veins of reddish-purple wine trace across her body, with a grapevine crown wound through her hair and a gown that combines royal majesty with wild uncontrolled revelry. Her gown is fitted to allow her to strap on several small amphoras (Greek pottery containing wine decorated with artwork) full of wine.
Want to see what the sketches for phase 1 look like? They're fantastic! Continue just below into the secret backer-only content.
~Mark Seifter, Roll for Combat Director of Game Design
Hey everyone! Right now, BackerKit is finishing up charging everyone for the campaign, and it should be complete by early next week. Once this is complete, we expect to send out the campaign surveys to everyone. For people who haven't done this before, these surveys will as you to log back into your BackerKit account and finalize your order. This includes selecting either Pathfinder or 5E for your rewards and the chance to add additional products before you finalize your order.
Surveys are initially sent out to approximately 5% of all backers as a "smoke test" to ensure no mistakes were made during the survey-building process. After this initial wave, we'll send out the surveys to all remaining backers. If you ordered a digital product, such as a PDF or Foundry code for a different Battlezoo product, you'll also receive access to your digital products during this time.
As for the book itself, Mark and I are hard at work on the book. We expect the PDFs should be complete and sent to everyone by the end of April at the latest. We still have around 40 pages of new content to write and expand, plus we'll need several new art pieces. As usual, we'll work on the Pathfinder version first and then have our 5E team quickly convert our Pathfinder work to 5E.
Once the PDF is complete, we'll send the files to the printer and have them start working on the printed versions immediately. I don't have a timetable for the printed versions yet, but with the current timeline, we are currently targeting fall 2024.
We'll provide an update later next week once the survey is ready to go out, plus we'll provide development updates throughout the next few weeks as we get closer to the final release.
Also, we are hard at work on the dice mimic! We are changing the initial design slightly as I didn't love that the multiple eyes were getting lost in the cover. I adjusted the mimic to give it a bit more of a "face," as you can see below. I think it looks better and gives the mimic a lot more personality.
As the mimics are produced (they are actually all done by hand!) I will continue to share photos with everyone. In the meantime, just sit back and expect the surveys shortly!
