RPG CROWDFUNDING NEWS – Grim Subclasses, BX Advanced Bestiary, Enchanted Trinkets, and more

Merry Christmas! If you’re taking a break from celebrating the holiday, consider these crowdfunding offerings from the near-future before their campaigns close between January 8 and 14. This time of year, when the holidays dominate the lives of many individuals, the number of TTRPG crowdfunding campaigns tends to be leaner than the rest of the year. Despite that, I dug in and found a few options that employ 5e, BX, Daggerheart, and DCC to power their adventures. Read on to learn more about what games you can back this holiday season!

Grim Subclasses from Jerry Joe Seltzer

• END DATE: Sat, January 10 2026 7:22 AM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $11 for the PDF of the book
• AI STATEMENT: “While it may seem a strange selling point, in our current climate I feel its important to point out that all the art in this book is manmade.”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you need 12 tragic subclasses for your 5e adventures? In this Kickstarter, you’ll get a new, grim subclass for each of the official classes of 5e, which implies a little something for each of your players. This book provides subclasses that have some built-in bite for their setup. The Kickstarter offers several backer tiers including a 27-page PDF of the 12 subclasses for $4 as well as separate tiers that provide an 110-page book (in PDF and/or hardcover) with 24 backgrounds, 56 origin flaws, and the 12 subclasses. If you’re a fan of subclasses built for dark backstories, this collection of a dozen tragedies may speak to you.

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BX Advanced Bestiary, Vol. 3 from Third Kingdom Games

• END DATE: Wed, January 14 2026 3:26 PM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Basic/Expert
• PROJECT TYPE: Sourcebook
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $42 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Are you a fan of BX, but feel that the monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Edition and Expert Edition could be fleshed out with more detail? This Kickstarter offers the third volume in the BX Advanced Bestiary series, this one covering monsters starting with the letters L to R. These entries detail the monster’s demographics, qualities, and even uses for their harvested body parts. Third Kingdom Games is writing 75 new monsters as well as some new classes and encounter tables, each dual stated for Old-School Essentials and the upcoming Bree-YARC system. If you’re a fan of BX or OSE, the monsters in this book may be fun for your gaming table.

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Hope Springs Eternal from Eric Lazure

• END DATE: Thu, January 8 2026 10:59 AM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Daggerheart
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: CA$49 + S/H of the PDF and print versions of the book
• AI STATEMENT: “Human writers and human artists only!”
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Eric Lazure is writing 5 campaign frames for use with Daggerheart, including factions, NPCs, loot, and more. This is a book of big ideas in which to set your fantasy RPG. “The Ever Rime” envisions a frozen world in which you live in a city mounted to the back of a gigantic, magical beast that feeds on magic. If the monster dies, so does the city. “The Eternal Song” is the melody that gets in the heads of all that hear it influencing history and culture, and the conductor just stopped playing. You have to find new songs or the world will change for the worse. “Poisoned Roots” is about fighting against a fantasy counter-insurgency and what it will cost to win. There are more settings in this book, but this should give you an idea of the scope of these campaign frames. If you’re a fan of big ideas and Daggerheart, this third-party project is worth a look.

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The Island of the Whispering God DCC from RPG Ramblings Publication

• END DATE: Thu, January 8 2026 7:01 PM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeon Crawl Classics
• PROJECT TYPE: RPG zine
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: $19 + S/H for the PDF and print versions of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Do you want a new DCC adventure? This zine is 36 pages of adventure inspired by the writings of Robert E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, and Clark Ashton Smith. As such, the quest is low-fantasy and gritty, running counter to the bombastic flavor and enchantment of DCC adventures. Expect a different ride than a normal Dungeon Crawl Classic, one that will challenge your players in different ways. Invoking “intrigue, creeping suspense, and razor-edged daring”, you’ll find maps, charts, and monsters on The Island of the Whispering God in the pages of this zine.

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D&D Adventure campaign the Concord of Adrea from strange arcade

• END DATE: Sat, January 10 2026 8:30 AM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: Adventure
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: €5 for the PDF of the book
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Your characters are 6th level or higher, and they’ve been called to a tourney. In this adventure, there are games, intrigue, theft, and a society bent on dark power. Across 5 sessions, you’ll find mini-games and combat meant to stir those that want to do more than dungeon delves or talk politics. If the idea of courtly affairs and drawn swords speaks to you, check out this Kickstarter.

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Enchanted Trinkets Complete: 500+ Magic Items for D&D 5E from EN Publishing

• END DATE: Thu, January 15 2026 10:59 AM EST.
• CROWDFUNDING ON: Kickstarter
• SYSTEM(S): Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition
• PROJECT TYPE: SourcebookPDF version of the book
• MOST POPULAR PLEDGE: £20 for the PDF of the book
• DISCLAIMER: EN World is a subsidiary of EN Publishing
• WHY SPOTLIGHT THIS CAMPAIGN? Did you buy Enchanted Trinkets I and II? This campaign offers the softcover Enchanted Trinkets III to complete your set. Do you want a hardcover compilation of all three books? Back to get the full Enchanted Trinkets Complete Edition with over 500 magical trinkets for your 5e campaign. What kind of magical items will you find in these pages? Maps, books, instruments of all types, weapons, jewelry, potions, and so much more. Do you need a reward for a player? This book has it. Do you want to spice up an NPC with something unusual? Yep, you’ll find some great possibilities in these pages. If you need more magic items for you 5e campaign, head over to Kickstarter to learn more about the composition of these magic items.

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[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That seems like quite the tonal mismatch on the cover art and the book for Grim Subclasses. Is that halfling druid grimly fertilizing the fields on a grimly sunny day?

 

[doctorhook]

That seems like quite the tonal mismatch on the cover art and the book for Grim Subclasses. Is that halfling druid grimly fertilizing the fields on a grimly sunny day?

Yes. So tragic, so grim. He’s carrying a scythe, you see. And he wishes it were raining. And his girlfriend just dumped him. It’s all quite grim.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yes. So tragic, so grim. He’s carrying a scythe, you see. And he wishes it were raining. And his girlfriend just dumped him. It’s all quite grim.

He's also facing the heartbreak of recurrent toenail fungus.