A weighty question, that. In a lot of ways, it is one of the founding questions of Monster Kingdoms; and how you answer it in game is far more nuanced than any alignment chart!

The Orcs, whose kingdom heraldry is at the top of this page, would answer that question very differently from the dragons that rule the Kingdom of Scales, and a dwarven thrall in the Kingdom of the Malignant Mind would answer differently than a vampire lord of Crueore. Which is as it should be, because we hope to do with Monster Kingdoms what White Wolf once did in the modern day with WoD and give players a chance to play those creatures that have been our traditional fantasy genre antagonists.

That’s how far back my ideas for Monster Kingdoms went, and though we never went that way with the concept back in the day, I held on to it and presented it to the Onyx Path crew, and specifically Matthew Dawkins, as a possibility for the next and third of the Earthbane Cycle series of fantasy worlds.

Well, Matthew presented me with a pitch that was so much bigger and fleshed-out than my very basic ideas, and he and his team of creators have turned those little ideas into a massive edifice of depth and complexity that I can’t wait to see your reactions to once the BackerKit campaign starts up Thursday the 28th at 2pm Eastern US time! It is just so jam-packed with great ideas for gameplay, deep setting backstory, moral complexity, and bad and bad-ass characters that it’s going to provide backers with endless ideas!

But, let me let Matthew have a chance to talk about this game and setting that he and his team have constructed out of dark dreams:

Hi everyone! Matthew Dawkins here, very excited to tell you all about Monster Kingdoms, which we have coming up for crowdfunding this week.

When Rich initially came to me with the idea for a fantasy game where evil was dominant and you played the monsters, one of the first places my mind went was to wonder “how did this world reach such a point?” I’ve always been interested in history, and I love the stories of how empires rise and fall, how kings and queens abruptly dictate a change in direction (and with it, history) of their realms, and of the heroes and villains who emerge in such tales. Some of them are mythical (Uther and Vortigern, to name but two) others are real world figures (William the Conqueror, Henry VIII, George Washington, et al.). What I decided early on with Monster Kingdoms was to establish the world history to discover why our characters are where they are, to provide Storyguides with a grounding in the setting, and to provide lots and lots of hooks they can use in their plots and campaigns.

For a world to recognise a dominance of evil, it stands to reason that once upon a time, it was “good.” Or at least, hopeful. That time has passed in Monster Kingdoms, and while heroes sometimes emerge, and the entire Kingdom of Shards (devoted to keeping the light of hope lit) struggles to survive, the rest of the map is dominated by darkness of various types. For this blog, I felt it would be a good time to introduce you to the start of the historical journey and then pull a few more major events from the timeline for you to sink your teeth into:

Pre-0NE: Light Versus Dark

In the years before the Nithera Empire, people of the light — the heroes, the peaceful, the optimistic types — were killed off in massive purges, enslaved via conquest, or driven into Gewinn’s corners. The few places they occupy now are known as the Unchained Lands, dotted throughout the Monster Kingdoms, and within the isolated Kingdom of Shards. Each of their realms is small, insular, and bizarre in the Gewinn of today.

People of the dark — the monsters, the magi, the people who aligned with evil and chaos — won the many wars against the light. It took centuries, but steadily, Draoidahaek liches captured all that was magical, beasts seized the wilds and made them treacherous to all but the most hardy, black gauntlets overcame every paladin, and monsters came to populate every city. Here, in Dys, our realm became a kingdom of death.

These clashes, murders, and routs took generations to complete, with few people at the end of this slaughter knowing the reason for its commencement. The undead participants and the longest lived creatures — such as liches, dragons, and the eldest vampires — recall a time when light was dominant, but that was long, long ago.

By the time darkness overcame the light, the world of Gewinn was a ruined, desperate place, and no single person was the victor. Only one bastion of hope remained: the Kingdom of Fortunas, held in place by the aged Warrior-King Espar. The Kingdom of Fortunas’ many knights and heroes fought bravely as their neighbors fell over successive generations, until only they remained. Espar’s realm may have persisted even longer, its defenses tall and built to withstand any assault, but for a betrayal from within. The monarch’s magus and trusted advisor Agonas had secretly aligned with the monsters.  

Agonas opened Fortunas’ many gates to the forces of darkness. Agonas welcomed the arriving beasts, delivering Espar’s still-warm body to the dragon Delitroziis-ii the Tyrant. Delitroziis-ii didn’t trust Agonas, until she discovered the magus had poisoned Espar’s family and household guards, leaving the palace open for capture. Not wishing to stand in the way of a monster like Agonas, Delitroziis-ii moved aside as the magus took power and the repurposed weapons of light and order, imposing a new way on the world.

Given what we know now, it may have cut out a lot of suffering had Delitroziis-ii just devoured Agonas there and then, but hindsight is a painful thing.

The Fallen Dynasty

Every so often over the last 300 years or more, a new figure has appeared from the shadows claiming to be the last surviving descendant of Warrior-King Espar, and therefore the true claimant to the (non-existent) Kingdom of Fortunas or the (broken) Nithera Empire that stands where it stood. These claims sometimes draw support, a form of futile hope, from people of light who need a cause and individual to rally around, but the likelihood of such claims being true is slim. The wizard Agonas was careful to poison every one of Espar’s children and grandchildren, as well as his wife, brothers, and sisters. He did preserve the lives of the household staff and distant relatives to the aristocracy if he enjoyed them as people (preserving them as imprisoned playthings, who by the end of their lives — if they weren’t mutated into horrid aberrations for one of Agonas’s experiments — wished they’d been fed the poison as well). 

But, Agonas’s reach was only so great at the time he seized power. Some of Espar’s family weren’t present in the Kingdom of Fortunas when the rest of them were murdered or imprisoned. The unaccounted-for relatives included Espar’s youngest sister Imara and her two infant children, who were captive in the monstrous Kingdom of Pandemion at the time. Their deaths were never confirmed by the highly chaotic masters of Pandemion, but neither was their survival. The other was Espar’s stepson, Verlatan. The two weren’t close, possibly due to Espar gaining him as a son via union with his eventual wife Latrymn, who bore Verlatan in a previous marriage. Long before Espar’s death, Verlatan had set forth in his scarlet armor, bearing his white heart sigil, his face covered and trusted steed beneath him, perhaps to prove himself worthy of his place in the Fortunas line, or more likely because he detested the royal household. He disappeared from history’s pages while fighting battles with haemexii in the Kingdom of Creuore.

Bloodline and royal descent mean nothing when your kingdom is in ruins, but for some people, symbols from the past provide a source of great hope.

88NE: The Brief Reign of Delora Harrow

Delora Harrow, “The Curt”

A footnote more than an era. Whether or not it was always Imperator Delora’s intent to claim the throne, she did just that in 88NE, determined to save the fractured Nithera Empire and prevent the Monster Kingdoms from falling into open war with each other. 

Empress Delora Harrow, sometimes known as Delora the Curt, issued seven proclamations upon taking power. Despite the brevity of her reign, they are remembered as follows:

•           Our war must be against the people of light in favor of all other conflicts. Those who pursue conflict with each other in place should be treated as friends to the light.

•           The kingdoms’ borders as established in 53NE are to be maintained for a century hence from the time of this proclamation in 88NE.

•           The dreadnauts are to return to the seat of the empire to safeguard the royal lineage.

•           Any act taken against the royal lineage is an act against the Nithera Empire and will draw full reprisal.

•           Succession can no longer be maintained via cloning but through hereditary lineage or unanimous choice via the council of kings, if no hereditary successor is available or fit to rule.

•           The Harrow family is now the royal lineage.

These dictates were written on parchment, carved into stones, and distributed throughout the Nithera Empire. They hadn’t reached their final destination before Delora’s reign ended, however. Her brother Supherus took special note of the last three articles confirming he was effectively Delora’s successor. She had no living children, and he was power hungry. Supherus quickly arranged her death, purportedly grabbing her ankles while she bathed and holding her head under the water with his foot. Her bedchamber in the former Palace of Princes (this palace is found in the Nitheran town of Champier, while the current one is in Rigarston) still boasts the haunting sound of frantic splashing and gargling, her wraith present in the ruins. 

The events surrounding Delora’s murder spawned hundreds of songs, poems, and mocking limericks due to the ignominious way in which her body was found: naked and half-devoured by her prize boars. Historians believe her body was with the pigs for three days before she was discovered, during which time Supherus first seized the empire’s treasury and then the levers of power. He immediately released the seventh of “Delora’s” proclamations:

•           The Harrow family is above all mortal law.

None could or would prosecute the new emperor, and so Supherus was now in charge.

264NE to 278NE: Cracks Become Fissures

Miseria III, “The Puppet”

Everything was primed to continue as before, with Agonas IV in the advisor’s chair and his daughter Miseria III (named the Puppet after her death) an intelligent, ambitious, and healthy new empress. What nobody in court anticipated was the activity of the Kingdom of the Malignant Mind.

Until around 270NE, the Kingdom of the Malignant Mind had been the most physically remote and politically distant from all other kingdoms in the empire. Its place in the empire was questionable, in fact, as envoys from the empire were routinely turned away from the kingdom’s domed cities and bizarre cathedrals, and the common population of the kingdom was believed to have taken vows of silence and ignorance, rendering attempts at trade fruitless. The only connection was that the kingdom allowed the empire to patrol its roads and rivers and paid the empire its toll to keep the kingdom’s borders safe.

Of course, everyone knew this kingdom had a higher intelligence at its heart, able to dominate and manipulate its people. None had ever witnessed the entity in person. People living within sight of the kingdom’s borders, including patrolling dreadnauts, would often describe how it was impossible to sleep without suffering terrible nightmares of their skull being opened and their brain extracted in chunks, and even when awake, it felt as if they were always being watched.

Miseria III began acting erratically in 269NE. Until this time, she was a perfectly capable ruler and was winning the respect of her juris and the surrounding kingdoms. It was in 269NE that she commanded 5,555 monsters from empire enclaves and cities to migrate to the Kingdom of the Malignant Mind. She promised bounteous pastures and homes already awaiting them. Nobody was going to disobey the empress, and so they left.

It was later that year that Miseria was found to have stoved in her wife Detress’s head with her own mace. She was pulled away from the body, where she was excavating the contents of Detress’s skull, and locked in her chambers until Agonas returned her to lucidity. She claimed to have no memory of the murder and entered a period of mourning. The empire mourned with her, the people being told how the empress-consort fell and cracked her head on a flagstone. The guards who discovered the crime were all either paid for their silence or swiftly executed to ensure it.

Miseria exited mourning in 271NE a more docile individual. Her first proclamation was to send another 5,555 imperial citizens to the Kingdom of the Malignant Mind, just as before. She apparently had no memory of ordering it two years prior, but would not be deterred. Agonas attempted to reason with her, but she refused her father’s entreaties. The monsters and people left and weren’t seen again.

By the third time she did this, one year later in 272NE, there was civilian uproar. Where were these people going? What purpose was this migration serving? Why had no one heard from these individuals after their departure? Miseria implemented a new law: questioning the empress was now punishable by death. Another 5,555 people, this time bound and led, disappeared from the empire.

The forced deportation continued every year until 277NE. Suddenly, Miseria was screaming, manic and tearing at portraits, smashing sculptures, and defacing holy idols. She seemed out of her mind. Agonas returned to her side, used magic to calm her, and found evidence of what he’d suspected for the last nine years: she had become a mental thrall to the Malignant Mind. How it had reached her, and what purpose it intended with tens of thousands of imperial citizens, was unknown. But it could only be for a grim reason that such orders were commanded.

Miseria was placed in a magical sleep as the juris ruled in her stead, and reluctantly, they took the decision to declare war — on behalf of the empire — against the Kingdom of the Malignant Mind. Moreover, they informed all other kingdoms about what the Malignant Mind had done and warned that this could be happening to their leaders at that very time. Many kingdoms joined the empire and made ready for war.

As you can see, that’s a lot of history, and it’s only a small section of what this game contains. Some of you will utilise or enjoy every historical sections, others will skip straight to character creation and special powers, but I hope these brief insights into the history of the Monster Kingdoms give you some ideas for your upcoming games.

And that’s just the beginning of the history section!

Here’s Dixie with a preview of one of the Paths. In fact, in keeping with the theme of the blog today, it’s the Dusk Path!

Hi everyone! Dixie here again, this time with a preview of the Dusk Paths from Monster Kingdoms! As with the Mantles and Kingdoms, there’s a lot more to these in the manuscript you’ll be seeing during the crowdfunding campaign, but here are some bite-sized previews of the final Paths.

Dusk
Your Dusk represents your main internal motivation behind what you do. Perhaps you work to accrue wealth, power, or followers. Maybe spreading your message of hope or doom is your driving impulse. Some even wish to remake the world in their image or that of their faith.

Acquisition
Epithets: Acquisitors (common), Opulents (common), Profiteers (Branduurians), Avaricians (derogatory), Opportunists (common)
Acquisitors believe as a rule that someone is going to profit from the endless wars throughout the Monster Kingdoms, so why shouldn’t it be them? Though many associate the Dusk with the acquisition of material wealth — and there are lots of goldsmen that follow its tenets — acquisitors can be found across Gewinn looking for myriad kinds of wealth. From weapons and armor to knowledge and magic to, of course, gold coins and precious gems, much in Gewinn is ripe for both plunder and hoarding.
All acquisitors have their own way of going about their accumulation, though. Some prefer to sway hearts and minds to their cause, necessitating donations. Others take through force or coercion, not seeing the need for people to consent to having their property whisked away. Many simply plunder from places that have already been razed, emulating the vultures everyone already thinks they are.

Darkness
Epithets: Darklings (common), Nihilists (humans), Dirges (Pandemion), Torments (uncommon)
Sometimes, one’s birth is so inauspicious that the child’s own mother can barely look at them. These people carry a miasma of ill will and cruelty about them throughout their lives before eventually taking up the darkness Dusk. Their mission is to drive hope from all corners of the Monster Kingdoms, plunging them into despair and ruin, and they will stop at nothing until they have snuffed out every light they see.
Most of them have simply never felt that spark of optimism, that things can ever get better, so they must make sure everyone else sees reality for what it is: a grim, never-ending series of wars, death, and destruction, all leading toward endless desperation and desolation.
From tormenting individuals with torture and harsh words to exposing beloved figures as frauds and con artists, darklings are content to employ any underhanded trick in the service of showing the kingdoms and their inhabitants as cynical and rotten to the core. How they go about it may vary, but the only true hope a darkness Dusk may ever feel is, ironically, when they’ve wiped it out across Gewinn.

Doom
Epithets: Omens (common), Crushers (Orcs), Brutalists (Dys), Doombringers (Kingdom of Shards, derogatory)
Dooms have seen the world, weighed and measured it, and found it altogether wanting. There’s nothing to be done for it, so hastening its end is really an act of mercy, from their perspective. Though they might rationalize it thus, doom Dusks delight in seeing things crash and burn, whether they be systems of rule, economies, armies, or individuals. They long to see the light fade from their enemies’ eyes, to set sleeping towns ablaze, and to one day bring the Monster Kingdoms to a glorious, bloody end.

Their Mantles and cultures give some indication of how they’ll achieve their goals. Cultists might lead followers into suicide pacts, executioners poison wells and food supplies or douse people in acid, and rootwinders turn the very earth against anyone they can. No matter the means, doom Dusks intend to be the last ones standing before they, too, fall.

Faith
Epithets: Faithful (common), Scourges (common), Zealots (undead), Believers (Nitherans), Dogmatics (uncommon)
Though most who hold the faith Dusk do so through strength of belief in one of the world’s prevailing doctrines, some few manifest their driving force due to a local religion, cult, or even just faith in one person, such as an opposition Dusk. They do not want to end the world, but they plan to fix it. Their first step is to spread the word that people’s suffering is either their own fault or that of some nebulous corrupting influence. “Have enough faith,” they say, “and you’ll never suffer again.” Thus, if people are still suffering, they haven’t suffered enough nor done proper penance.
Faith Dusks are the ultimate zealots, and they’re sure that people must join their righteous cause or suffer and die in sin. They even delight in watching sinners’ horrible, starving, wasting deaths because they wouldn’t repent. It’s an additional sign, proof even, that the faith is favored by whoever they worship.

Imperial
Epithets: Imperials (common), Nitherans (common), Infantry (Branduur), Knights (Scales), Brutes (Krr’szch), Drones (derogatory)
Empire begets numerous children, but most will live and die in obscurity. One who takes on the imperial Dusk, however, is sure to become a celebrated figure, a beacon of his people’s hopes and enforcer of imperial law. There are myriad ways to serve, and where an imperial Dusk chooses to apply their talents is one of the most important choices they can make. Will they command a garrison or legion? Perhaps they will dedicate great works of art to their patrons or secure powerful relics. The best among them may end up at the right hand of an emperor or empress.
Their Dusks drive them toward conquest, but can also cause them to stagnate, mired in ancient codes and outdated notions of grandeur. Imperial subjects rejoice at the conquering hero or the cunning advisor, but scoff at imperials content to stay in one place, enjoying the comforts of privilege.

Light
Epithets: Lightbearers (common), Beacons (common), Lanterns (uncommon), Fantasists (derogatory)
The rarest of the Dusks, lightbearers hold torches up to the infinite darkness and dare it to snuff out their light. Some call them naïve, while others see them as the only Dusk worth following, as going out in a blaze of glorious hope is preferable to falling to despair. Light Dusks traditionally hailed mostly from the Kingdom of Shards, but in modern times any kingdom might produce a beacon of their own. Lightbearers want to lead their people out of oppression and into a gentler, peaceful era. Most either try to forge peace with their neighbors and enemies, while others take their task to mean looking for a permanent way out of Gewinn, to a new and uncorrupted land.
Light Dusks carry within them the sparks of hope, inspiration, kindness, and empathy, qualities in short supply in most kingdoms. As such, they are often targeted by anyone threatened by an optimistic outlook.
That doesn’t mean they don’t work with other Dusks, though, far from it. Teams of the darkest Dusks tend to need someone to keep them going whether they believe their message or not, and the beacons hope to turn their fellows to their cause eventually. A lightbearer fighting alongside a darkling is the least common sight of all the Dusks, but some find they relish the challenge their dichotomy brings.

Opposition
Epithets: Agitators (common), Oppositionists (common), Dissenters (Draoidahaek) Fomenters (Tsul Gazar), Terrorists (derogatory)
The only constant is change, but not if most kings, priests, and emperors have it their way. Aside from the slight shifts made in borders and allegiances over time, dogma and rules of law make up the slimy bedrock under a decaying swamp. Those who hold the opposition Dusk know there has to be another way.
No one with any power cheers or throws a party when one takes up opposition, but most people look at them with trepidation, not knowing if they’ll be a beacon of hope or merely another in a long line of oppressors. Sadly, the vast majority become the latter if they don’t die in their attempts to foment change.
The corrupting power is what breaks most oppositions. They may be successful in overthrowing their lord or even a king, but what one does with that power is the important part, and while people might cry out for change, they resist it when it’s actually upon them, especially when it’s markedly worse than how they were living before.

If you don’t want to delve into Monster Kingdoms with these text previews, you can pop on Matthew’s vids and enjoy his delightful voice explaining to you more terrifying coolness:

All these previews are really just the tip of the black-iceberg that is Monster Kingdoms, so please do check it out on Thursday the 28th at 2pm on BackerKit (tomorrow as I write this) and/or sign up on our pre-campaign page so you don’t miss a thing! The link is right below in the Crowdfunding section of The Blurbs!

“i swear i hear “Toilet Trouble” everytime you guys say that”

Since we made such a big section over Monster Kingdoms above, I’m going to quickly run through our other topics that were discussed.

Curseborne is in layout and proceeding apace now that the Mirthful One has satisfied himself that the aesthetics of the pages is gonna be killer! At the same time, we’re prepping for the Kickstarter campaign for the Curseborne Players Guide in October! So much to still do!

Another new game that we are proud to have helped out with is Branch Riders, the fantastic new game written and conceived of by the folks at the Bodhana Group! We just went through layout for it and delivered a first proof to those fine folks who are dedicated to using TTRPGs – and specifically Branch Riders – in their therapeutic efforts!

In fact, right now, their intrepid leader, Jack, has a message for y’all:

Jack Berkenstock and Doug Hagler from the Branch Riders design team will be appearing on the Randomworlds Q and A to discuss Branch Riders on September 2nd at 8:30PM EDT.  You can join in on the discussion and ask your questions by going to http://www.tinyurl.com/randomworlds-discord in the #q-and-a channel.  We’ll be discussing the rules and mechanics, the lore and background and any other questions that the people have!  Its a Branch Riders briefing better than anything Captain Inorvic has on his agenda.  Eight Realms… One Mission!  

The Cosmic Horror Sale continues on DTRPG/Roll20, and these are the specific PDFs you can get at scary-good prices from us:

I also have an update from Travis on what’s going on with the Savage Worlds Scarred Lands projects he’s working on!

This week is huge for Scarred Lands Savage Worlds releases! First up, Ring of Spiragos (SWADE) is coming to DriveThruRPG on 8/26 in Advance PDF! This is the third and final instalment of the Spiragos Trilogy, bringing an end to the saga started in Gauntlet of Spiragos (SWADE).Ring of Spiragos is an adventure designed for four to six Veteran characters, although it can easily be modified for larger or smaller groups or for characters of up to Legendary Rank.

Ring of Spiragos (SWADE) includes:

• A complete adventure that can be run as a sequel to Dagger of Spiragos or as a standalone story.
• A detailed overview of the Swamps of Kan Thet and Ukrudan Desert regions of Ghelspad.
• Expanded information on the Scarred Lands including an additional Ancestry, magic items, and over 60 new creatures and NPCs from the Scarred Lands adapted to Savage Worlds.
• Recommended Advances to take the ready-made characters introduced in Gauntlet of Spiragos up through their eighteenth Advance

We’re also collecting Gauntlet of Spiragos (SWADE), Dagger of Spiragos (SWADE),Ring of Spiragos (SWADE) into a single, convenient bundle! The Scarred Lands: The Spiragos Trilogy (SWADE) [BUNDLE] Gives you the entire Spiragos trilogy for 25% off in PDF! 

In addition to Ring of Spiragos (SWADE), we’ll also be dropping this month’s Creature Profiles release with Scarred Lands Creature Profiles: Gauntling! This release includes history and traits for these gluttonous titanspawn as well as plot hooks by Travis Legge and Eddy Webb, giving you suggestions on how to drop gauntlings into your campaign or start a whole new story around these titanspawn!

I had so many excerpts and quotes today that I feel like I’m getting off easy! But at the same time, it’s great to use this platform as a space where you folks can hear directly from the creators! That’s a win/win/win!

And while we don’t have to “win” playing one of our games to have a great experience, it does depend on how you define win! Which is a whole ‘nother blog post waiting to happen. For now, it’s a win for us when we get to introduce you all to our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

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Blurbs!

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Crowdfunding!

Coming Thursday, August 28th (we had to push it back two days – sorry!):

Monster Kingdoms!

Sign up here to be notified when we launch!

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Onyx Path Media!

Check out our attached media schedule for the videos on our Twitch channel this week!

This week on the Onyx Path News, Matthew discusses the upcoming Monster Kingdoms crowdfunder, the Exalted Essence Novella Omnibus, and a cosmic horror sale over on DriveThruRPG: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXHbiaKcP48

Matthew has also made a guide to playing evil (in advance of Monster Kingdoms) right here: https://youtu.be/Zzv3WMjbvYs

As well as a guide to what you can play as in Monster Kingdoms here: https://youtu.be/xQsxYLsLLx8

If you’re a Curseborne fan, check out this video where Matthew teases some of the upcoming content from Toil & Trouble: https://youtu.be/FmruS1ShpSs

And if you’re interested in the Storypath Ultra system, check out Awkward GM Corbin‘s delve into the investigation system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jW6iobOFBQ

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Virtual Tabletop!

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

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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!

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books, dice, and screens? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles in PDF and PoD versions at DriveThruRPG.com!

The Cosmic Horror/Cthulhu Mythos Sale on DTRPG/Roll20 is on now:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/4261/onyx-path-publishing?promo=1000147

The first part of the print shopping experiment is live on DTRPG:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/browse?format=1000240-book-printed-publisher-fulfilled

This is limited to the USA only at first, but will expand later after data crunching and review.

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).

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On Sale This Week!

This week we’re terrified to release The Weeping Scars Tasty Bit PDF for Curseborne on Weds on DTRPG!

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Conventions!

Here’s where you can find out more info on physical and virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with!

Game Night With Onyx Path Publishing at StartPlaying is this Friday the 29th and through that weekend! Come play some Curseborne that night! (But any of our game lines are welcome all weekend long!)

Here’s a link to give anyone $10 credit to play games on Start.Playing:

https://startplaying.games/referral/clog9y0v10006ju0968iev95m

Please spread the word about GMing games as much as possible! Details on how list a game are at the bottom of the page in the FAQ:

https://startplaying.games/event/game-night-onyx-path

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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-2025/

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM EDDY!

Here are the projects that moved to the next stage of production:

POST-EDITING DEVELOPMENT

Storypath – Storypath Ultra Core Manual

• This is back in my hands, and I’m looking forward to digging back into it!

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ART DIRECTION FROM MIKE CHANEY!

In Art Direction

• Ex3 Alchemicals – Revisions and finals are in.
• Heroes of Action and Wonder – Got the map contracted.
• Curseborne PG KS – Wrapping up contracting.
• SCION God Player’s Guide – Finals should be in progress.
• Monster Kingdoms (BK) – Last minute prepping crowdfunder.

Layout

• TC Anima AR – Getting map info over to cartographer.
• Curseborne Tasty Bit August – I’m gonna knock it on out….
• Pugmire 2E Screen
• SCION Dragon Companion – Over to Ron Thompson.
• Curseborne

Proofing Queue

• Branch Riders – With the Bodhana crew for first proofing.
• Ex3 Miracles of the Divine Flame – Proof notes back to Travis.

At Press

• TC Aether Screen – prepping for Drivethru.
• TC Aether – At Studio2, starting to ship physical books to backers.
• Scion God – At Studio2, starting to ship physical books to backers.
• TC Aether Screen
• Scion God Screen
• TC Aether Jumpstart – Errata ends this week.
• Curseborne August Tasty Bit: The Weeping Scars PDF this Weds on DTRPG!

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Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

There are actually a lot of famous folks with Birthdays today, like Elvis Costello and Tim Burton, and also a lot of important or poignant events that took place through the years on this date. But, in honor of those of y’all going back to school as Summer ends, I give you this event today in 1958: the world’s first publicly marketed instant noodles, Chikin Ramen, are introduced by Taiwanese-Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando!