Exoecology for Monster Hunters: a 5e Ecohorror Boss Bestiary
Created by MargoMods
Heroic ecohorror meets D&D 5e with extraplanar bosses, adventures, craftable items, and more. Available in PDF, VTT module, and print.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Backerkit Surveys Are Live!
9 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!
10 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!
An early spread from the botany section of the book. These traps use a system inspired by skill challenges and each plant and trap will be arranged into prebuilt encounters that you can just drop into any game. It's also easy to take them out and use them on their own!
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.
10 months 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
3 New Subclasses Unlocked +Last 48 Hours!
10 months ago
– Tue, May 27, 2025 at 10:03:22 AM
Only 48 hours left!! I am so grateful for all of the support—Let's see if we can hit $50k :)
I have a few updates for you today: the subclass poll results and an overview of the next stretch goal. I'll be posting updates a bit more frequently now that the campaign is coming to a close with details about fulfillment timelines, logistics, and early previews.
The limited quantity tiers are running out, so if you want to join my table and have me run the first adventure for you, sign up soon! There are only 2 spots left for the Play with the Creator tier and 2 slots left for custom monster collaborations. The custom monster tier is perfect for you if you've always wanted a creation of yours in a published book and/or if you want to get into monster and game design, but don't know where to start.
Subclass Poll results!
Thank you for voting in the subclass poll! The winners are: warlock, druid, and ranger. All three of these are perfect, and I can't wait to start digging into the design work for them. I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I'll say that I'm already noodling on how to make a Poison Ivy inspired subclass (and it's probably not going to be the druid).
$50k Stretch Goal: Extraplanar Plants!
We only have 48 hours to go, but it would be incredible to hit $50k to unlock the last planned stretch goal: A Traveler's Guide to Botanical Nightmares in collaboration with DianaoftheRose. If anyone's tried looking for plant monsters, plant-based regional effects, traps, and other mechanics, you've probably run into the same problem that I have: there aren't enough to choose from. That's what this addition to the book would be dedicated to solving! Note: even if this stretch goal isn't unlocked, I can't resist the urge to add some spooky plants to the book—this would just ensure that there are more!
Exoecology Actual Play
I'm one of those people that loves to see a game or adventure played before I run it myself—if you're like me, check out this Actual Play of the Whispering Wood introductory adventure later today at 3:00 PST! It will air on TalkingXP's Youtube channel.
This book from my friends over at Quills Tiny Quests is a personal favorite of mine. Who doesn't love hags in D&D?
Unveil the Mysteries of the Ancient Crones with Satzija's Tome of Hags! ✨
Step into the arcane world of hags, covens, and lairs with the ultimate DnD 5E/2024 companion. 🔮 Packed with unique hags, witches, acolytes, and familiars, this beautifully crafted hardcover manual brims with dark magic, twisted creatures, and challenging encounters.
With 1,700+ backers, 19 unlocked stretch goals, and over 50 add-ons, Satzija’s Tome of Hags is the ultimate way to infuse your games with wicked, witchy flavor.
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The Heroes & Hardships Core Rulebook is packed with everything you need to craft unforgettable stories, including rules for vehicles, engaging adversaries, and an extensive bestiary spanning multiple genres. Plus, enhance your gameplay with the GM Screen for quick reference and Foundry VTT integration for seamless online play. Create, explore, and conquer—your next great adventure starts here!
Campaign Halfway Mark: Stretch Goals, a Subclass Poll, and Sneak Peeks!
11 months ago
– Wed, May 14, 2025 at 07:33:31 AM
We're about halfway through the campaign and we've just about unlocked the next stretch goal: more scaling environmental effects!
To mark the occasion, I wanted to share some of the environmental effects I've been working on to show you what's coming plus poll results, a sneak peek at a second chromatic crab, a subclass poll, and more!
Poll Results: A Tight Race
Thanks to everyone who voted in the first poll! Many people wrote in with ranked choice votes, so I weighted people's 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices rather than just tallying up the 1st choices.
It was effectively a tie between Option 1 (scaling stat blocks) and Option 2 (a wider spread of invasive species from varied planes), so I'll split the difference and focus on delivering on both.
Chromatic crabs are a great example of one way I'll go about that. Each chromatic crab will represent a different Elemental Plane and each will have larval, adult, and ancient versions similar to chromatic dragons. However, crabs have very different life cycles than a dragon does—they lay 1000s of eggs (or more)—which opens up the design space for hordes of larval chromatic crabs and only a few adult and ancient crabs.
This is a WIP sketch of a chromatic crab from the Elemental Plane of Water. It's a monstrous creature inspired by hermit crabs that can grow to fill a container of arbitrary size. The one depicted below took over a floating reef city, but just imagine what it could do if it got its hands on something like a wizard's tower. The options are endless.
Stretch Goal: More Scaling Environmental Effects!
Weather and climate are fickle things in worlds ravaged by magic and monsters. An incursion from the Elemental Plane of Water that evolves from a Minor effect to a Catastrophic effect over time is enough for an entire campaign hook, but these effects work just as well as one-off obstacles for player characters to overcome as they pass by the lair of a powerful monster.
Each environmental effect has a Minor, Major, and Catastrophic tier with escalating DCs and compounding effects. Each successive tier includes all effects of the previous tiers, unless there is a direct conflict in which case the higher tier takes precedence.
Want to see it in practice? Check out this excerpt from an early draft of the book!
An early excerpt of scaling environmental effects caused by planar anomalies.
What's Next?
I'm confident that we'll hit the next stretch goal to unlock 3 more subclasses, and I'm hoping we hit the next listed stretch goal: a Traveler's Guide to Botanical Nightmares!
I thought it might be fun to put it to you all to vote on which subclasses will be next! I'll tally the votes and take the top 3 you all vote for.
The six classes that don't have subclasses in the book yet are:
Rogue
Fighter
Warlock
Druid
Ranger
Sorcerer
Respond to this update with a comment listing your top three choices from the list in order of preference! :)
Project I Love: Tattoo Arcanima
My friend Wyatt Trull is running a really cool project that only has 1 day left to back! It's one of those ideas that's obviously a good one, and I love the samples he put out.
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