Prints Ordered & On-Route to Warehouse
over 1 year ago – Fri, Jan 06, 2023 at 04:20:37 AM

Prints Ordered

Brief status update here - prints have been approved and ordered and are on-route to our warehousing location in the US! We'll share more dates when we have them, as there are often complexities in international freight, but once we have the books in-hand in Las Vegas and are distributing them, we'll provide some concrete updates, photos, and schedules!

At this stage, project development and delivery of the prints are sitting with the printer. We're working with the individual contributors for the dice, and similar to get those prepped and delivered.

Please let us know if there are any questions or concerns. We've been quiet recently, as we are nearing the end of the project, but our apologies for any delays in communication! As always, please feel free to reach out through Kickstarter or for direct inquiries via email to [email protected]

Best,

The 2CGaming Team

Bookmarks, Purple Print Proofs, and Shimmering Covers!
over 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 03, 2022 at 06:37:44 AM

This month we have something special to share, proofs of the pages and cover from the printer. However, before we get to that we wanted to let you know that you should have gotten an email from backerkit about an update to the Venture Maidens Campaign Guide PDF. This update doesn't include any content changes, but it includes bookmarks and ToC links to make navigating the book easier! Enjoy!

The images below include the cover, end sheets, and interior pages. Misty our producer/editor looks over the proofs and makes sure everything looks good. We think you'll agree that these look fantastic!

Standard Print Proofs

Deluxe Print Proofs

The images and gifs below highlight the foil stamping on the cover and endsheets. We think you'll agree that they look phenomenal. We're really happy with how these came out. Big thanks to Jason Strutz our art director for creating the foil mapping for the cover. 

If you like the way these deluxe proofs look and want to upgrade your print from standard to deluxe we have a limited number that we can upgrade. First fill out this form and we'll process them in submission order if we get more responses than we have prints available. 

Venture Maidens Delux Print Upgrade: https://forms.gle/YzZja2kkkGZPDkjr8

We'll email to confirm once we have the prints in-hand, then we'll run charges at that time.

Next Steps

Because the book was finished later into the year than we initially planned for we're going to hit the Chinese New Year delays, as a result, the print shipment to our warehouses will be delayed until March 2023.  Thank you for your patience. We'll let you know as soon as they come in. 

~The 2CGaming Team and the Maidens

That new PDF smell!
over 1 year ago – Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 02:29:33 PM

The day we’ve all been waiting for has arrived! We thank you for all the support you’ve given us to make this project a reality and the patience you’ve show. It has all come to this moment. You can download your copy of the Venture Maidens Campaign Guide on Backerkit now!

Project Status & Next-Steps

The files are off to the printer and we expect a February 2023 deliver of those books.

Venture Maidens Campaign Guide, Print (February 2023) - Prints should arrive at this time!

We’ll check in with you next month to see how you’re enjoying your Venture Maidens Campaign Guide PDFs.

As Always,

Of course, if there are questions, comments, or concerns before the next update, please let us know via comments or direct messaging! Our apologies again for the delays on this project, but know we're working to bring you the highest quality Venture Maidens Campaign Guide possible!

- 2CGaming Team and the Venture Maidens

The Faerie Realm
over 1 year ago – Tue, Sep 13, 2022 at 07:31:01 PM

A number of small issues have caused us numerous delays, but the end is in sight! Skip to the Project Status & Next-Steps for more details.

Faerie Realm

The Wildes is an ever-changing realm ruled by faerie creatures. While most characters aren’t from the Wildes (it is nearly impossible for mortal creatures to live a happy or normal life in the faerie realm), its influence is felt in every corner of the Eldrin Empire. The Wildes is the closest realm to the mortal one and the easiest to access. Adventures in the Planes frequently feature excursions into the lands of faerie or center on the trouble caused by fey interference in the Mortal Realm. This chapter provides an overview of the Wildes, detailing its locations and residents.

Secrets of the Wildes

Most information presented in this chapter is unknown to citizens of the Eldrin Empire and most of mortalkind. Lack of information has led most mortals to view fey as vicious predators and the Wildes as a terrifying den of monsters.

Empire citizens have entered the Wildes before, some intentionally, most accidentally. Regardless of their intentions or protective measures, most fail to emerge. Despite the odds, some mortals have gone in and come out alive. These people are few and far between and are never eager to repeat the experience. Those who return are always changed, touched by the strangeness of the place and of their journey. Most of what the empire knows about the Wildes comes from these eyewitness accounts and is colored by survivor trauma.

Nature of the Wildes

Every realm in the Planes is governed by a unique set of laws that sculpt reality. While the laws of nature in the Mortal Realm are nearly identical to those of planet earth, the realm of faerie has several major deviations from these familiar principles. This section covers the properties of the Wildes that make adventures there more fantastical and far stranger than any set in the Mortal Realm.

Life and Death

Fey are immortal, born fully grown, and do not age. Faeries of the Wildes do not require food, water, or air to live (though they enjoy all three) and only die if slain.

Time and Memory

Like the fey themselves, the Wildes is untouched by the ravages of time. Its creatures do not age, and it is not ruled by daily or seasonal cycles. Some areas of the realm are cast in eternal night, while others experience traditional days. Perpetual summer can invigorate one region, while the adjacent land is locked in winter frost.

Magic

Fey are creatures born of magic with an intuitive understanding of its intricacies. Unlike mortals, fey require no training to use or control the magical energies of the world. Also, unlike mortals, fey are limited in their magical potential; a faerie’s innate magic capabilities do not grow or change with experience. Fey can learn and cast spells as mortal mages do, but most lack the self-discipline necessary to use such methods.

Wisdom of the Wildes

Few individuals have managed to survive the alien world of the Wildes, but those who have strictly adhered to the rules of the realm. A catastrophic string of trial and error has revealed the following wisdom for any mortals brave (or desperate) enough to travel in the faerie realm.

• From hour to hour, the landscape of the Wildes twists and shifts dramatically. Expect nothing to be solid or certain.
• The only way to reach a destination is to plot your path and never change direction. You must continue straight ahead, no matter what stands in your way. Even the slightest deviation from your path may find you lost forever.
• Falling asleep in the Wildes is one of the most dangerous things you can do. Denizens of the realm love to inhabit the dreams of their victims, causing them to wander off in a stupor to their deaths. If you must sleep, have a companion actively watch you, or disaster is sure to strike.
• All food and drink in the area can lead to death or enchantment. Magic touches all flora and fauna. Consumption may give everlasting life, grant magical powers, or cause instant death. Whatever the result, it always comes at a steep price.
• Fey are obsessed with politeness and etiquette. It is possible to escape a horrible situation if you display enough charm to impress one of these beings. Of course, if they like you, they might adopt you as a pet, consort, or whatever they please. It is generally better to avoid them at all costs.
• Never accept anything from a faerie. Refuse anything they hand you and try not to take anything. Even plucking a flower might indebt you to someone.
• Speaking the name of a fey aloud will certainly draw their attention, for better or worse (usually worse).

Project Status & Next-Steps

We’ve had more back and forth on some further layout issues, the index is extensive, and on top of that some staff got Covid, all causing weeks delays. As you’ve noted we’re delayed and we now expect the final PDF to be during October. These delays will also push back the print delivery to March.

Venture Maidens Campaign Guide, Digital (October, 2022) - Completed PDF will be available through Backerkit, which will close at this time, while the book moves to our online store. Though the pre-order store will close, we won't finally lock addresses until we have the books in hand (we'll give a week's notice to get any last address updates at that time).

Venture Maidens Campaign Guide, Print (March 2023) - Prints should arrive at this time!

As Always,

Of course, if there are questions, comments, or concerns before the next update, please let us know via comments or direct messaging! Our apologies again for the delays on this project, but know we're working to bring you the highest quality Venture Maidens Campaign Guide possible!

- 2CGaming Team and the Venture Maidens

Eldrin not Eladrin
over 1 year ago – Thu, Aug 11, 2022 at 09:30:51 PM

Work continues on the book layout and final edits. Skip to the Project Status & Next-Steps for more details.

Eldrin not Eladrin

Eldrin are a mortal race with fey ancestry, gifted with an innate affinity for arcane magic.

WHY “ELDRIN?”

While the eldrin of the Planes share similarities with an existing 5e fey-themed elf subrace, they are intentionally distinct from any existing mechanics or lore. Eldrin of the Planes are not born or beholden to the faerie realm, and they do not have any inherent connections to nature or the seasons.

Players who choose to use the 5e season-shifting elf subrace in a Venture Maidens– style campaign are welcome to do so, but the eldrin of the Eldrin Empire would not recognize them as blood or cultural relatives.

ELDRIN IN THE PLANES

Eldrin are a relatively young species in the Mortal Realm, but they have accomplished much in the short time they have walked the earth. Using their innate magical gifts, they have built an empire that encom­passes an entire continent, and their ambitions are far from sated.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Though eldrin are mortal, they have physical character­istics commonly found among fey who favor human­oid forms. They tend to be slight of build, rarely stand­ing above five foot six, with androgynous features. Eldrin have larger eyes than humans that are primarily black without a visible sclera (white of the eyes) and short, pointed ears that usually angle directly upward. Their skin tones can manifest as a huge variety of pastel colors ranging from pink to green to lavender, and their hair can be any vivid rainbow shade.

ELDRIN TRAITS

As an eldrin, you have the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score of your choice by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. An ability score cannot be increased above 20 using this feature.

Age. Eldrin reach adulthood in their late teens and can live to be 300 years old.

Creature Type. Your creature type is humanoid.

Size. Your size is Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Magic Manifest. Choose a school of magic for which you have a natural affinity. You learn a cantrip of your choice from that school of magic. When you reach 3rd level, choose a 1st-level spell from that same school of magic, and when you reach 5th level, choose a 3rd-level spell from that same school. You learn these spells and can cast them at their lowest level. Once you cast one of these spells, you must finish a long rest before you can cast that spell again using this feature. Your spellcasting ability for these spells is Charisma.

Spell Ward. Once per day, when you fail a saving throw against a spell or other magical effect, you can use your reaction to reroll the saving throw and use the higher result. You can choose to use this feature once you know you have failed the saving throw but before the consequences of failure are declared.

Starting at 10th level, you no longer have to reroll when you use this feature. When you fail a saving throw against a spell or other magical effect, you can use your reaction to succeed instead.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character. If your eldrin grew up in the Eldrin Empire, you learn Common Sign1 in addition to Common.

Eldrin Empire

The Eldrin Empire is still a young nation, but its swift rise to power has made it one of the most successful civilizations in the Mortal Realm. A complex system of bureaucracy ensures eldrin politicians maintain rigid control over the empire’s citizens. An abundance of resources has given rise to an impressive military, ready to quell resistance from within the empire and without.

Goals

Patriotic citizens of the empire believe it is their na­tion’s sacred duty to establish order in an otherwise lawless and chaotic world. This national rhetoric is encouraged by eldrin leadership and reaffirmed by the empire’s official state religion.

This rhetoric has led to two primary faction goals: to eliminate all threats to the empire (from without and within) and expand its influence worldwide.

Eldrin Empire Schemes

d4 Scheme

1 When one of the   reigning dukes dies, the eldrin nobility fall to infighting as they compete   for the open seat. Extravagant spending, assas­sination attempts, and economic sabotage are just a few of their tactics that start upsetting the daily life of the commoners caught in the crossfire.

2 After a   conference with the elves ends in disaster, the empire once again declares   war on the Valley of Yalanthanil. Civil war is im­minent as elves and elven sympathizers living in the empire are forced to choose sides, flee, or fight against the nation’s overwhelming resources.

3 A powerful eldrin official (perhaps one of the dukes) secretly makes a pact with an archfey.   The official becomes incredibly capable but increasingly erratic as the power of the Wildes gradually corrupts them.

4 A group of eldrin nobles grow tired of the tsar­ina’s progressive policies and align themselves   with one of the sovereign courts to depose her current regime. These traitorous nobles begin to build gateways to the Wildes across the empire, paving the way for an invasion of fey creatures when the time is right.

ELDRIN EMPIRE AS CAMPAIGN VILLAINS

It doesn’t take much effort to imagine how a nation as wealthy and powerful as the El­drin Empire could turn its might to villain­ous purpose. As more threats to the empire emerge, its leadership is allotted ever more control in the name of maintaining order. Even worse, the empire’s nobles constantly struggle against one another to increase their influence, rarely caring on whom they step to elevate their position.

Campaigns featuring the Eldrin Empire as the main antagonists are stories about the injustices and abuses suffered at the hands of a totalitarian state. The Eldrin Empire Schemes table suggests a few of the faction’s potential villainous objectives.

Project Status & Next-Steps

We’ve had a lot of back and forth on the final layout to get it just right. This is going to result in a slight delay on the final PDF  and prints. The next Kickstarter update will be on or around Friday, September 9th.

Venture Maidens Campaign Guide, Digital (August 15, 2022) - Completed PDF will be available through Backerkit, which will close at this time, while the book moves to our online store. Though the pre-order store will close, we won't finally lock addresses until we have the books in hand (we'll give a week's notice to get any last address updates at that time).

Venture Maidens Campaign Guide, Print (February 2023) - Prints should arrive at this time!

As Always,

Of course, if there are questions, comments, or concerns before the next update, please let us know via comments or direct messaging! Our apologies again for the delays on this project, but know we're working to bring you the highest quality Venture Maidens Campaign Guide possible!

- 2CGaming Team and the Venture Maidens