Exoecology for Monster Hunters: a 5e Ecohorror Boss Bestiary

Exoecology Update & a New Dark Fantasy Mystery Collaboration!
8 months ago – Tue, Oct 21, 2025 at 12:04:38 AM

Hi everyone! I'm trying to limit updates to times when I have substantial progress to share, and now's that time :)

Today's updates include new dice samples, a writing progress update, and an announcement for a new 5E collaboration with my friends at Lone Colossus Games and Green Goblet Games! 

Our collaboration, Gravedigger's Harvest, launches tomorrow, October 21st at 9 am PST! This dark fantasy mystery adventure takes place in Gilliksburgh: an unfortunate town where a lich-like monster and his minions are harvesting people like livestock and stealing their lungs for... well, you'll have to read it to find out. I'm bringing my ecosystem-minded approach to worldbuilding and monster design to really make this one something special, and I hope you check it out.

Dice Progress

I received some updated dice samples (round-edged resin) from the factory, but they still aren't quite hitting the mark in my opinion. I'll write an update after I decide how to proceed and have new samples to show, since there was some interest in pursuing other dice strategies mentioned in my previous update. This process has taken a bit longer than I expected, and I am hoping that it doesn't delay the fulfillment of the project. It'll probably be another handful of weeks before I have new samples in hand, but each round of samples looks better than the last!

Writing Update

I am chugging along, as usual! I've wrapped up the 5th adventure, and am working on the 6th and final adventure in the campaign. After that, I'll need to do editing passes on the book and dive into the revision phase of the project. I am still aiming to have the physical books in your hands by the end of March, though some delays are possible given the state of the world and the realities of large creative projects like this one. The final pieces of art are rolling in as well, including mosnters from the custom monster collaborations and some pieces showing off some of the extraplanar regional effects. I think it's turning out fantastically!

Gravedigger's Harvest: a new dark fantasy mystery launching October 21st!

Gravedigger’s Harvest is a dark fantasy mystery adventure for 5e inspired by the Ritual and Harvesting mechanics from Tome of Intangible Treasures II. This is a collaboration between myself, Iris Iordăchescu of Green Goblet Games, and Josh from Lone Colossus Games. 

Check out the project here!

Players will untangle a centennially recurring mystery and rescue the unfortunate townsfolk of Gillksburgh from their home’s cyclic misery. Despite being a horrible town in a smoke-filled bog, Gilliksburgh is suspiciously well-loved by its townsfolk, who are fated to die from a mysterious respiratory disease by the ripe “old” age of 53. Every hundred years or so, a cadaver goes missing from the morgue, and people start being murdered in the night, their chests cracked open like bloody walnuts. However, there aren’t any town records that suggest anything is out of place, and by the time the events start again no one in town remembers the last occurrence.

Gravedigger’s Harvest Will Feature:

• A Dark Fantasy Mystery Adventure in which the party will have to explore the town of Gilliksburgh and use their wits, magic, and brawn to delve into a deeper and darker mystery hidden below this unfortunate town
• A Closed Ecosystem of new, fully-illustrated monsters and strange cultists
• An Intricate Scenario with multiple approaches to solving the mystery
• New Boons and Charms able to be ritually enchanted using components harvested from monsters found in the adventure
• High Quality Physical and Digital Battle Maps of the adventure’s locales - usable in any game
• Build-a-Grave System - Build your own custom print-and-fold grave markers using art from the book with a provided template file!
• Quick Fulfillment alongside Tome of Intangible Treasures II - backers of both projects (or who add Tome of Intangible Treasures II during the campaign) will get their orders together when both projects release and save dramatically on shipping without any delay to either order

Progress Update, Dice Poll, and Stat Block Update
9 months ago – Wed, Aug 27, 2025 at 12:29:28 PM

Hey everyone!

I thought today would be a good time to send out an update on the book's progress, follow-up on the previous poll about stat blocks, and update you all on the dice manufacturing process.

2014/2024 Stat Block Poll

Thanks for voting in the 2014/2024 stat block poll to everyone who did! The voters chose Option A, so I'll be moving forward with the 2014 style stat blocks. I'll work on a conversion guide later in the writing process, so there'll be more details later for the 2024 lovers out there.

Book Progress

The book is coming along! I hope to have the writing done by the middle of October and all of the art done by end of October, but there is always a chance there will be delays. I have about 2.5 more adventures to write for the campaign portion of the book plus some extra campaign-specific supporting text, about 2.5 monsters to finish in the bestiary, and a handful of magic items to wrap up. All told, I have about 15% more of the book to finish writing and laying out. I'm feeling great about how the process is going and I feel confident that I should be in good shape to wrap up the writing certainly before the end of the year.

Dice Update & Poll

I have been going back and forth with the manufacturer these past few months to find a dice mold and process that comes as close to the original mockup as we can. The process has been a bit of a challenge. 

There's some good news and some bad news. Here is a quick and dirty summary:

• Good news: We are getting closer to a sample that looks good.
• Bad news: Sharp-edged resin dice with the mockup's marble-like swirl poses significant manufacturing challenges. To achieve the clean color separation between the dark and white swirls, it requires either 1) a much more expensive resin mold setup and higher cost per unit, 2) round-edged resin dice or 3) a shift in strategy to round-edged acrylic dice. More details below.

I've decided it would be best to fill you all in on the process so you can see what I'm working with, and ask for your opinions on how you'd like me to proceed. :)

Dice Poll

Some progress pictures are included below so you all can make an informed decision.

• Option 1: Resin round-edged dice. It turns out that the kind of resin required to make sharp-edged dice makes it impossible to achieve a clean version of the swirl I am looking for. This option should end up the closest to the original mockup, but they would be round-edged rather than sharp-edged. The price would be unchanged.
• Option 2: Sharp-edged (loaded) resin dice. These dice would have a transparent exterior surrounding the swirl, and the manufacturer told me it should be possible to achieve the style I am hoping for. This would be significantly more expensive for me. I would absorb the cost myself if we go this route because I do not want to raise prices retroactively. The price for you would be unchanged. Note: You can find a reference image at the bottom of this update.
• Option 3: Acrylic round-edged dice. These are cheaper and the sample is getting closer to the style I am hoping for, but the minimum order quantity is quite a bit higher than I'd like. I think it would be fair to offer a partial refund to backers because the manufacturing costs are cheaper and it isn't quite what was shown in the mockup (sharp-edged resin dice). If the majority of you want me to proceed with this option, I would bring the price down to $10 from $20 and you would receive a partial refund of $10 if your pledge already included a dice set.
• Option 4: Any option is fine with me!

Dice Progress Pictures

Acrylic Round-edged Dice. This is the latest round of dice samples. They are round-edged acrylic dice with a standard font and font color used for the sample which would be replaced with the final font after we narrow in on a process we want to move forward with. I am hoping for a cleaner separation between the white and dark blue/purple of the marble swirl as well.

• Pros: The swirl looks pretty good and there's a reasonably clear distinction between the light & dark parts of the "marbling". There is still some distance between this sample and what I am aiming for, but this is good headway!
• Cons: The original dice mockup was a sharp-edged resin dice set, so this is somewhat different. See below for why I am experimenting with round-edged acrylic dice with the manufacturer.

Sharp Edged Resin Dice (Best) Sample. This is, unfortunately, the best sample of the sharp-edged resin dice I have received. This is quite far from what I am looking for, and this is the main reason I have started pursuing acrylic dice as an option in the first place. The other samples aren't worth showing, in my opinion.

Loaded Resin Examples. I don't have a sample yet of the loaded resin, but here is an example of a loaded resin dice set that the manufacturer sent as an example of what can be done.

• Pros: They look cool! The swirls are more controllable, which should standardize the appearance of the dice even across the numbered dice. My understanding is that each set will look more like the others and there is more fine control over the "swirl" pattern.
• Cons: It's more expensive and will take a significant bite out of the campaign. If this is what you all would like me to do, I'll pursue this and eat the cost and consider it a cost of doing business rather than raising prices.

Thanks, everyone! As always, please reach out and message me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. It's time for me to dive back into writing :)

-Andie

Backerkit Surveys Are Live!
11 months ago – Sun, Jul 06, 2025 at 10:15:42 AM

Hi everyone!

Many of you have already seen that the Backerkit Surveys are live, so thank you for filling them out already! We're at about 80% completion, which is great progress. I've already started collaborating on some of the new monsters and I'm starting to organize schedules for the Play with the Creator tiers.

These surveys are a crucial step to collect shipping addresses and other details to make sure you get the rewards you've purchased. If you haven't had a chance to fill out the survey yet, please do so when you can! The sooner these surveys are filled out, the sooner I can start distributing some digital rewards, such as the Murders at Lorelahc Manor add-on, and other early sneak peeks and playtest materials.

If you haven't been receiving emails about the Backerkit Surveys, please message me on Kickstarter and I'll get that sorted out for you :)

A quick development update: both the Traveler's Guide to Botanical Nightmares and Expanded Regional Effects chapters are officially finished, and now I'm making good headway on the Bestiary. The work continues!

-Andie

Backer Surveys, A New Poll, & Botanical Nightmares!
12 months ago – Tue, Jun 17, 2025 at 10:09:55 AM

Hi everyone!

I've been cranking away at the text of the book and sorting out some administrative details behind the scenes here. This update has a 2014/2024 monster stat block poll, a sneak peek at the unlocked $50k stretch goal, and an update about upcoming Backerkit surveys.

2014/2024 Stat block poll

I'm deep in the writing phase of this project and would like your input! As backers of the Kickstarter, I wanted to know whether you would prefer the printed version of the book to have 2014 or 2024 style stat blocks for monsters. I admit that I have a slight preference for 2014 style stat blocks, but I'm happy to put the decision in your collective hands. 

I'll have a conversion guide included either way (from 2014 to 2024 or 2024 to 2014, depending on which you all choose).

Please comment below which option you'd prefer! 

A) 2014 style stat blocks!
B) 2024 style stat blocks!
C) Either one is fine with me.

Stretch goal: Traveler's Guide to Botanical Nightmares

You may have noticed that the campaign crossed $50k during late pledges, which means we unlocked the next stretch goal: the Traveler's Guide to Botanical Nightmares! If we hit $60k in next month or two, I'd still have time to make the last 3 subclasses before the book has to go to printers.

I and Diana (@dianaoftherose) have been hard at work making a new complex trap system and some awful plant-based traps and hazards. Check out this WIP spread below with one of my favorite encounters involving an addictive fruit that temporarily heals injuries, a collapsing cliff, and an angler-fish inspired trap!

Surveys & "Smoke Test"

Backerkit surveys collect important details like your shipping information and other things specific to your pledge tiers.

The first step is to send out a "smoke test" which will be received by about 5% of backers in the next week or so. This is to catch any issues with the backer surveys to make sure the process is as smooth as possible. If you don't receive one in the first batch, you'll receive your survey along with everyone else when everything is sorted. 

Backer surveys will be sent out once any issues are ironed out, so keep an eye out for that.

Survey Walkthrough

For anyone who hasn't used one of these Backerkit surveys before, here are a few highlights of things to look out for.

1) First, you'll be able to switch your pledge level (for instance, if you pledged at the Add-on only tier to follow the project). You'll be asked to enter your country/state on the first page, which will be used later when shipping fees are applied.

2) There will be a few questions for everyone and additional questions for some backer tiers, such as the Custom Monster Collaboration. This is also when VTT backers will choose whether they want the Roll20 or Foundry module.

3) There will be a chance to add more add-ons to your cart. Please note: shipping will not be charged yet! Shipping will be charged closer to the fulfillment date so that the shipping rates are as accurate and fair as possible.

That's all from me! Thanks again for backing and feel free to reach out if you have any questions :)
-Andie

Funded!! Next Steps, Logistics, etc.
about 1 year ago – Thu, May 29, 2025 at 02:16:55 PM

Aaaaand that's a wrap! Thank you all for your support! I came into this expecting $50k to be out of reach, but here we are: only $1000 off of the goal I'd set on my most ambitious days. I couldn't be more excited to dig in and make all of the goodies that you all unlocked :)

Speaking of unlocking things, we're only $1k away from the $50k we need to unlock the Traveler's Guide to Botanical Nightmares book chapter. More news on that soon—hopefully we hit this goal soon with Late Pledges rolling in!

What's Next?

First, after about 2-3 weeks, Kickstarter will be done processing pledges and I'll send out a Backerkit survey. That survey will collect your shipping addresses, your preferred name for the book credit, and any other necessary details for fulfilling your specific tiers. 

Around the same time, I'll be reaching out to the Superbackers that pledged for the Custom Monster Collaboration to schedule those design meetings and to get cranking on our cool creations! Likewise, I'll reach out around then to the Play with the Creator backers for scheduling and character creation. I'll also be sending out the Murders at Lorelahc Manor books and PDFs once the Backerkit backend is all set up and pledges are processed :)

Logistical Update #1: Backerkit

I'll be using the Backerkit Pledge manager for fulfillment. If you haven't interacted with that pledge manager before, it will allow you to do a few useful things after the campaign:

• Provide shipping addresses (which you can still update if you move before shipping)
• Add new add-ons to your order (dice, cards, a spot at my table, etc.)
• It will be used to charge shipping & taxes closer to the fulfillment period of the campaign

Logistical Update #2: Shipping & Taxes

I'll be waiting until the final project fulfillment (eta March 2026) to charge for shipping and taxes, so you will have quite a while to finalize your shipping address if you expect to move soon, and make various adjustments before then.

Final Thoughts

Late Pledges will remain open for at least the next few weeks and during that time, we'll still be able to unlock the next stretch goals! After that, I'll be opening up a Backerkit preorder store that will allow people who missed the campaign to pledge to the campaign.

Thank you all again! I can't wait to share more of the book with you all soon.
-Andie