Progress Update #3 - Herbalism, Hunting, and Alchemy - COVID Update
over 2 years ago – Thu, Sep 09, 2021 at 11:51:09 PM

Hello wonderful backers!  Thank you for waiting patiently for information on Grio's Guide to the Wildlands.  Today we have some information about the designs of the following systems:

• Herbalism, Disease, and Poisons
• Hunting and Trapping
• Alchemy and Advanced Potion Craft

Herbalism, Disease, and Poisons

For our dedicated masters of herbalism, we have the opportunity to forage for valuable plant life that can benefit an adventuring party in many ways.  While we've seen these systems developed by other designers in the past, we've always felt that they should have a narrower and more clearly defined focus. As such, we've collected knowledge from the real-life discipline of herbal medicine and tried to apply it directly to some of the challenging conditions, poisons, and diseases that arise from the natural hazards of our wildlands biomes.

For example, natural herbal remedies exist for environmental conditions like sunburn, altitude sickness, and allergic reactions.  Additionally, plants discovered and combined by a skilled herbalist may be used to generate bolstering, preventative, or restorative effects for the heroes in your party.  Your party herbalist will be able to craft everything from basic healing draughts to anti-infection poultices to infusions that aid mental acuity.  There will also be some collaborative potential with any hunters or alchemists travelling with the group. 

This system includes two unique character Background options as well: the Herbalist and the Poisoner.  These two Backgrounds will grant proficiencies with the tools of the trade and will provide a boost to the Nature skill that is so central to creating both helpful and harmful concoctions from collected plants. 

Hunting and Trapping

In Grio's Guide to the Wildlands, hunting and trapping prey is no longer reduced to a single Survival skill check.  We've expanded this system to account for hunting equipment, preparations, and the skill of the kill shot when attempting to bag larger quarry.  We believe that a hunting encounter should be full of drama, imagery, and suspense - not to mention a certain element of risk.

Our hunting system gives a skilled practitioner (or a group of hunters working together) the opportunity to locate prey, prepare the hunting ground, use camouflage, and stalk into range for a perfect kill shot.  Whether this skillset is being used to take down a magnificent elk, or it is being used to ambush an unsuspecting enemy, we believe that it brings a level of challenge and excitement that is truly game-changing.

In addition to the hunting strategies mentioned above, this chapter of Grio's Guide will include a Trapper character Background that grants a character knowledge of the construction of primitive trap mechanisms.  These may be used as traditional hunting tools, or they may be used as part of a tactical ambush against the party's enemies.  Our hunting and trapping mechanics will open up all kinds of new opportunities for the use of stealth and cunning in the wilderness.

Alchemy and Advanced Potions

Our alchemy concepts center around three avenues of manipulation called foci: Mind, Body, and Soul. Each focus encompasses a pair of ability scores and associated elements (both primary and secondary) that are used with Alchemist's Supplies to create useful concoctions.

Mind Alchemy manipulation tends to focus on things controlled by the mind: what it sees, how it comprehends things, and a sense of control over the minds of others. This often manifests via inhalants like gases, vapors, or oils that produce pheromones. These concoctions might be used to influence the minds of one's enemies or enhance one's own perception.

Body Alchemy typically focuses on physical enhancements. These can be delivered through mechanical grafts, injections, or ingestible capsules. This manipulation might strengthen the muscles, enhance speed, or create additional limbs.

Soul Alchemy manipulation focuses on the energy that connects the soul to its body. This is done primarily through injecting alchemical mixtures directly into the bloodstream using syringes, infusing ingestible solutions, or creating patches that allow chemicals to seep directly through pores in the skin. The results may increase vitality or improve perception of the world around you.

The Alchemy chapter of Grio's Guide to the Wildlands also includes a special Alchemist character Background that may be chosen by players during character creation.  Not only does this background provide a character with the necessary tool and skill proficiencies, but it allows them to double their Proficiency Bonus when dealing with a particular alchemical focus.

A Quick Word on Illness and the Production Schedule

As all of you are aware, we are living in challenging times.  Our team is working diligently to complete this book according to our original timeline (planning to ship in November).  However, it seems that we are not immune from the current pandemic.  We have had some extended illnesses with some members of our various production teams.  While we're very thankful that these talented individuals seem to have recovered well, we are very aware that these kinds of delays have slowed our progress.  We hope that we can avoid additional illness and delays, but that is largely out of our control.

We're thankful for your continued patience and support as we complete this labor of love for all of you dedicated DMs and players out there.  Please realize that our goal is to put a high-quality sourcebook in your hands as soon as we possibly can.

Stay safe, and stay tuned for more!

August Update - Natural Hazard Encounter Design and Playtests Approaching Conclusion
over 2 years ago – Sun, Aug 08, 2021 at 02:00:43 AM

Hello Backers!  Glad to be coming to you with a quick update on our production process.   But first, here are a few reminders on our timeline:

• BackerKit Surveys were sent out to email inboxes on the 10th and 11th of July, and 94% of our backers have completed the survey.  This process is crucially important for delivering your selected rewards, so if you haven't received the survey, please take a moment to send us a message here on Kickstarter.
• We've had a total 55 playtesters who have participated in 15 game sessions so far, and they've gotten early access to natural hazard encounters from the Desert, the Jungle, the Swamp, the Mountains, and the Forest.  If you backed at a playtesting tier, you should have received an email with instructions on how to participate.  These playtests will be wrapping up near the beginning of September, so don't miss your chance to be a part of one!
• BackerKit orders will be locked, and cards will be charged for add-ons and shipping, at the end of August.  If you are receiving a hardcover version of the book and need to change your delivery address after that point, you will still be able to do so through the BackerKit website until the end of October.
• The final editing and layout procedures will take place in September and October, and we hope to be able to deliver PDF and hardcover rewards in November as originally planned.  If there are any unexpected delays to this process, we'll be sure to post another update with those specific details.

Design Progress

We've designed, drafted, and playtested over 30 environmental encounters so far, and we have many, many more that will be playtested in the coming weeks.  We also have dedicated teams working on the mechanical details of our Herbalism, Alchemy, and Hunting systems, which are shaping up to be very exciting!

Our art team is hard at work on custom illustrations that will go alongside our encounter designs.  Here are just a few of the images that will grace the pages of Grio's Guide to the Wildlands:

Thank you again for your continued support of this project!  Our team continues to work diligently to make sure that Grio's Guide will be an enjoyable and useful tool for your tabletop gaming experience.  Expect another update near the beginning of September.

Progress Update #1 - Surveys and Play-Testing
almost 3 years ago – Fri, Jul 09, 2021 at 05:07:24 PM

Surveys Are Coming!

Just a quick update here to let you all know that you should be seeing surveys from BackerKit in your email accounts next week.  Test surveys are going out right now, and all additional surveys will be sent within the next 7 days.  It's important that you respond to the survey as quickly as possible to verify shipping details and to select any Add-Ons that you would like to have included with your order.

Play-testing

Play-testing is in full swing.  We've already run a number of sessions with play-testing backers, but there are still a few backers who have not contacted us through the Next-Level Gaming Discord server.  If you pledged at a play-testing tier, please check your Kickstarter messages for further instructions.

We are scheduling 3 to 4 sessions per week between now and the end of August, and we want everyone to have an opportunity to participate.  We're also rotating the times of these sessions to try to accommodate players from various time zones.

Development

The design team is hard at work on new encounters and on using the feedback that we're receiving from our play-testing sessions.  Artists are creating fantastic pieces that will be included in the book.  The editing and layout process gets into its early stages next week, and things are moving along at a relatively good pace.  Looking forward to getting this book into all of your hands!

Thank You to All of Our Backers! Here . . . We . . . Go!
almost 3 years ago – Wed, Jun 16, 2021 at 10:56:42 PM

We have some details on the fulfillment schedule below, but first . . . 

The team at Next-Level Gaming is incredibly grateful to the 2,220 backers who helped to bring this book to life.  Grio's Guide to the Wildlands promises to be an incredible supplement for DMs who want to make the wilderness a meaningful part of their campaign worlds, and we couldn't have done it without all of you!

For anyone who missed out on the campaign the Pre-Order Store is open and available through BackerKit.  The Standard Hardcover and PDF versions of Grio's Guide to the Wildlands are available through this channel, along with tokens for online play with Next-Level Professional DMs.  As promised, the Kickstarter Exclusive Limited Edition cover will only be shipped to backers who pledged during the campaign funding window.

Final Tallies on Content to be Included in the Supplement and Social Achievements Accomplished

• Descriptions, encounters, travel rules, hazards, and more for all 9 natural biomes (Swamp, Desert, Jungle, Mountain, Grassland, Forest, Arctic, Coastal, and Subterranean)
• Systems for foraging, hunting, trapping, crafting, herbalism, and alchemy in the wildlands
• New nature-based backgrounds and proficiencies for player characters
• Magical hazards that may be used in extra-planar adventures or as anomalies on the material plane
• Gruesome diseases that may impact player characters in each of the 9 natural settings
• Fantasy vehicles and domesticated mounts with specific advantages for each environment
• Specialized equipment and magical items that can be used to overcome some of the challenges of the wildlands
• A fully hyperlinked and indexed PDF version of the sourcebook for all backers
• 5 one-shot adventures used in playtesting, released in PDF form for all backers

Important Dates

Here are several of the scheduled project dates of which backers should be aware:

• June 21st - Playtesting backers will be contacted through Kickstarter messaging with information about the playtesting pool and to begin scheduling sessions
• July 5th - BackerKit Surveys emailed to all backers to finalize reward selections and add-ons
• August 31st - Pre-order store and surveys close and lock in selections
• October 18th - Shipping charges and any additional BackerKit funds collected
• October 25th - PDFs finalized and distributed via BackerKit
• November - Rewards shipped to all backers and pre-order participants

Finally, for all the Monster lovers out there . . . 

We saw a handful of comments expressing disappointment that we did not reach our Unique Monsters stretch goal at $120K.  Luckily, an amazing monster bestiary is available right now that can be used in conjunction with Grio's Guide to the Wildlands, and a number of backers have already recognized the synergy that exists between these two books.

Heliana’s Guide to Monster Hunting is a 300-page tome that promises the opportunity to battle lethal, multi-stage boss monsters and forge fantastic new items and familiars from their remains.  For those backers who have had their hearts set on additional monster stat blocks, this book looks like one of the best to come around in a very long time!  The Pro DMs and Next-Level Gaming are incredibly excited about using this content in our sessions.

Check them out and help them to reach that next stretch goal!

We Have Work to Do

We at Next-Level want to thank you all again for helping us to bring this idea to fruition, and we can't wait to begin playtesting the encounter designs that we've developed.  Stay tuned as we work diligently over the next several months to get this wonderful 5E supplement into your hands.

Sincerely,

Drew Merritt

Co-Founder and President of Operations

Next-Level Gaming, LLC

Magical Hazards and Gruesome Diseases Unlocked! Next Goal at $90K!
almost 3 years ago – Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 07:21:22 PM

Our backers are absolutely amazing!  Thank you for your continued belief in this content and for your continued support.  This will likely be our last update prior to the campaign window's closing.  Now that we've surpassed the Magical Hazards and Gruesome Diseases Stretch Goal, it's time to discuss what we can offer with Vehicles, Mounts, Magic Items, and Equipment at $90K and Unique NPCs and Organizations at $100K!

Vehicles, Mounts, Magic Items, and Equipment

For as long as humanoid civilizations have existed, they have adapted to their environments with specialized tools and techniques.  This is especially true of civilizations that exist in harsh wilderness environments.  We want to add to the immersion of all nine wilderness biomes by detailing these travel and survival techniques. 

With this update, a new section will be added to each chapter of Grio's Guide for the purpose of describing never-before-seen fantasy vehicles and mounts that can be used by player characters to overcome the difficulties of travelling across harsh and unforgiving landscapes.  As indicated in the title of the stretch goal, some environments will include new beasts and monstrosities that can be used as mounts, some will include multi-passenger vehicles, and some may include both.  

Additionally, each of the nine chapters will include special equipment and techniques that can be used by characters to aid in navigation, as protection from the elements, and for general survival.  For example, cross-country skis are incredibly useful in mountainous and arctic terrain, and extreme survival techniques are necessary in coastal regions with violent volcanic activity.  We want to make these adaptations a part of the player experience.  Not only does this provide for new elements of choice for players, but it also gives them an opportunity to spend that hard-earned gold!

We will include several of these every-day-use items and skill sets in each chapter, but we'll also include unique magical items that your players can locate and utilize as they travel through each of the specified terrain types.  Every magic item included in the book will have a very clear benefit that relates to the environment in which it can be found.  It may also have a clear connection to the NPCs and Organizations that we'll include at the $100K Stretch Goal.

Unique NPCs and Organizations

By now we hope that all of our backers have begun to understand the intentional connections among the stretch goal tiers.  Everything that we're working on as a design team is about providing you with deep and interconnected content that has the potential to increase immersion in any 5th Edition campaign.  The $100K tier is no different.

At this stage of the design process, we'll be focused on the characteristics of individuals and groups who might inhabit the wilderness environments of your campaign world.  The people who your players encounter in the wilderness may be as savage and unforgiving as nature itself!

One thing is to be certain: the individuals and organizations of the wildlands have been operating here much longer than your player characters have.  They possess intimate knowledge of the land.  They have inherent advantages when it comes to travel, survival, and combat.  They may become the most valuable of allies, or they may become the very worst kinds of enemies.

Each syndicate, community, or tribe will be highlighted by a single point of contact - an NPC with a unique background, personality, and connection to the land.  Perhaps this person is a spiritual guide who can help the adventuring party tap into the supernatural elements of the domain in which they find themselves.  Perhaps it's an undercover spy whose goal is to hide the secret operations of their order.  Perhaps it's a nomadic warrior on walkabout, trying to earn the respect of his people.  We know that each one of these individuals will present DMs with enough narrative richness and depth to become a focal point of an adventure.

This Amazing Ride Is Coming to an End, But Our Hard Work Continues

Thank you again for allowing us the opportunity to bring this collaborative vision to life.  The next 60 hours will determine how much additional depth goes into Grio's Guide.  Regardless of the stretch goals that we may add from this point forward, our team is incredibly confident that this supplement will be a useful and enjoyable tool in the hands of countless DMs around the world.