Enshrined: A 5E Mythic Horror Odyssey

Overview

Enshrined is a setting guide that introduces you to a mist shrouded island that serves as the prison of overthrown gods. Discover the cursed denizens who call this island home, experience the cultures of fallen deities, and contend with the divinely twisted monsters that prowl the wilds. Drawing inspiration from Eldritch and cosmic horror, Enshrined will teach you why not every book should be opened, depth delved or question answered. 

Gods lie broken across the land, their essence oozing into soil, intertwining with the wind, and rotting in the mind. Rooted in Eldritch fantasy and quiet dread, Enshrined draws you into an Island that watches and remembers. Here, curiosity is not a gift. It is a provocation.

New Class

Survival demands sacrifice. For the Fate Runner, the price is their future. They reach forward in time, distorting the turn order, taking actions, bonus actions, health and movement from their future turns in order to bolster themselves in the here and now. Unleash devastating flurries of blows, sprint across the battlefield, unleash multiple spells, or why not just take two full turns. Time is not so easily fooled however. The future always arrives, and when it does the debt must be paid.

New Subclasses

Take to the field as one of the 10+ all new subclasses. Turn the battlefield into a writhing feast as the ravenous Way of the Maw Monk. Wander the shifting terrain of the mind, severing or implanting thoughts as the Fear Strider Ranger. Erase magic’s foul blight from this world, leaving the corrupted powerless and broken as the Denuded Knight Fighter and much more. Each carefully crafted subclass brings new stories and new ways to play.

The people of the island and their gods are one and the same, reflections and memories intertwined. As the island gaol twists its divine prisoners, so too are the people affected, sharing in the powers and punishments of their patrons. Live among them as one of Enshrined’s 8+ new player races and discover what it takes to survive on the island.

Item Crafting

Enshrined introduces a new take on weapon and armor crafting. Each creature, plant and NPC becomes a potential source of materials that can be molded into components. Combine these components to create gear, from armor to weapons, arrow and trinkets. Components and their effects are not premade, players decide what they want to craft, the power a product of their endeavors in the world. Build, disassemble, rearrange, nothing is cast in stone, all things must grow and adapt to thrive.

Alchemy

The new alchemy system of Enshrined allows you to harvest the plants and animals you come across on your journeys, or have deliberately hunted down. Endlessly flexible and effortlessly intuitive, the alchemy system allows players to combine ingredients into creative concoctions with unique effects. As the alchemists of old, you do not choose from a predefined list, instead experimentation is rewarded. When handled adeptly, the rarest of ingredients can bring about distortions which rival the fiercest of magics.

From entry to rule, the Creedmark system allows DM’s to easily develop bonds between the party and outside groups, individuals, or entities. Dynamic missions, power struggles, promotions and betrayals lays the foundation of exciting down time activities for the party or even a whole campaign. Immerse your players in the world as the Creedmark system to add depth and intrigue to joining a thieves guild, enlisting in the military, becoming the tool of a powerful politician or selling their soul to a demon. 

A Perilous Adventure

The creatures that haven’t been twisted by the gods have been honed by nature and nothing on the island should be considered easy prey. But as deadly as the animals of the island are, they can be just as beautiful, and to those skilled and brave enough to attempt to train them, just as powerful a companion. The creatures of enshrined each fit into their niche in the world, the interplay between the species providing a rich, ever evolving narrative and tempting entry point for adventure. But be aware, not all creatures are natural or even god tainted. Some are spawned from the dreams or nightmares of gods too alien for the mortal mind to comprehend and they too must feed.  

Eldritch Ecosystems

The world of Enshrined is an ecosystem of lives interwoven into each other’s fates. From man to plant, predator to prey, the island is an interaction between all living things. The creatures of Enshrined co-exist with one another. The prey have adapted to eat the flora of the island and evade the predators. The predators have adapted to hunt their prey and the plants have adapted to outgrow their competitors in a harsh world. And all of them have had to evolve to the presence of the fallen gods. They will fight you as fiercely as they fight each other.

The plants of Enshrined hold as much power as the animals or people. Having grown and evolved in a harsh world of predators and reality twisting gods, the plants here are as fierce as any creature. Knowledge of the fauna and their properties may swing battles in the favor of the party, simply help them avoid injury or reveal a treasure trove of valuable and potent ingredients and materials to be used in the creation of items and potions. 

Enshrined brings to life a whole new pantheon. Existing as the forces of nature and the building blocks of reality, these gods are not people. Mortal minds cannot comprehend them, their desires or motivations even they can even be called that. They cannot be understood, they cannot be persuaded, and they cannot be killed. And they are looking to escape.

The old and broken places of the world can carry a terrible warping power. People and wildlife that spend too much time near the ruins may find themselves tainted and altered, torn from the natural order.

Stories Bound To One Another

The primary campaign of Enshrined unravels two journeys for your wayward adventurers. Each tale is linked, as the ending of the first campaign leads into the beginning of the next. 

The campaigns will take the party from creator to hunter, recluse to hero and ignorant to scarred. Embark on a journey of discovery, pushing the boundaries of knowledge until they break, releasing something cold and growing into the world. Then confront this product of hubris as it consumes the island. Be warned, it will not be easy to find and it will be harder yet to destroy. 

No self-respecting boss should be defeated during the same session that they are introduced. Bosses in Enshrined are more than just stat blocks and fighting one is an adventure and puzzle unto itself. Each of the 7 unique bosses features a short adventure tied to their themes. From a hex crawl to a repeating roguelike, the build up, suspense and unique mechanics is sure to make these encounters memorable.

Multiturn spells

Watch the fear grow in your players’ eyes as the towering villain winds up their biggest spell or wield them for yourself. Plan ahead and pick out the perfect timing to unleash a devastating torrent of the arcane. Enshrined’s new multi turn spells allow players and NPCs alike to use spells that require a turn or more of windup before unleashing the full might of their effects. This new approach to spell weaving is the perfect way to build anticipation and reward a well-coordinated party.

Playtest Material

An ominous wind rattles the Festival of Roads. Uncover the truth behind the strange phenomenon occurring in the Chained Valley, what drives the cults hidden in the shadows, and what has become of the missing head priest of Alduthun.

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Who We Are

Started in Regina, Canada but consisting of artists, writers and designers from across the world, we’ve built our way up from a small operation to a slightly less small operation. Feel free to join us on discord if you want to chat about the game, life in general or the existential dread we all feel when between waking and sleep at 4am in the morning.

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Time Line

Our estimated timeline for writing the book and finishing the art is 18-24 months. Unlocking additional stretch goals will likely mean extending that time frame as it will require additional work from the writers, designers and artists (but it will be well worth the wait, we promise). 

That being said, sometimes things take a bit longer than expected, need additional testing, there’s a manufacturing delay or we have a really good idea at the last minute. Regardless of what happens, we will let you know what’s going on and what to expect so you won’t be in the dark. 

We’ll post frequent updates detailing our progress and challenges along with material for you to test if so inclined. 

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