Aetherial Expanse: Dreams of the Drowned God

Dreams of the Drowned God is a 5th-edition (2024) campaign for characters of levels 1–13, presented in a 220+ page beautifully illustrated hardcover, designed by Will Doyle, famous for his work on Rime of the Frostmaiden, Tomb of Annihilation and The Wild Beyond the Witchlight.

How to Back

Rifts are tearing through the fabric of the Aetherial Expanse, causing the Starlight Seas to violently rupture into other planes of existence. Entire worlds are being destroyed, and as the cataclysm grows, ruthless factions move to exploit the chaos for profit and power.

From the helm of the astral schooner Storm Maiden, you and your allies must follow clues scattered across the captain’s cabin, outwit scheming empires and eldritch cults, and descend into drowned bastions to stop the rise of Qoz, the Drowned God.

Will your heroism turn the tide… or will all existence drown beneath the waves?

Dreams of the Drowned God

Embark on this explosive, swashbuckling adventure across the Imperial Archipelago and beyond, to uncover clues, quests and conspiracies. Doom and War trackers record rival factions and roaming threats so every raid, negotiation, and secret you uncover shifts the power across worlds to decide the fate of the universe.

• An Epic Campaign for Levels 1 - 13: Experience a grand narrative that propels characters from humble recruits to universe-saving heroes.
• Explore the Aetherial Expanse and Beyond: Chart your adventure aboard your ship, the Storm Maiden across numerous worlds and locations. 
• Your Choices Matter: A Balance of War mechanic allows the Game Master to track the shifting allegiances and military readiness of the story's major factions. Player actions can push a faction towards open war or keep the relative peace, triggering dynamic events that reshape the world.
• Unravel a Cosmic Conspiracy: The adventure is driven by a network of clues that players can follow revealing new plot threads, secrets, events, quests and destinations.
• A Multitude of Worlds: Journey to incredible planes of existence beyond the Aetherial Expanse, from Halint’s storm-lashed isles to the infernal Ministry of Woe; each with its own unique inhabitants, challenges, and secrets to discover. 
• New Tools, Monsters & Magic: Face waves of new monsters, wield new unique magic items, and trigger world-changing events and dangers that can beset the party with the Doom Tracker.

Factions Clash

No adventure is complete without memorable antagonists. Heroes will need to navigate the tangled web of subterfuge and sabotage as Rival Factions fight to gain control of the Expanse. The book details each faction's core characters, motivations, and assets, enabling Game Masters to create a political conflict where player characters determine allies and adversaries.

Players Decide

Explore freely in our point-crawl adventure! Your decisions shape destiny on a dynamic, living map. Forget linear paths; navigate a vast network of interconnected locations and treacherous wind routes. Chart your course, choose destinations, and face consequences as rival factions react. This isn't just a story; it's a world where discovery and strategic navigation lead to triumph.

Uncover Clues

The Clue Deck drives your voyage through the Aetherial Expanse. Each card represents a mystery to unravel, a task to complete, or a secret waiting to be uncovered. Solving one clue may reveal another, sending your crew deeper into a web of conspiracies, hidden realms, and dangerous enemies.

From murder investigations to treasure hunts and planar catastrophes, the Clue Cards ensure that every choice your party makes carries weight. As you chart your course you are piecing together the story, clue by clue, until the truth is finally revealed.

Turn the Tides of War

Forces rise and fall as your campaign unfolds. The Doom and War trackers reflect the creeping disaster that spreads across the planes and the growing tensions between rival powers. The world responds to your crew’s actions and failures, shifting in ways that change the shape of the story. The more they advance, the more the Expanse trembles, and the closer your table comes to a point of no return.

Pledge Tiers

Stretch Goals

Add-Ons

Shipping

* For US Backers we will be collecting tariff payments as close to the shipping date as possible. Tariff rates can change frequently, so this method ensures we are using the most current and accurate information to prevent overcharging anyone.

** Most EU countries will fall into the price ranges detailed on the graphic and we will do our best to ensure the prices remain in these ranges, however in some cases the shipping price may fall outside the ranges detailed in the graphic.

*** Please also note that the "Rest of World" price range above does not include countries subject to additional shipping charges due to unusual or extreme remote geographic circumstances. We do our best to provide shipping that is fair for those affected locations however it may exceed the details on the graphic.

VAT for our CA, EU and UK backers will also be charged as part of the BackerKit Survey. Stay tuned in the Kickstarter updates for more details on this as the campaign progresses. 

More information relating to shipping is available through our Kickstarter FAQs.

Early Access

By backing this project, you get access to playtest content, alpha tests and the chance to leave your mark on various parts of the project. Be one of the first to experience everything that the Aetherial Expanse has to offer in 2025 and beyond!

About Us

The Project Team

Will Doyle (Writing Lead)

Will Doyle is the co-designer and cartographer behind many of 5th Edition's most popular adventure campaigns, including Tomb of Annihilation, The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, and Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. He has decades of experience as a Dungeon Master, and has featured as a guest DM at conventions across the world. Beyond the DM's screen, Will is a veteran of the UK video games industry, having designed dozens of titles for console, mobile, and PC.

James Haeck (Writer)

James is an ENNIE-award winning game designer who’s never satisfied with “good enough.” The creator of the Aetherial Expanse setting and known for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, Grim Hollow: Saga of the Seasons, Legends of Avantris: The Crooked Moon, and Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, James strives to design inspiring stories and novel game mechanics in every project. In between games, they make YouTube videos about tabletop RPG design as @jamesjhaeck. 

Andy Collins (Writer)

Andy Collins has been making games for nearly three decades. He was part of the design teams for v3.5 and 4th Edition, and in the digital world he served as lead writer for State of Decay 2, Moonrise, and Marvel Heroes. In 2023 he founded Bold Cat Studios, which provides consulting and freelance design to board game, RPG, and digital game publishers.

Erin Roberts (Writer)

Erin is a speculative fiction, game, and script writer who primarily writes about worlds that don’t yet (quite) exist – visions of the almost future, sideways glimpses into magic realms, quick trips into the land of the horrifyingly possible. Erin is also fascinated by people who embody one of her favorite Sondheim lyrics: nice is different than good and love creating stories filled with sympathetic monsters.

Marius Bota (Art Director)

Marius is an illustrator and concept artist with a great love for all things fantasy. Known mostly for his work on TCG Games, Dungeons of Drakkenheim, The Sunken Isles, Monsters of Drakkenheim and various other AAA Games. Recently, Marius has spent his time bringing to life projects - such as this one.