The latest Earthbane fantasy game, Jadestorm, to have a crowdfunder on BackerKit funded in 80 minutes, and right now we’re over 250% funded and have over 500 backers so far!
That is incredibly exciting and it’s even better when we see all sorts of energized commentary about the project as revealed by the backer text drops, so far! The “so far” is actually pretty important, as there’s a lot still to cover! I mean, we’re only four days in. There’s most of the book yet to reveal.
But, for those of you who haven’t backed yet, or for those of you who have backed but want to know more right now…we hear you! Here’s some tidbits from our talented writing crew:
First, here are some thoughts from Emma:
Familiar Faces
Seven bloodlines live across the land of Eos, each of them a playable option with its own history, culture, traditions, and mechanical benefits. Some of these bloodlines are new in Jadestorm, such as living statues and feathered devil descendants, but others resemble equivalent character options you’ll find in other Earthbane games.
Jadestorm gives you the tools to explore different representations of some of your favorite ancestries, heritages, and more in a wuxia setting. How does the culture of The World Below’s mantodea adversaries change now that they’re a playable bloodline in Jadestorm? How would Eos’ version of “humans” differ from their portrayal in Monster Kingdoms?
Because Jadestorm’s Hook Path allows you to combine bloodline, origin, and philosophy options in any way you’d like, you’ll find it easy to represent characters from many different walks of life. You’ll also find rules on mixing the mechanical benefits of two bloodlines, allowing you even more freedom to play whatever character you might dream up.
I’ll leave you with a snippet of my personal favorite bloodline in Jadestorm, which were borne of a simple question: if The World Below positions the makiru as an ancestry of rodents in its dark, underground world, would they still be rats in Jadestorm’s wuxia setting, or would they become somewhat loftier lagomorphic relatives instead?
Lepora
The short-lived lepora are one of Eos’ most numerous bloodlines. Although they only have 40 years at most, their cultures and traditions encourage them to focus on home and hearth throughout their lives. Lepora children remain blind until two years of age and look like oversized rabbits, only developing the upright posture and fine motor skills of other bloodlines during adolescence. Most lepora hold a lifelong fondness for things they experience before they can see, leading to other bloodlines’ stereotypes of lepora as minstrels, masseuses, and chefs.
Lepora communities across Eos share a deep reverence for the moon, their legends claiming it to be the fabled fourth realm of Nirvana from which they hail. Many lepora believe the Underworld’s recent restoration is a sign that Mir’ya’s death was the key to utopia, and that they might now reach the moon when they pass away themselves.
Philosophy and Purpose
Jadebearers — people who have absorbed fragments of Malefic power, including all of Jadestorm’s player characters — flock to hidden temples and philosophical orders that dot the Wilds of Eos. As the inheritors of fallen devils, after all, even the youngest of these heroes are too powerful to exist alongside mortals in the nine realms. If they’re to ever fulfill the great destinies that await them, they need to train both body and mind alongside their peers.
One generation after the Infernal War, six philosophical orders have emerged as the leaders of Jadebearing thought. One order instructs disciples to wield their power in the single-minded pursuit of justice, another teaches Jadebearers a philosophy closely resembling the real-world Daoism that’s core to wuxia as a genre, and yet another insists that that Jadebearers are destined to usurp the thrones of the fallen Malefic and become a new infernal pantheon.
A character who acts in accordance with their philosophy will generate Momentum, a resource any member of the concord can use to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but Jadestorm’s philosophies are far more than just mechanical bonuses. A Jadebearer’s philosophy is closer to the core of who they are than any other character option. It guides how they see the world, how they relate to other Jadebearers, and above all, how they conceptualize the power of the infernal cinders within themselves.
Jadebearers are rare, but their power nonetheless makes philosophical orders some of the most powerful factions in Eos. Lifelong rivalries form between Jadebearers when their deeply held beliefs come into conflict, and some of Jadestorm’s most devastating battles begin when one temple moves against another. Why would they do this? Well, this bit about the Ascetics of the Petal Order might make things clear:
Ascetics of the Petal Order
Petal Order temples dot the Wilds, teaching new Ascetics who seek them out a simple but demanding creed: they must destroy every trace of the Malefic to save Eos, including other Jadebearers and, eventually, themselves. There is no honor in bearing a cinder. There is no glory in wielding the remnant essence of evil itself. The Ascetics understand their purpose is to erase the Malefic from existence, even if their journey must end in martyrdom. Masters of the Petal Order are stoic in the extreme, and often strict with it. Their student Jadebearers struggle against their restrictions, but are sharpened by them in turn.
And next, here’s Chris:
Hello everyone, Chris here to talk a little about Jadestorm, or more specifically the various powers you get to unleash! I had the pleasure of working on everything related to Jade, namely Sorceries, Chains, and the way in which you both win or lose Jade – the Duel.
As you’ll get to see everything soon enough, I thought I’d pick out some favourite parts of mine. Let’s start with the Sorceries – these effects are somewhat predictable to the Jadebearers, insofar as the result is always the same. Sure, you might throw in a little flourish or two to add to the experience, but when you decide to use simultaneous lighting bolts to transport yourself across the battlefield, there’s no room for half measures! Similarly, say you want to absorb the bodies of the dead and dying to augment your body into that of a colossus, its not like you can become *half* a colossus really!
The Chains are different. These magics are all powers that build. You might start off by summoning a distant weapon, before proceeding to use its momentum to charge its subsequent attacks. If you’re feeling particularly gregarious (and flush with Jade) you might even decide to have the blade decapitate an enemy or two on its way into your hands. The beauty is, its all your choice: you could take the lowest effect and leave it there, or you could throw up to 25 more dice at chaining the results in an escalating pool of deadly momentum! Of course, its not just fighting that Chains represent, as the whole gamut of needs is covered – one of my favourites; instantly picking a lock before turning it into a trap before whomever tries following you, even if they don’t bother with the lock!
Finally, Duels. I’ll leave the details for another day, but leave you with an excerpt of one of my favourite elements. Duels aren’t just a fight (in fact, thats just a fraction of what they are), as they’re very much a spiritual journey. Whenever you Duel, you dont just exist in the real world, your cinder transports you to the arena:
“Enter the Arena
Many Jadebearers describe the experience of a duel in vastly different terms to its witnesses, as if they were crossing multiple plains of reality. On one hand, there’s the expected, visible side of physical battles, social jousting, and mental conundrums which everyone can witness, but playing out in the minds of the duelists is another perspective of the conflict.
The two combatants find themselves transported to an arena, where hordes of infernal entities jeer and holler in the distance. Every arena is different; for every raging inferno of a hellhole there are many frozen wastelands, clifftop vistas, chambers of infinite solitude, and labyrinthine libraries that would put Kir Ob-Tani to shame. Ultimately, each arena is a reflection of the duel itself, but positively dripping with atmosphere and metaphor. Here, the two Jadebearers stand alone; no help, no way out, and with only the duel ahead. Time is distorted, and actions here — while tied to their real world counterparts — play out very differently, with a sense of drama and heightened reality framing every moment. For the Jadebearers, it’s as it the whole experience is condensed and reimagined. Delicate social maneuverings might instead play out as a choreographed dance, a game of strategy is represented as a balancing act across a sea of bamboo canes, and fights bend the laws of reality in ways even the Jadebearers can’t normally achieve.
Reality and myth intertwine in the minds of the Jadebearers and their actions are twisted through the lens of symbolical allegory. This is the difference between a mere conflict and a duel. A duel cuts to the emotional truth of their cinder, not simply the mere concerns of mortals.”
We’ll have more thoughts and excerpts each week as we progress through the campaign – and if these interest you, please use the link in the Crowdfunding section below to check it out!
Oof. Glad you’re okay!
Sometimes we not only go through our work travails, but also our health and injury reports since the week before when we chat during the Monday Meeting. And in fact, so far, that person at the meeting is still OK.
I was able to report to the team that as of late last week, our fulfillment shippers tell us that all of our backer rewards for the They Came From the RPG Anthology! crowdfunder have all shipped out! That’s a wonderful step along the path of getting more of our traditionally printed rewards out to backers!
Another step along that road is that we’re actively sending Curseborne printer files back and forth with the printer who printed the They Came From the RPG Anthology!. Once both sides are good to go with those files, we’ll get proofs and samples and all that stuff!
Meanwhile, if you want to play Curseborne in a convention setting we have several coming up where you can sign up!
There’s Nova Open (September 2nd – 5th) in Washington, DC:
And the con with the worst name in gaming, but the most fun- GameHoleCon October 15th – 18th) in Madison, WI:
This is very much along the lines of what our very own Matthew Dawkins did over the weekend at FabCon in Italy where he was the Guest of Honor! Here are some of his pics:
Here’s Travis with news about our Twitch broadcasts this week:
This week on the Onyx Path Twitch, ComradeBubbles returns with a new episode of Behind the Screen on Tuesday at 9 AM EDT! In this season, they are working on a setting they intend to release for the Storypath Ultra Third Party License! Follow along their journey biweekly on Twitch!
On Wednesday at 7 PM EDT Awkward GM Corbin returns from last week’s hiatus with a new chapter of Curseborne: Accursed in Boston.
On Thursday at 4 PM EDT master Storyguide Tom Murr returns for a new episode of Guiding the Path, to share more tips and ideas for enriching the tales at your table and we round out the week Monday at 9 PM as Storyguide Mike Athey and team return for more aerial adventure in Trinity Continuum: Adventure! Air Circus!
And here’s me with news about our Onyx Path Website, which we’ve updated with new Sales Partners, making it easier to shop.
Even more importantly, there’s now a link to the SPU Licensed Games Program in the About The Path pull-down menu at top! This is where you start if you’re interested in licensing the StoryPathUltra rules system for a game you’re intending to create and produce by yourself!
We’re very excited and interested in making this license program available to all of you, and can’t wait to hear what you think!
Let us know about that, and let us know about Jadestorm, and let us know how you’re feeling and what you’re playing! Let’s all get talkin’ about our:
Many Worlds… One Path!
Blurbs!
Crowdfunding!
Prepare for the Jadestorm!
You can check it out with this link – JOIN US in the STORM!
https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/onyx-path/jadestorm
Onyx Path Media!
Check out our attached media schedule for the videos on our Twitch channel this week!
On this week’s Onyx Path News, Matthew talks about Jadestorm, Weapons of the Gods, and Scarred Lands!: https://youtu.be/YBnctgCuZhE?is=AjS_hN7E0I7r8Gzr
On The Gentleman Gamer YouTube channel, Matthew delves a little more into Jadestorm: https://youtu.be/IizgVgEG9ic?is=xWzeQwA5dc4nFACy
Virtual Tabletop!
Check it out now! The Scion Demiplane Nexus! Click here for Early Access:
Campaigns for Scion Nexus went live last week as well. This blog post explains how Campaigns work on Demiplane:
https://www.demiplane.com/blog/campaigns-have-arrived
Scion Demigod Available on Roll20 NOW!
The Scion: Origin and Scion Hero Compendiums are now available on Roll20!
https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/publisher/1716/onyx-path-publishing
The first of our official Scion sheets designed for Foundry VTT are now available! https://foundryvtt.co
They Came From Beneath the Sea! on Roll20 VTT!
https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/bundle/22308/they-came-from-beneath-the-sea
Looking for more virtual tabletop resources? We have a selection of tokens, encounters, and more available now at DriveThruRPG! https://bit.ly/3SnrNJ7
Our Sales Partners!
We’re working with Studio2 to provide our traditionally printed books out into your local game stores. Game stores can order via their usual distributors, and can also contact Studio2 directly. And individuals can check out our projects via the links below!
Select Chronicles of Darkness Screens and Monarchies of Mau books, screens, and dice 50% off at Studio 2:
https://studio2publishing.com/collections/onx-onyx-path-publishing
Some more deluxe books have popped up on Studio 2, with more on the way.
https://studio2publishing.com/collections/onx-onyx-path-publishing
As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles in PDF and PoD versions at DriveThruRPG.com!
The Cosmic Horror Sale has launched:
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/4261/onyx-path-publishing?promo=1000147
Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).
On Sale This Week!
This month’s Tasty Bit PDF all about Cybernetics in the SPU rules is available this Weds on DTRPG!
On Sale Last Week!
Weapons of the Gods – the Jumpstart for They Came From the Cyclops’ Cave! smashes the minor gods of getting started with the PDF and PoD versions available now on DTRPG!
Conventions!
Here’s where you can find out more info on physical and virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with!
Nova Open (September 2nd – 5th): Check out these Curseborne games to play there:
GameHoleCon October 15th – 18th): Check out these Curseborne games to play there:
Twin Cities Con – November 20th – 22nd (Game Room demos).
PAX Unplugged – December 4th – 6th (Studio 2 will have our books and more).
Project Status Updates!
Our full list of projects will be available monthly on our blog! Check out July’s full list report here; https://theonyxpath.com/release-roundup-july-2026/
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY!
Here are the projects that moved to the next stage of production:
Development
SPU Tasty Bit – Martial Arts (October 2026)
- Another quick turnaround for the Tasty Bits! This has already been kick-flipped back into my hands for the final development pass!
Editing
Lair of the Rat Kings (Realms of Pugmire)
- Looks like the manuscript was perfect! There were no comments from the crowdfunding community, so I’ve packed it up and sent it off to editing!
ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!
In Art Direction
- Ex3 Infernals – Contracting.
- Ex3 Sidereals Companion – Contracting.
- Curseborne Covenant – Artwork still coming in.
- Curseborne Solo – The first full is in.
- Curseborne Seattle – Contracting.
- TC From the Shadows – Contracting the rest of it.
- TWB Underworld Adventures – Art is in and maps are wrapping up.
- Jadestorm (BK) – It’s alive!
Layout Queue
- Curseborne Compact Edition
- Curseborne PG – More stuff incoming.
- Monster Kingdoms – Art is all in.
- Curseborne Screen – Wrapping up this week.
Proofing Queue
- Curseborne Community Content Stuff
- Ex Essence PG – 1st proof a goin’.
At Press
- They Came From the RPG Antho – Rewards all shipped out.
- Curseborne – Making Press covers for Retail and LTD.
- Curseborne Jumpstart – Awaiting specs from Printer.
- Making of Curseborne – Awaiting specs from Printer.
- At The Gates – Errata is in and I’ll jump on it as soon as I wrap up some Curseborne prep shenanigans.
- TC Danger Skies – Getting PDF ready.
- Essence PG Novella 1 – Murder on the Divine Carriage – Inputting backer errata.
- Essence PG Novella 2 – Even the Heavens Will Burn – Inputting backer errata.
- SPU Tasty Bit – Cybernetics PDF on sale this Wednesday on DTRPG!
Today’s Reason to Celebrate!
Today in 2006 – The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term “planet” such that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet. Actually, I’m not sure it should be a Reason to Celebrate, as I’m still pretty pissed off about it.