a 5e Science-Fantasy Campaign Setting and Adventure Saga from Alchemy RPG
Please note, we are waiting to charge for shipping closer to fulfillment. After shipping fees are added in, you will be notified via email before your payment is charged.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Quick Update, a Look at Provis, and Alchemy Unlimited!
almost 3 years ago
– Mon, Apr 24, 2023 at 02:57:06 PM
Hey Backers,
A quick update on the “who” behind these updates - I’m Asher, the operations and all-around get-stuff-done guy at Alchemy, and I’ll be handling these updates as we move into the more logistical end of the project. Amy has been doing an amazing job getting this book moving in a really incredible direction, creatively, and we’re so excited to show you all what we’ve got.
The team is heads down working towards this book moving into layout and manufacturing, which should be happening in the near term! That said, we’ve got some strong updates and fulfillment of the one year of Alchemy Unlimited for the backers who pledged at the Spae, Mother Tree, and Openda Tiers. Keep reading!
Book Progress
Art
We’re fully ramping up on art production and the updates from here will get much, much prettier! We’ve got a ton of phenomenal artists working hard to create over a hundred pieces of art. It’s a herculean task, but we’re making great progress and should be able to show off some fantastic art in the coming updates. Here’s a breakdown of the art being made:
23 Environments! That’s double our original count and we’re so excited to be able to provide environmental graphics for every single major moment in the book.
38 pieces of sketch art - these are the details that really fill out a world - the Vault Batallian underwater suit (BV suit for short), sigils for the Stridency and Arcureans, handouts for players, etc.
31 NPCs - everything from Turdines, the biotech turtles that transport people throughout the Blue Vault, to the well-respected Ampelios Vendiro.
14 Maps - Alongside maps of each dome, we’ll have adventure specific maps that your minis will look amazing on.
Setting & Adventure
Folx, I cannot describe to you how much I’m enjoying going deep into the setting of this book. It’s done, save some art, and the diversity of the environments in this underwater city is really coming together beautifully. Each of the setting chapters begins with a short story that brings you into the dome and helps you understand the emotion and tone of the place Chrysaleans call home.
I hope this gives you a little insight into Provis - the home of sustenance for all of Chrysalea.
Order Lock Coming Next Week
We’re going to be locking orders shortly so that we have a firm count on quantities for manufacturing. You’ll get an email update with 48 hours notice - we anticipate this happening early next week, so check the add-on store to make sure you’re getting everything you want!
Playtesting
To those of you who already submitted playtesting responses, thank you so much. We deeply value your feedback and have been going through it diligently. For anyone that may have missed the playtesting round one, this folder has everything you need!
We are looking forward to producing a second round of playtesting here in the next week or two, going a little deeper into the adventure. Sign up here if you’re interested and join the Discord so we can add you to the playtesting channel!
One Year of Alchemy Unlimited
We’re fulfilling the free year of Alchemy Unlimited for everyone that pledged at the Spae Tier and above. You’ll have a redemption code in your Backerkit alongside this Kickstarter update, so check it out to get started! The platform division of Alchemy is going live with our Alchemy Version One Kickstarter campaign tomorrow morning - we’ve got lots brewing over there, don’t miss out on the opportunity to be one of the first people to experience the best Alchemy Enhanced has to offer! Sign up to get notified here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alchemyrpg/alchemy-rpg-a-reimagined-vtt-experience
You’ll get instructions in your Backerkit to redeem your free year - let us know in Discord or at [email protected] if you have any trouble.
Timeline Update
We’re cruising along with final edits and art and feeling good about the direction things are moving. We’re confident we’ll be able to get the digital versions of Dark Symmetry – the PDF and Alchemy Module – to you in the month of June as promised, but the physical copies may take a little bit longer to materialize; we want to make sure that every version of this book is the highest quality we can muster, and that’s been a longer journey than expected. As we get closer to that date, we’ll make sure to keep you as up to date as we are.
If you have any questions or need any help with your order, don’t hesitate to send us an email ([email protected]) or join our Discord.
Thanks for supporting us. Truly, genuinely, we appreciate it.
- The Dark Symmetry Team
A completed manuscript, subclasses, and some alchemy news!
almost 3 years ago
– Thu, Mar 16, 2023 at 11:13:19 PM
From the Desk of the Creative Director
Hello, you beautiful backers! Amy Vorpahl here to give you the latest on Dark Symmetry.
Thank you so much for all the wonderful and thorough feedback we have received from playtesters! The discord is popping, and we are so grateful for you taking the time to review what we have developed!
Manuscript
At the time of writing this, we have a rough, work-in-progress, but FULL manuscript of the book. This is such a huge win, and it feels amazing to have a task so large (and full of so many dang words) all compiled into a feasible product. The book WILL be a book. I never had any doubts, but now there’s proof!
Show and Tell
I wish I had more to show and tell you, but rest assured, good stuff is on its way! While aethercrafting playtesting is nigh, the campaign is going through some edits, and art and layout is in progress, we do have a delightful summary for all the subclasses. Behold! They are geographically based around the habitats/domes of Chrysalea.
Chrysalea Prime: Druid and Paladin – a nod to the Mother Tree and Queensguard in symbiosis with each other.
Endeavor Mansions: Bard and Rogue – subclasses that focus on political intrigue that will help you throw shade and be generally shady.
Origin: Cleric, Sorcerer and Wizard – these are the main science-focused subclasses that deal with aether, merqua, and bringing items and people to their highest potential.
Balance: Monk and Warlock – horror-themed subclasses that use a hive mind mentality to achieve greatness.
Provis: Ranger – an urban mystery-solver.
Gloom: Barbarian and Graftknight – from the Doldrums of Gloom, these subclasses have had to survive in the harshest of environments, adapting in different and ideologically clashing ways.
You may have already heard, but Alchemy RPG’s version 1 is launching soon! Click here to follow along and get notified when we launch.
Symmetrically Yours,
Amy
Playtest Materials Incoming!
about 3 years ago
– Sat, Feb 18, 2023 at 09:49:39 AM
From the Desk of the Creative Director
Hello, you beautiful backers! Amy Vorpahl here to give you the latest on Dark Symmetry.
First up, you should know that our setting and worldbuilding part of the book is finished and ready to be edited! Hooray! There’s not much else to report on this other than I love crossing things off lists, and crossing this section off made me a very happy nerd lady. I’m positive that when you get to read it, you’ll be very happy, too!
Playtesting The Adventure Part of the Book
We are ready to begin sending out some playtesting materials! We will release future materials in piecemeal bundles as the sections of the campaign are looked over and finalized.
We will be sending our first playtesting bundle over the next couple of days directly to those who have signed up. It will include everything you need to know about the setting, and the opening adventures. We will also be opening up a discord channel for playtesters where you’ll be able to exchange notes and ask questions.
If you are interested in playtesting parts of our adventure and giving us feedback, you may still sign up using this link: https://forms.gle/P7JWD2Gro5wMVSmZ6
**Playtesters will be listed by name (with permission) in the credits section of the book!
Show and Tell
This month, I’m so tickled to announce we have added a couple more writers to our book team! They are a dang delight, and their work truly sings (did you know it was possible to tear up over game design?)! Enjoy learning more about them, and also consider looking them up on your own, following their socials, and–dare I say–hiring them!
It Is My Distinct Honor to Introduce You To…
Syd Adams (she/they)
Syd is a game designer who chose gaming as their medium of choice for storytelling early on. With D&D and MTG in her arsenal, Syd is now the Senior Game Designer at Take Two Interactive. We knew of her game design work at WOTC, and we cold-asked her to join the team (spoiler–she said yes)! She will be working on two adventures for Dark Symmetry, and we are so excited that she had enough bandwidth to help us out on our project!
I was introduced to Jacky just this year, and after I learned that he made thousands of stat blocks as a child “just for fun,” I knew we had to have him on the team! He has edited and game designed for many companies, has written for notable titles like Arcadia and Pathfinder, and has published his own ideas on DM’s Guild (my fave is Just Dessert). Jacky will be writing one of our Dark Symmetry adventures, and as he is now a very busy contracted editor for Modiphius, we are so lucky to have him!
Last but not least, Dark Symmetry is only one arm of Alchemy. It’s our original content, and since you’re here, it’s obvious you’re excited about that. Me too. If you’re like me, though, you also like TTRPGs in general, and probably even enjoy playing them digitally. Alchemy is working with some of the top names in the TTRPG industry, creating intuitive ways to play their games in an app that guarantees a cinematic, immersive gaming experience.
If you’ve been following the devlog, you may have noticed that Alchemy has a pretty exciting version 1 release coming soon. Stay tuned for an extra special announcement about that soon. Follow us on Twitter for the scoop.
Symmetrically Yours,
Amy
Playtesting, Meet the Team, and Creative Updates
about 3 years ago
– Wed, Jan 18, 2023 at 12:57:17 AM
From the Desk of the Creative Director
Hello, you beautiful backers! Amy Vorpahl here to give you the latest on “Dark Symmetry.”
The Setting Part of the Book
Have you ever heard that nothing is ever truly finished–it’s just due? I live and breathe that adage… That being said, I can comfortably tell you that the worldbuilding/setting part of the book is pretty much finished! The team has done an impeccable job fleshing out the world of Chrysalea so that every nook and cranny oozes with adventure. This means…
We can begin commissioning new art pieces–using real artists who we will pay, btw (as opposed to AI, which was never never going to be an option. To be clear, never). Honestly, communicating a vision to an artist and having them nail it visually is one of the coolest and most fun parts of making a TTRPG book! The pieces will actually help make the book (and these KS updates) really sing, so I can’t wait to immerse you further into this world!
The Adventure Part of the Book
The outlines we’ve been working with for months are starting to gel together and become actual adventures that fit inside a really fun campaign! The biggest news here is…
We will be ready to playtest soon! So we are starting signups for volunteer playtesters today. If you are interested in playtesting parts of our adventure and giving us feedback, sign up using this link:
**Playtesters will be listed by name (with permission) in the credits section of the book!
Show and Tell
This month, I’d love to tell you about the team we have working on this book! I feel so lucky to be able to work with all of them–their talent and passion for gaming and storytelling is incredible, and I’m blown away any time I get to read more of their work. Enjoy learning more about them, and also consider looking them up on your own, following their social, and–dare I say–hiring them!
It Is My Distinct Honor to Introduce You To…
Donathin Frye
We’ve met Don at several conventions and, based on our like-minded passions, we became fast friends. When we found out our collaborating schedules lined up, we jumped at the opportunity to work together. Don is the Lead Narrative Designer for Modiphius’ “Fallout: The Roleplaying Game,” and co-wrote “To Hell and Back Again,” the most downloaded and best reviewed adventure in the “Descent into Avernus” storyline.
I first met Sarah when we were contemporary contributors to WOTC’s “Candlekeep Mysteries,” and her adventure, “A Deep and Creeping Darkness,” stood out as one of the more chilling mysteries! Since then, she’s only become more prolific, contributing to many titles from Kobold Press, MCDM, Ghostfire Gaming. She and I were able to pal around at Gen Con, and now we consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have her on our team as she is also the Lead Designer for a forthcoming Draco Studios title!
I initially met James through mutual internet nerd gaming friends several years ago, but I only recently learned how synergistic his experience and passion for innovation are with our current project. And thank goodness I did–just in time! He is currently headlining the Aethercrafting work as well as some of the other more crunchy game design in the book. James Pianka has been a writer and storyteller forever, and a game designer almost as long. He has written text for Magic, the Gathering and has designed games for different RPGs across both software and tabletop mediums.
To help address the current tensions in the TTRPG community, we at Alchemy are offering 90 free days of Alchemy Unlimited, which enables you to create an unlimited number of 5e (and system-agnostic) characters — or import your existing characters directly from D&D Beyond! We're also spotlighting a few of the incredible third-party creators who have generously offered up a few of their titles, completely free.
To keep the pulse on Alchemy development and other offers like this, sign up for the newsletter at https://alchemyrpg.com/ (scroll all the way down to the bottom of the home page).
Symmetrically Yours,
Amy
Creative Production and Rewards
about 3 years ago
– Fri, Dec 16, 2022 at 05:59:17 AM
From the Desk of the Creative Director
Hey! I'm Amy Vorpahl and I’m officially the Creative Director for Dark Symmetry!
So much has happened since I came on board, so let me catch y’all up!
What you already know–is that the second book for the “Lore of Aetherra” series looks really cool and that you, as backers, already want to run a game in this world and/or play in this world. Honestly, same.
Most of what you don’t know is… how?
Work
I’ve been spending the better part of the last couple of months
Developing the lore
Cementing a logical timeline of events for the lore to make sure it spurs danger and urgency for the adventure
Honing the entire book down into a presentable clear picture of my vision to the other writers and producers which brings me to…
We are well into the adventure development phase! With a real live team! Of real live people! All D&D 5e game designers and writers with some awesome credits. I’ll announce the team in a later update.
What we are working on is:
Leaning into the genres of sci fi, bio tech, cosmic horror, mystery, and of course, fantasy
Going deep on the setting, defining the geography, culture, and lore
Specifying how one plays in this world with narrative adventures and game mechanics.
I can tell you definitively what the adventure scope will look like now:
A setting based heavily on roleplay
Social encounters and mystery-solving (supported by mechanics)
Combat encounters with some weird, almost alien stuff from an underwater city isolated for 1,000 years
Big Setpiece-Level combat encounters, triggered narratively
Bio tech/ sci fi everywhere: flavor and cosmetics for everything, mechanics for some
Show and Tell
Wizard Subclass
The Graftknight from the Novarail adventure will stay, and we have a first draft of a wizard subclass, which is very important to me, as an Intelligence-based spellcaster in an Intelligence Based society. What I can tell you is the title: The School of Teleology. OMG. Are you ded?
What the World Looks Like
It’s going to look more modern/space station-y/alien than fantasy in many places, a jarring juxtaposition to Fano and the Dimlight Forest in “The Lost Druid.” Chrysalean tech is mostly organic-based. Not much metal is used, and tools and structures are mostly made of stone, bone, and wood (fresh or ossified). Systems of intricate gears, rope pulleys as well as water wheel hydraulics and information-bearing vines provide most of the technology of the world. When thinking in terms of materials in a bio-tech world, let aether take the place of batteries, electricity, data storage, and most metals and alloys. Let the membrane of the Mother Tree take the place of oil and oil-based synthetic products like rubber, plastic, and silicone. Also, regular metals and certain types of stones and gems are still available since there is a massive mine at the core of the world that brings up materials.
Magic Cosmetics
The presence of aether and biotechnology also can flavor spells. Mechanically, they work the same in Chrysalea, but their superficial effects and descriptions can be altered. Some examples are listed below.
Arcane eye. The eye looks like the outer shell of a pecan nut, held by wrinkled vines. When it opens, the brain-like nut is the part that sees.
Mage hand. The summoned hand is a wooden claw covered in vines, similar to a treant’s hand.
Purify food and drink. Purplish algae (merqua) seeps out of the food and collects in an easily removable puddle.
Rewards
Music
The soundtrack is sounding spicy, with about 45 minutes of the “Dark Symmetry” soundtrack completed! I used “The Lost Druid” soundtrack (available to purchase or stream on your favorite apps) for writing background music during much of this development process! More recently, I’ve been loving the more mechanical/tech flair that these new sounds inspire.
Candle
As a way to expand the immersive qualities of playing the adventures by integrating the sense of smell (something we haven’t figured out how to get our VTT app to do, yet), we’ve collaborated with the Crafty Gamer to make a “Dark Symmetry”-specific candle! As always, our desire is to create a thematic "experience" around each of the titles with physical dice, a campaign book, and now, candles!
We have changed the scent from Chrysanthemum, Green Leaves, and Cedar to Petrichor (ozone) and Green Leaves. Since “The Lost Druid” was very focused on a fantasy forest, “Dark Symmetry” will smell a little bit more like you’re in a science lab in a bubble surrounded by water!
Thanks for reading all of this! Whew! Just writing it makes me realize how much we’ve/I’ve actually gotten done. But also, it’s almost 2023, and we have loads more to develop. I can’t wait to share more with you next time! Let me know below what you’re most excited about. I will spend way too much time reading your comments :)
