Book of Big Bad Evils: 5E Guidebook to Villainy

Your heroes are legendary. Are your villains just as incredible?

It's time to move beyond the cliché. It's time to give your players antagonists they will passionately hate, genuinely fear, and whose defeat will feel like a truly unforgettable triumph.

It's time for the Book of Big Bad Evils.

The Book of Big Bad Evils is the ultimate 250+ page toolkit for exploring every shade of darkness in 5E. Whether you are a Game Master crafting the ultimate antagonist or a player wielding forbidden power, this grimoire is your guide. Discover a new Strength-based spellcasting class, 12+ dark subclasses, a hoard of Cursed & Symbiotic Magic Items, and a complete framework for building villains that will become legends at your table.

Timeline. We're excited to announce that the Book of Big Bad Evils is already 60% written and designed! The core chapters, new subclasses, and foundational mechanics are complete. This Kickstarter is designed to fund the final, most crucial stages of production: bringing the book to life with all its artwork and meticulous editing.

We have a clear roadmap to completion and are on track for a final PDF delivery in October 2026. Our stretch goals are planned to enhance the book with more content and art while running parallel to production, ensuring we can deliver a massive, high-quality book on schedule. See our full timeline below for more details!

What's inside the book?

1. Create Villains + Explore Pre-Made BBEGs

Forge antagonists that transcend the stat block, creating legends of villainy your players will talk about for years to come. Totally transform your storytelling with a complete framework for antagonist design, as you delve into the twisted psychology behind their motives and build shadowy networks that make your world feel truly alive. Master 8 core villain archetypes, explore deep psychological drivers from trauma to ideology, and implement insidious, multi-stage Grand Designs to craft the ultimate, unforgettable challenge for your heroes.

2. The New Rune-Scarred Class

Magic is not a gift. It is a price, paid in flesh and fortitude. This book introduces The Rune-Scarred, a brand-new, Constitution-based pure spellcasting class for 5th Edition. For the Rune-Scarred, the body is the only grimoire that matters. They physically carve, brand, and tattoo arcane runes into their own skin, transforming themselves into a living conduit for raw, untamed magic. Every spell is a visceral act, a test to the strength required to command such power and the constitution needed to survive its searing passage.

3. Evil Subclasses

But the new class is only the beginning of the forbidden power this grimoire holds. The Book of Big Bad Evils unleashes over 12 new subclasses for the core classes, each designed to explore a unique facet of dark and compelling power.

Will you command the battlefield with an iron fist as the ruthless Warlord, a fighter who treats their allies as pawns and strategy as a weapon of ultimate cruelty? Will you embrace the agony of your tainted bloodline as the volatile Malediction Soul, a sorcerer who has learned to weaponize their own curse against the world? Or will you become your enemy's personal nightmare as a barbarian on the Path of the Obsessed, your rage a cold, focused fury that fixates on a single target and relentlessly tears them apart?

4. New Dark Playable Races

Embrace your monstrous nature with a host of new playable lineages designed for dark and compelling campaigns. 

5. A Full Bestiary

Unleash a host of memorable adversaries with our comprehensive bestiary of tactical threats and bizarre horrors.

Build a better army for your BBEG. Our bestiary includes dozens of new and fun Tactical Variants for classic creatures, each with a unique stat block and battlefield role. 

6. Powerful and Cursed Magic Items

Discover a hoard of unique and sinister magic items that are more than just stat bonuses: they are stories waiting to be told. The Book of Big Bad Evils is packed with cursed artifacts and symbiotic weapons, each offering immense power, but always at a terrible price.

Get Your Preview Now!

Reward Tiers

Kickstarter just made things easier for everyone who wants to go ALL-IN.
You can now split your pledge into 3 monthly payments with the new “Pledge Over Time” option, available directly at checkout.
This feature applies automatically to all pledges above $125 / €125, making it easier to secure your favorite rewards right from day one.

Detailed Pledge Breakdown

Reviews

We released an exclusive PDF preview to our playtesters, here is their thoughts!

Add-Ons

A curated collection of premium tabletop artifacts, featuring the Hardcover Book, highly detailed resin miniatures, and thematic dice sets.

Choose your weapon. Wield the Bones of the Archlich, a weathered set carved from the remnants of the dead archlich with high-contrast inking. Or embrace the Malediction Soul, a magnificent set swirling with suspended blood-red filaments and gilded numbers.

Available Miniatures (STL or RESIN)

All these incredible miniatures were sculpted and rendered in stunning detail by the talented 3D artist Fabrizio G.

Behold Mythras, the face of the Apocalypse.

A reality-shattering centerpiece for your campaign, capturing the "Cosmic Anomaly" in haunting detail. This miniature embodies the tragic nobility and apocalyptic power of a being who seeks to unravel existence itself.

Auurumvorax, the Gilded Blight

The definitive miniature for your campaign's final boss. Standing at an incredible scale and rendered in stunning detail, this golden predator is ready to tear through any adventuring party.

Elegance is eternal. Meet Baroness Evangeline du Mort.

A miniature that drips with gothic sophistication. From the intricate folds of her gown to her imperious gaze, Evangeline represents the perfect blend of beauty and terror.

Born in a lab. Forged in agony. This is Borlag.

A grotesque centerpiece for any horror campaign, capturing the agony of a creature born from cruel science. Every scar, tube, and stitch is rendered in terrifying detail.

The embodiment of Vengeance: The Silent King.

Once a legendary hero, now a hollow vessel of pure rage. Born from a betrayal so deep that his soul refused to fade, binding itself to his armor for eternity. This colossal living construct hunts "traitors" with a warped sense of justice.

Other add-ons

Beyond the Book of Big Bad Evils and the miniatures, you can upgrade your pledge with these exclusive items:

• Tabletop Gear: Protect your dice with the Astral Archives Dice Tray and the stylish Leather Dice Holder.
• 100+ Map Pack: A massive library of digital battlemaps, ready for any VTT or home game.
• The Void's Embrace (PDF): A unique "rogue-like" adventure module. Use the included tables to randomly generate a fresh plot and layout every single time you play.
• Reborn Realms (PDF): Dive into the Isekai genre! In this anthology of one-shots, your players will reincarnate into new bodies with new abilities to face destiny in strange lands.

Stretch Goals

Funding the core project is just the beginning. As our dark army grows, so does the Book of Big Bad Evils!

By reaching the funding milestones below, we will unlock new content, digital upgrades, and exclusive expansions for ALL backers. Every time we hit a target, the book gets bigger, meaner, and packed with more tools for your campaigns.

Share the campaign with your party, your DM, and your friends to help us unlock them all!

🔒 $3,000 - VTT Digital Token Pack:

Every monster, minion, and BBEG in the book receives a high-resolution, beautifully bordered digital token. Fully optimized and ready to be dropped into Roll20, Foundry VTT, Owlbear Rodeo, or your favorite Virtual Tabletop. Let the digital slaughter begin!

🔒 $4,500 - The Cursed Armory (+5 Symbiotic Items):

Power always comes at a price. We are adding 5 brand-new, terrifying Symbiotic and Cursed Magic Items to the core book! Perfect for tempting your players with incredible abilities... and devastating drawbacks.

🔒 $6,500 - Ascendant Villains: 

Multi CR System for BBEGs: all BBEGs will now get different stat blocks ready to be used at different tiers of play and at different stages of the campaign!

🔒 $8,000 - Community Choice: A New BBEG:

The Inner Circle has spoken! We tallied the votes for our newest BBEG concepts, and the winners that will officially be added to the grimoire are: The First Hero. History’s very first adventurer, kept alive by artificial means. He is exhausted, in constant pain, and wants to unravel the fabric of reality simply so he can finally rest;  The Fool. A cosmic entity that finds the "script" of the universe boring. It introduces "glitches" into reality: monsters where they shouldn't be, gravity failing; just to see if the players can do something unpredictable.

🔒 The Archlich's Vault: We add 10 exclusive, BBEG-specific magic items and legendary loot drops to the book!

Astral Archives – The Creator & Producer

Filippo Gerbino: Founder, Writer & Production Manager

I have been a Dungeon Master for as long as I can remember, crafting homebrew worlds and stories for my players. Writing this book has been an incredible journey, but I know that passion alone isn't enough to deliver a product. That’s why I wear two hats: the Creative, writing the lore and designing the layout, and the Producer. I have personally handled all production quotes, logistics, and financial calculations to ensure this project is not just a dream, but a mathematically viable reality that will arrive on your doorstep.

The Crowdfunding Coach

Mattia Di Stasi: Strategic Advisor

To ensure this campaign runs smoothly and reaches you without a hitch, I am supported by Mattia Di Stasi. He is a renowned Crowdfunding Coach who has helped creators raise over $3 Million across Kickstarter and Indiegogo. With his guidance, we have structured the logistics and the campaign to be as safe and professional as possible.

The Sculptor

Fabrizio G. Lead 3D Artist

The terrifying beauty and the intricate details of the miniatures are the work of Fabrizio. He is a professional sculptor who brings an artistic, high-fidelity touch to every model.

The Artists

Giorgia Sette

Daniel Comerci

Rian Trost

Shipment & Fulfillment

Please Note: Shipping costs and applicable taxes are NOT included in your initial pledge.

To ensure the fairest pricing for everyone, shipping fees will be calculated and collected after the campaign concludes, closer to our fulfillment date (prior to September 2027). We will be utilizing Kickstarter’s official built-in Pledge Manager to collect these funds and finalize your shipping details securely. These fees cover adequate packaging, fulfillment center costs, and postage to ensure your dark artifacts arrive safely.

While global shipping rates will most likely fluctuate, here are our rough estimates for physical pledges based on current shipping fees:

Please keep in mind that adding heavier items (like more Dice Sets, multiple Resin Miniatures, or more copies of the hardcover book), especially as add-ons will increase the final weight and shipping cost of your package.

Taxes, VAT, and US Tariffs:

USA Tariffs: Due to potential changes in international trade laws, shipments to the United States may be subject to new import tariffs by 2027. If these tariffs are enacted, they will be calculated based on your specific pledge and collected securely via the Kickstarter Pledge Manager.

VAT and Import Fees: VAT and import fees vary depending on the specific country the pledge rewards are shipped to

Shipping Restrictions:
Unfortunately, due to current international logistics, severe customs restrictions, or active conflict, it is impossible for us to guarantee safe delivery to certain regions. We currently do not ship to: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Israel, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan.

Join the Discord Server to download a full BBEG PDF Preview and chat with other members of the community!