Free Gifts for Backers
about 1 year ago – Mon, Nov 27, 2023 at 12:18:14 PM

Don't hate me but I put my Christmas tree up this weekend. Yes I'm that person that gets hugely over excited and brings out the Christmas jumpers in November. It's making me feel super festive and so I wanted to share some gifts with you! 

Free Vaala Tracker

That's right - we added a free gift to all physical tier backers. This tracker will help you record your Vaala Points. It's got a dial for each of the Vaala aspects and then one to record the total. And it's yours for free if you back a physical tier during the live campaign. 

Don't worry Digital Deluxe Backers - we have a gift for you too - keep reading... 

New Add Ons

We have included three new add ons to the campaign

Allarian Golden Zin - This stretch goal is included in the Core and Deluxe box tiers - but you asked for it as a separate add on and so here it is! 

Art Book - The Dragonbond art book got such great reviews in the last campaign so we have brought it back as an add on for this campaign. Available as a PDF or Hardback book. 

Roll20 - Yes it's the one you have been waiting for we have added in a Roll20 Module. This also includes the digital asset bundle so you don't need to get both. 

AND...if you have backed the Digital Deluxe Tier we will automatically include the Roll 20 module for you. It's digital deluxe right - so it should include Roll20! 

Plus - New Tier

OK - this is the last one we are adding I promise! The Dragonbond Collection Tier includes so much stuff and has a huge discount - a great way to get into Dragonbond! 

That's it for the campaign changes now. As we head into the last 72 hours it's going to be so exciting to see which stretch goals we hit!  

GM Screen Art

We have been waiting for this - the GM screen art for the amazing Aldo Dominguez is here and it's incredible.  

Lets just zoom in on some of those details... 

Jaw drop moment...

And finally because I know you love it - here is a lore dump for you! 

Sikarian Cities

 As sikari elves are amphibians, most of their cities are built half on the surface and half underwater, carved on icebergs, cliffs and ice floes in the Frozen Sea. The surface portion of their cities usually house government buildings and Akademia offices, while the underwater districts are a complex, maze of coral and stone, harnessing the heat of volcanic vents to bring life and diversity to avenues, arenas and gardens.

An old city, and small by Sikarian standards, Palesion is renowned as a hub of kistemic learning. It has many of the best schools of the Dominion, and at least two cutting-edge zoethurgy laboratories. Partly due to its limited space, and partly to its elitist governance, Palesion citizenship is somewhat more restricted than elsewhere in the realm, requiring a certain level of zoethurgical study to live there. Palesion supports the Emperian Akademis, but allows the establishment of rival institutions, to encourage a diversity of views. This makes Palesion a hotbed of debate and discussion which, according to its Arkani and Epimoi officials, improves the city’s research output.

Despite its modest population, Palesion has the greatest income per capita of Sikaria – an income supplemented by the thousands of visitors the city welcomes each year to its thriving arts festivals, and prestigious Antagoneia – contests of skill, intellect, and strength. Palesians are understandably intellectual and scholarly, but they know how to throw wild parties. As the saying goes, ‘Palesians also dance’.

That's all for today Dragonbonded - Loving the comments so keep them coming and I will see you on Discord! 

150K hit and Brian talks about spells!
about 1 year ago – Fri, Nov 24, 2023 at 04:05:59 AM

You did it! Another stretch goal obliterated! That's the Allarian gold coin included in the Core Box and Deluxe Box tiers. Which raises the question of Allarian Currency...

Allarian Currency
Thanks to the efforts of merchants in northern Valerna, the gold piece has become a standard form of currency across many realms, though it is known by various names. In Allaria, the standard unit of currency is the golden zìn. Until recently, these coins were minted by noble allai houses, in a variety of shapes and weights, all emblazoned with the heraldry of these storied families. Despite Allaria’s wealth, this practice led to great inequality, as some coins were given more value than others simply by virtue of their origin, while out-of-favour houses and their supporters were effectively made destitute by rivals declaring their currency worthless.

It was Qan Elyse who initiated reforms to the Allarian monetary system, granting the Grand Guild exclusive rights to mint the coins of the realm. The guild jumped at the chance to control the realm’s currency, increasing its own influence and power even further, while Elyse was able to at last create security and fairness for Allarian trade. The current zìnhas an irregular shape inspired by the Dragon Crown of Allaria. One face displays the four heads of the Fai Hydra, while the other is stamped with sigils of the Grand Guild. The gnomes of the guild are meticulous about the size, weight and shape of their coins, and are said to be able to spot a forgery at ten paces.

Should we add the gold coin as an add on? Comment in the general kickstarter section and lets get to the next social goal! 

Do you want to know more about the Spellcrafting system? 

Yes? 

Well ok then...

We asked Brian to tell us all about it and he made this awesome video! 

Let us know what you think! 

The famous DracoTurkey! 

I know there has been a lot of chat about the famous DracoTurkey - so in case you missed it here is the link to download and play (click on the terrifying wyrm that gobbles). Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating today. 

Thanks all for now Dragonbonded - Until next time see you on Discord 

New additions, free comic and the Dreambleed revealed.
about 1 year ago – Wed, Nov 22, 2023 at 01:51:45 PM

The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that there have been a couple of changes on the campaign. We have been listening to your comments and feedback and have added some extras for you. First up...

New Tier - Dragonbond RPG Collection

We have so many new people joining us for this campaign and so we wanted to add a tier for those that might have missed our previous RPG campaigns. This tier gives you three big hardback books from the Dragonbond universe. Elyse's Guide to Magic, Itza's Guide to Dragonbonding AND Great Wyrms of Drakha. 

I think you all know about Elyse's Guide to Magic by now, so here is a brief intro to the other two books included in the tier. 

Itza's guide to Dragonbonding is a 300+ page book for 5th-edition DnD that brings the Dragonbond setting to your table with new mechanics, adventures, monsters, and player options. Learn how to bond with a dragon and take your party's power to new heights. Create unique characters with the 31 setting-specific player options and ride dragons into fantastical aerial battles against six new draconic broods and more than fifty monsters.

Great Wyrms of Drakha, a 300+ page RPG adventure book containing seven high-level roleplaying adventures for your games using the 5e engine. Each of these 4-session adventures are designed to pit your most daring players against each one of the seven Azhurmas, the gargantuan dragons ruling over their respective broods and controlling vast territories in Drakha.

This tier includes all the hardback and PDF copies of each of these books. Itza's Guide to Dragonbonding and Great Wyrms of Drakha are available in PDF form to be fulfilled when the campaign ends and cards are charged. 

New Add Ons

Plus we have added three new products to the add on section. 

1. The Rise of Itza Graphic Novel (Softback and PDF)

Set in Draco Studios’ Dragonbond universe, The Rise of Itza is a 112-page graphic novel featuring all the trappings of the high fantasy genre – epic adventures, earth-shattering magic, superhuman entities and, of course, awe-inspiring dragons.

The Rise of Itza explores the origin story of young necromancer Itza Chapula as she fights to defend her people from the threat of war, armies of both the living and the dead, and a dragon hell-bent on the destruction of her home.

Download Issue 1 for Free >>>

2. The Weeping Mother RPG adventure  (Softback and PDF)

Enter the realm of Valerna in The Weeping Mother, a 96-page urban mystery adventure for four 12th-level players. Unravel the mysterious disappearance of locals and the dream-like feathers left behind.

3. ENNIE award winning plastic dragons

Three different dragons of the Red Moon to choose from - Aureus Fulgen, Baastherox and Kuxcoatl. These minis are 200mm tall and each dragon includes an interchangeable battle scar limb and head and comes with 5e stats included.  

 Lore - The Dreambleed 

You have been asking for more information about the Dreenbleed - so I asked our IP Manager Mark Latham to share his secrets - here's what he said. 

Over 3,000 years before the present age, there came a cataclysmic event so dire that its after-effects are still felt today. It began when the Dragonbonded elf, Ennai, an apprentice of Inyse, sought to become the greatest of all wizards, and went to the sacred feydh realm – which some called the Fabled Lands – to claim the very essence of its Dream magic.

Ennai never returned from this journey. His failure was marked by a great magical cataclysm that covered almost the entirety of Valerna. A deluge pounded Valerna’s coastlines. Verdant plains were replaced by crater-pocked magical wastelands. Great swathes of land, including the former homelands of the Altanesi, were claimed by the ocean. The area now called the Cursed Coast was ravaged, its people all but destroyed and its cities buried beneath toppled mountains. Everywhere that Fai magic existed, strange creatures and landscapes manifested, and the Fai itself seemed to invade the world. In addition to the rise of Fell Courts and the nightmarish creatures that would now stalk the deep woods, the strange event had other lasting consequences. The ancient forests of the ellari turned into a desert, which later became the cradle of the nwoda – the “sky dwarves”. Children across Valerna were transformed by Fai magic, eventually becoming a mysterious race that humans dubbed “halflings”. 

Elves called this event the Hulai Fai, the “Dreambleed”, and it cost the lives of untold thousands of innocents. Since this day, ellari across Valerna have endured centuries of suspicion, bigotry, and even oppression – it is widely believed that their natural propensity for dreamwalking gives them direct access to the realms of the feydh, and that if their powers are allowed to grow unchecked, they could invite another Dreambleed. In Allaria, ellari were for millennia forced to undergo the Dreamless Treatment, severing their link to the Fai entirely – a practice stopped only when Qan Elyse became Dragon Queen of the realm.

Of the fate of Ennai himself and his acolytes, little is known. Ennai is believed to be long dead, but it can be no coincidence that the first of the capricious and powerful Fell Crowns appeared shortly after the cataclysm, and that none who have since made the voyage to the Fabled Realms have ever returned…

That's all for today Dragonbonded - until next time - see you on discord! 

It's your turn to ask questions!
about 1 year ago – Mon, Nov 20, 2023 at 02:08:18 PM

Since my last update a few things have happened. Firstly we hit the $125k stretch goal and unlocked the digital short story which is GREAT news! It's already written and is currently with our IP manager so hopefully we will be able to get it fulfilled quickly after the campaign finishes. A great reward to get us all excited about the Dragonbond world. 

And secondly, we have managed to persuade the talented Sarah Madsen and Brian Suskind to answer some questions and give some insight into Elyse's Guide to Magic and everything it contains. So... either head over to our discord or the general comments section on this campaign and post any questions you have about the book and contents and we will do our best to answer them.

We know one of the things you are most excited about are the new player options so here are some further details about the Storm Witches, A subclass of the Vaala Witch.   

Storm Witches

  Vaala witches from the frozen north, storm witches harness the very essence of K’aab to summon forth terrible storms of snow and ice, hurricane and lightning. The most infamous storm witches hail from Gellanor – a dark land of desolate, frozen tundra beyond even Ysval. These witches are born of the orlar – the snow orcs – and their covens have long shone a light in the darkness for the orcish clans of the north. The most revered witches in Gellanor are the Winter Witches, presided over by an elder witch from each of the seven tribes. These witches are most commonly winged orlar, whose white, feathered wings are a sign of their magical affinity to the primal energies of the Northerlands. 

While only loosely allied to their tribes, the Winter Witches serve as oracles, advisors, and healers. Beyond the seven senior members of the coven, many attendants and apprentices aid the Winter Witches, and it is from these aspirants that successors are usually selected. 

It is the Winter Witches who create the oljuu potion – the magical liquid that empowers the race of snow orcs and enables their very survival. The creation of oljuu is a ritual unto itself and speaks to the orlar’s identity in their adopted homeland. An orlar band will hunt and kill the deadliest creature found in the Northerlands – the ygarrua, ice giants with magical frost armor that coats their bodies. 

Once the ygarrua is brought down, the orlar harvest the ice from its corpse and bring it to the winter witches. There, the ice is combined with the blood of their fallen brethren – orlar warriors who have sacrificed themselves for this purpose, giving their lives for the continuation of their people. Once prepared, the winter witches infuse the potion with storm magic, awakening the power within the oljuu, before bottling and distributing it to their people. It is with this threefold power – of the land, of the storm, and of the orlar themselves – that the snow orcs have won their survival.

Spotlight on Jonny Stanton

Johnny Stanton walks the line of athlete and nerd. The former NFL fullback with the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings is a creator in the TTRPG space, known for his work with Dropout, PAX Unplugged 2022’s Dragonlance Live Show, and his creation of his actual play miniseries, Of Dawn & Dusk. 

He is creating a magic item for the book: Sanguine Aegis, a blood magic shield. 

That's all for this update Dragonbonded, until next time - see you on Discord! 

Fire Heist Reveal - What's the novel all about?
about 1 year ago – Thu, Nov 16, 2023 at 01:27:52 PM

I'm so excited to reveal more about the novel Fire Heist in this update. This is the first Dragonbond novel and it is included in the digital deluxe, the deluxe tier and as a separate add on. 

What's Fire Heist it all about? 

This is the question you have been asking - so here is a short synopsis about the book. 

Once, Tomahdi was a hero. He traveled the far reaches of Valerna, faced down Tyverian killers and explored the fringes of the Fell Courts. He was celebrated as a legend, and people told stories of his exploits throughout the Cursed Coast and beyond.

That was until Crillian, an Allai half-elf, brought him so low that he’s now reduced to eking out a living in the fighting rings of Kara Tibor, taking punches and throwing fights for coin and drink. His hollow heart longs for it all to stop, and his cynicism knows no bounds… and yet, the punches keep coming and the drink keeps flowing.

Until Crillian walks back into his life, that is.

The Allai has planned the ultimate heist: to crack the most secure vault in all Valerna. And if it’s going to succeed, his plan needs a rogue like Tomahdi, no matter what the old brute has to say about it.

Dragged back into Crillian’s orbit, Tomahdi must do battle with his emotions as well as their mutual enemies, as they build the very best team for the job—experts in the crooked arts, every one. In fact, it’s a team that represents the very worst that Valerna has to offer.

At least, so Tomahdi thinks, right up until the moment vault springs open. Because that’s when their troubles really start, and both Tomahdi and Crillian are forced to learn that, however dangerous you are, however deadly…

…there’s always someone far more terrifying than you.

Let us know what you think in the comments! 

Until next time Dragonbonded - see you on Discord! 

Caroline