Curseborne Covenant

Welcome, Accursed.

To learn more about the Curseborne RPG, 

• Visit the Curseborne website <Here>
• Watch this Gentleman's Guide to Curseborne PRG video <here>
• Or Buy the game from DriveThruRPG <here>

This book explores what comes next for those lucky Accursed who managed to weather their initial storm of Damnation, and where they go from here. Curseborne lifted the lid on those most insidious of curses, the ones which bled through the fabric of life before clotting and coagulating to form the Families; this book cuts deeper still, exploring the next stages of their curse and how their rising Entanglement warps and distorts everything around them, increasing the potency of their spells and leading them deeper into damnation. How do these potent creatures choose to spend their time; do they remain invested in their own schemes, or align themselves to something bigger than themselves?

Curseborne Covenant introduces a new group for the characters to ally themselves with: the conspiracy. These formidable factions eat away at the fabric of Accursed community, a secret wrapped within a secret. They’re a way for elder Accursed to while away the years, grow their own powerbase, control the “lesser” Accursed, and spread their own particular brand of curse. While some conspiracies have lofty goals, others are decidedly less altruistic in their pursuits. The rest, well, they make the others seem like saints by comparison.

Conspiracies are central to Curseborne Covenant, and each one represents a mystery deeper than any the world of Curseborne has explored so far. Each conspiracy acts as both a moral imperative and a social group for a character to attach themselves to. By pursuing these routes, the characters get to explore their own rapidly expanding worldview and start pulling the strings themselves. Doing so allows them to unlock the real power behind their curse, placing them into a whole new level.

The Book

Curseborne Covenant is the next major expansion for Curseborne, Onyx Path Publishing's tabletop roleplaying game of contemporary urban horror using the Storypath Ultra system.

• Chapter One: The Tattered World. We begin with our setting chapter. This is still the same cursed world you’re accustomed to, and this chapter just brings things up to speed in terms of what developments you’re going to want to bring in.
• Chapter Two: Enter the Conspiracy. This chapter dives straight into the conspiracies, giving an Accursed eye view of what they are and what they do. Each conspiracy receives a detailed write-up as to their objectives and beliefs, as well as what joining one offers the characters.
• Chapter Three: Families. Curseborne Covenant offers up five new Families; one for each Lineage. Importantly, each of these Families has a direct connection to the Fae. Here you’ll find some guidance as to how our high Entanglement characters might found a new Family of their own.
• Chapter Four: Character Advancement.For all things character advancement, look no further than chapter 4. New Inheritances, Motifs, Damnations, Edges, Relics, Heirlooms, and even advice for those wanting to switch their Major Path over.
• Chapter Five: Curses. If you want mechanics for how to cursebind, details on the new rituals created by the conspiracies, and the insidious power behind the new ascendant spells, this chapter is where you need to go.
• Chapter Six: Conspiracy and Control.This is our Storyguiding chapter, giving you guidance and advice on how to weave these new elements into your stories. You’ll uncover a huge range of inspirational material here too, giving you some ready-made story starting points. With all this power at your fingertips, the characters are going to need some equally potent adversaries to keep them busy. You’ll also find them in this chapter!

The Campaign

The primary purpose behind this Kickstarter campaign is to enable Onyx Path to create a fully-developed PDF and hardcover versions of Curseborne Covenant. With your support we create a standard full-color hardcover book, which will be sent out as a reward to backers and also made available to game and hobby stores through Onyx Path's distribution partners.  In addition, we want to create a limited edition deluxe version, with special cover design featured on a leatherette cover and a bound-in bookmark that'll be available only through a special pledge path.

Exceptional funding may allow the Curseborne team to expand and further explore various aspects of the game, including moody fiction, enhanced spells, and more to expand the world and create tools for your game.  Additional support will provide Onyx Path with inspiration and resources to unlock even more reward options!  

Beyond those campaign-specific goals, the hope is to do what these games have always done — build a community invested in each other's stories and shared imagination. Every person who participates is picking a path with the goal of bringing this game into the world, and that common goal is a powerful binding element that we can't help but want to share. When you back this project, you join us on this challenge and become part of our own worldwide family.

PRODUCTION TIMELINE: Despite having a robust written draft and some of the artwork and design already completed, the game will take time to produce. We're aiming to have the first Backer PDF out to supporters by December 2027, and the hardcover book reward out to backers by March 2029. We'll work to to deliver before these dates, but are aware of the challenges that may arise during production, so have attempted to incorporate some flexibility in the schedule. We will keep you notified of the progress on these rewards through regular Kickstarter updates each month, and via the Onyx Path website.

Pledging Your Support

All participants who would like to make this project happen can pledge their support and add to the overall campaign total. If the campaign meets the funding target ($25,000), then we will have funded the project and it will become a reality. Your pledge will only be collected if we achieve our funding target.

In thanks for your support, we offer rewards based on your level of funding pledged. The Reward Paths linked at the top of the page outline the various rewards reflecting various levels of support pledged. Any shipping charges will be collected when the books are printed and preparing for fulfillment through the pledge manager.

Digital vs Physical: do you save some shelf space and go digital-only with the PDF version or go all in with the hardcover version? Are you just interested in the new book created by this campaign, or are you looking to delve into other Storypath games? You can pre-order the PDF versions of other games using Storypath Ultra, as well as adding some other Curseborne titles to your rewards list! 

While the expanding world of the Accursed is challenging and full of hidden perils and intrigue, we've tried to keep supporting this project as simple and straightforward as possible. To pledge support to this project, select one of these pledge paths:

Primary Reward Tiers

• Initiate Path: This is the PDF-only reward tier. So, if you're saving trees or saving shelf space - or avoiding the shipping charges that are absolutely ever-increasing - this is the reward tier options that you should begin with. The PDF will be fulfilled by our partners at DriveThruRPG.com - when it is ready, you will receive a link to add it to your DTRPG library at no cost and be able to download at your leisure.
• Disciple Path: This reward tier includes the standard hardcover version of this book. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager. In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.

If you're a big fan of Curseborne and want to really impress your gaming group, we're also offering a special edition Deluxe Curseborne Covenant hardcover book.

• Adept Path: This reward tier includes the deluxe hardcover version of this book. You will be charged for shipping after the campaign through the pledge manager.  In addition, this option also includes the PDF version, so you will get a digital copy as described above.

In addition to these primary reward pledge paths, we also offer the following options:

• Postulant Path: Not ready to commit, or just looking to offer general support? This pledge path is for you. This does not include our primary reward, but allows you to select some digital optional Add Ons, as well as participating in the post-campaign Pledge Manager as a backer. You'll also be able to read the draft manuscript of Curseborne Covenant that we post throughout this campaign.
• Director Path: A special slipcase containing the deluxe Curseborne Covenant hardcover book, the Curseborne Covenant Storyguide Screen, and a special "Making Of" softcover book. 
• The Archon Path: This pledge path offers special limited rewards in addition to the basics; an option to supply a name to be used by a background character included in this book or a future supplement. Check the pledge path description for more details.

Finally, we love retailers, but modern publishing methods don’t always make it easy for them to get books into their stores. With this Curseborne Covenant campaign, we have created three special Reward Tier just for you.

• The Cabal Path: Any retailer who pledges at the Cabal path will get 5 copies of the Curseborne Covenant hardcover book (as well as the PDF versions) at a retail-specific discount so that they can sell in-store. You must have prior approval to back at this level. Otherwise your pledge will be adjusted in our post-campaign Pledge Manager. ·Please contact theonyxpath@gmail.com to confirm your eligibility·

Pledge Rewards

ACCESS TO DRAFT MANUSCRIPT UPDATES – During the course of the campaign, we will be posting the ENTIRE manuscript for Curseborne Covenant. These previews will be shared via Backer-Only updates. You must be a backer of this project to receive these updates.

CURSEBORNE COVENANT BACKER PDF  - Kickstarter backers will receive a redemption link for an early version of this book before it goes on sale to the public. This initial "Backer Version" will be used to get feedback from the fans to make the final version the best that it can be. When it has been updated to the final version, it will automatically be added to your DriveThruRPG library and available for download at your convenience.

CURSEBORNE COVENANT HARDCOVER BOOKS - The main goal of this campaign is to fund the creation, production, and print run of a standard and limited edition deluxe hardcover editions of this book. Note that all Reward Tiers that include a physical hardcover version also include the digital PDF version as a bonus.

OPTIONAL DISCOUNTED PoD VERSION – For this Curseborne Covenant campaign, you will have the option of using DriveThruRPG.com’s Print-On-Demand service to purchase a printed copy of the PDF directly from their PoD partners at discounted cost (this cost is not included in your pledge, and you do not need to increase the cost of your pledge to use this option). When the PoD versions are available to order (which may be some time after the books have gone to print), you will receive links to purchase these versions of the books from DriveThruRPG.com. You DO NOT need to take advantage of this PoD offer as it does not affect in any way your pledge rewards.

In addition to the rewards listed in each Pledge Path, backers can add extra options via the Add On menu associated with your reward format. Digital Rewards can be added to any pledge, while physical rewards can only be added to rewards lists that include the Curseborne Covenant hardcover book, and will therefore have a shippable order when information is downloaded in the fulfillment system.

Add On Options

• Curseborne Core Rulebook PDF: The complete digital rulebook needed to play the game, including character creation for the initial families and the foundations of the setting.
• Curseborne Core Rulebook PDF + Hardcover Combo: Includes both the digital PDF copy and the physical standard hardcover edition of the main Curseborne rulebook. Limited quantities available.
• Curseborne Core Rulebook PDF + Deluxe Hardcover Combo: Includes the digital PDF copy paired with the premium, collector-tier Deluxe hardcover edition of the primary rulebook. Limited quantities available.

• Curseborne Player's Guide PDF: The digital edition of the first major player supplement, expanding your table's options with more lineages, mechanics, and local family lore.
• Curseborne Player's Guide PDF + Hardcover Combo: Grants immediate access to the digital PDF and a physical copy of the standard hardcover Player's Guide.
• Curseborne Player's Guide PDF + Deluxe Hardcover Combo: Grants immediate access to the digital PDF and a physical copy of the premium Deluxe hardcover edition of the Player's Guide.

• Curseborne Storyguide Screen: A physical four-panel landscape screen containing core rules references, charts, and tables on the inside for the Storyguide, featuring atmospheric setting art on the outside for the players.
• Curseborne Covenant Storyguide Screen: A brand-new physical four-panel landscape screen updated with advanced tables, high-tier Entanglement rules, and specific Conspiracy reference data unique to the Curseborne Covenant expansion.

• Curseborne Tasty Bits Omnibus PDF: A digital collection gathering various short PDF supplements originally released each month in 2025.
• Curseborne Fiction Bundle: A dual digital package containing the Accursed Tales Omnibus anthology alongside the standalone novella Peel Back the Bark.
• Curseborne: Tangled Webs PDF: A digital supplement mapping out the shifting architecture of liminal spaces, interstitial zones, and dangerous pocket realities. It provides ready-to-use environmental hazards, bizarre entity locations like carnivorous buildings, and fresh mechanical backgrounds to expand player territories and Storyguide mystery arcs.
• Curseborne Storyguide Bundle: A digital kit featuring Virtual Tabletop (VTT) asset tokens, streaming layout overlays, and a dual set of quick-reference cheat sheets covering both the core rulebook and the Curseborne Covenant expansion.
• Curseborne Adventures Bundle: A multi-adventure digital drop containing both the Accursed Adventures PDF collection and the ready-to-run jumpstart scenario The Wolf You Feed PDF.

• Storypath Ultra Core Manual PDF: The standalone, setting-neutral core system manual detailing the updated Storypath Ultra engine rules, mechanics, and design philosophies.
• The World Below Core Rulebook PDF: The digital core book for Onyx Path's dark subterranean fantasy setting, utilizing the same Storypath Ultra foundation.
• At The Gates Core Rulebook PDF: The digital core book for the epic fantasy and tactical monster-battling setting powered by the Storypath Ultra engine.
• Monster Kingdoms Core Rulebook PDF Pre-Order: A digital pre-order for the upcoming Storypath Ultra monster-centric fantasy RPG setting.
• Jadestorm Core Rulebook PDF Pre-Order: A digital pre-order for the highly anticipated high-flying, wuxia-inspired fantasy RPG setting using the Storypath Ultra engine.

Stretch Goals

As we increase the overall funding and support for the project, we’re able to add additional resources to the project, building a companion book of Essence examples of adversaries and story scenarios. Each Stretch Goal will have a target that, once reached, will add a project to the reward list for backers of the relevant Pledge Levels. Whenever we achieve a stretch goal, the listing will be updated to reflect the achievement.

ACHIEVED! - At $30,000 in Funding - Curseborne Novella - We will create a new novella set in the wider world of Curseborne Covenant, exploring the Accursed as they become further entangled in a world of greater dangers. All backers receiving the Curseborne Covenant PDF as one of their rewards will have this automatically added as a bonus reward.

ACHIEVED! - At $35,000 in Funding - Advanced Spells: Haunting and Predation Practices - Curseborne Covenant upgrades the spells from the Curseborne core rulebook for Accursed at higher Entanglement levels. We'll create a new PDF supplement to do the same for the spells introduced in the Curseborne Player's Guide. Spells from the Haunting and Predation Practices will be brought up to Covenant-tier power. All backers receiving the Curseborne Covenant PDF as one of their rewards will have this automatically added as a bonus reward.

ACHIEVED! - At $40,000 in Funding - Ready-Made Covenant Accursed - We will create a PDF supplement containing ready-made Accursed characters at the higher Entanglement levels presented in Curseborne Covenant, complete with their conspiracy information and ready for play. All backers receiving the Curseborne Covenant PDF as one of their rewards will have this automatically added as a bonus reward.

At $45,000 in Funding - Advanced Spells: Manifestation and Maelstrom Practices - We'll add advanced versions of spells from the Manifestation and Maelstrom Practices to our Advanced Spells PDF, bringing them up to Covenant-tier power. All backers receiving the Curseborne Covenant PDF as one of their rewards will have this automatically added as a bonus reward.

Shipping

Shipping has become increasingly expensive and is often prohibitive to non-US backers. Several contemporary publishers have decided to discontinue international shipping completely. For this project, Onyx Path wants to keep all options open to our customers, though shipping costs will reflect the expense.

PLEASE NOTE: Shipping costs ARE NOT included in the cost of your pledge. You will be charged for shipping—and have an opportunity to adjust your pledge—after the campaign through the pledge manager.

The following are estimates for shipping a copy of the hardcover book with full package tracking, projected on current trends. Please note that these are estimates only and are subject to change by the time of fulfillment (currently projected by March 2029)

• DOMESTIC (USA): $15 USD 
• CANADA: $40 USD 
• UNITED KINGDOM: $18 USD 
• EUROPEAN UNION: $40 USD 
• AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND: $60 USD 
• BRAZIL*: $70.00 USD 
• THE REST OF THE WORLD: $65-$80 USD 

Again, we will be charging the actual costs via our pledge manager once the books are preparing to ship. These are estimated costs only, and the final costs charged will reflect the actual rates at the time of shipping. At this time, there's a lot of speculation about what that may mean, and while we acknowledge the volatility of the market, we'll do our best to find the most reasonable delivery solutions.

*Orders to Brazil will be shipped with tracking numbers once only. Should the order become lost in customs processing or during last-mile delivery within Brazil, we'll need full payment of a second order before any re-ships can take place. At this time, we can only ship books to Brazil.

Orders to the EU include Low Value Parcel handing fees. Any additional duties and taxes are the responsibility of the recipient.

ALTERNATE OPTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL BACKERS:

If you live outside of the US, here are your options for obtaining a physical copy:

• Pledge to the campaign at the $30 Initiate pledge level to get the PDF version plus a redemption code to purchase the print-on-demand version of the book at a discounted cost (plus shipping) from DriveThruRPG.com once it's available (see Reward Descriptions, above, for more details).
• Pledge to the campaign at the $5 Postulant reward tier to get access to the preview manuscript. Later, you can buy the PDF and/or Print-on-Demand when eventually released.
• Contact your local game store and make sure you're put on a preorder list so they know there's demand for the game that they're being asked to fill, and then encourage them to back at the Retailer Tier for this campaign!
• Look into a freight forwarding service that can give you a US-based shipping address and get packages delivered to it and forwarded to you.

Pledge Manager

After the campaign is over we'll launch our Pledge Manager and invite the backers to set up their rewards via survey. This allows you to confirm your pledge and add on anything that you might have missed, as well as possibly increasing your pledged reward tier, should you choose to expand your reward selection. Funding collected by BackerKit after the crowdfunding campaign does not count toward any campaign Stretch Goals, however.

After the Crowdfunding campaign, in the Pledge Manager, you 'll be able to:

• Review and update your Pledge Level selection - for example, you can pledge to the Initiate level during the Kickstarter campaign and then switch to the Adept level once we know shipping costs and are preapring to fulfill the hardcover rewards
• Confirm and Update your Shipping information - you'll be able to update your final delivery address up until we're shipping out the hardcover rewards
• Pay for Shipping and additional Add On Options - we'll process payments for shipping costs and additional add-ons selected in your Pledge Manager survey when we get closer to hardcover reward fulfillment
• Download Digital Reward Redemption Links - the Pledge Manager will have links to access all of your digital rewards as they are fulfilled.

Onyx Path and Crowdfunding

Onyx Path Publishing has managed more than 70 crowdfunded projects, and that experience allows us to maintain manageable projects and achievable goals. To read more about the knowledge that has been applied to this project, you can read the FAQ linked here: http://theonyxpath.com/about/faq/crowdfunding/