Season of the Witch: DnD Folk Horror

The Final Week

The Campaign

As long as there has been power, there have been those who would lay claim to it. To take every little bit of it, hold it tight, and hide it from the rest of the world.

Such is the way of the Sorcerer Kings. High in their towers, they sit in unnatural palaces torn from the earth. And they want. It is such a simple thing, to want. But once you’ve started, wanting eats away at you with an ever-gnawing mouth. Until, in an effort to fill the hunger, you start wanting things that are not yours.

But away now from towers and their grasping fingers; away to those who pay the price.

Such is the way of the Witch. To be a Witch is to know that a little piece of Wilde has settled within your bones. To know that there are those who would take it from you. To hide and to fight, to protect and destroy. To pay.

For there are teeth in the dark. And they demand their due.

Season of the Witch is a Dungeons and Dragons supplement for 5e and 5.5e consisting of three interwoven elements packaged into one c.75-page book:

1. Teeth in the Dark: The village of Fairham prepares for the Equinox. As the balance between tradition and progress tips dangerously, something is unfurling in the dark of the neighbouring forest. When has the selection of a May Queen ever gone wrong?
   Explore this multi-session folk-horror adventure for DnD. Teeth in the Dark includes brand new creatures, mechanics for adding tension, fully illustrated items, and a fully populated village of NPCs, all with their own wants and needs. Fairham was there before you, and it will be there after you. Well... probably. 
2. The Witch Class: take advantage of any opportunity using Charms, a new class-specific Reaction. The base campaign includes five distinct subclasses to suit your play style, with new spells for each.
3. The Chicken Legged Cottage: mechanics to introduce this mobile home into your campaigns. This fits best with the Witch Class, but includes a Feat so other spellcasters can raise their chicken house into a chicken home.

More detail on each can be found below!

With art by Jana Heidersdorf. Layout for illustration purposes only.

Edition. All three elements of Season of the Witch will be available for DnD 5e or 5.5e. Tell us which version you want in the post-campaign survey, and you'll get a set of PDFs compatible with your preferred rule set when we're ready to go.

DM Confidential. DM Confidential is a small, UK-based TTRPG offshoot, run by Robin Thorne, a TTRPG creator, editor, and illustrator with a long history in comics. Narrative is at the heart of everything Robin writes, with every adventure or class supported by lore. Come tell a story with us.

Where are we now? The content for the base campaign is about 80% drafted. Early versions of the Witch Class and Chicken Legged Cottage mechanics have been released on the DM Confidential Patreon for playtesting, and playtesting of Teeth in the Dark will start with a small group of players while this campaign runs. The goal is to issue all campaign elements by October 31, 2026. 

So why do you need funds? Simply put - to make the book better. While the majority of the art produced to date is either licensed for or produced by Robin Thorne, we'd love to bring on more artists that really fit the vibe of the campaign. We believe in human-made art, without exception, and the more support the campaign gets, the more artists we can work with, and the more beautiful the book becomes. 

Why digital-first? There is a lot going on in the world that brings uncertainty to the shipping process. As a very small independent publisher, DM Confidential's first priority is getting our books to your table, in whatever form that takes. That means for now we're a digital-first publisher. 

Tax and Shipping. Where relevant, tax and shipping will be collected as part of the Pledge Manager.  

The Adventure

The village of Fairham prepares for the Equinox. As the balance between tradition and progress tips dangerously, something is unfurling in the dark of the neighbouring forest. 
When has the selection of a May Queen ever gone wrong?

Teeth in the Dark is a folk-horror adventure for Dungeons and Dragons. Classic small-town mystery and murder meets rural folklore and the uncanny to create an eerie, roleplay-focused mini campaign for 4th-level characters. Lean into the lore of the Sorcerer Kings, or slot the village of Fairham into your own game. Whether you play 5e or 5.5e, there's a version here for you.

With art by Jana Heidersdorf. Layout for illustration purposes only.

Touch points: A House with Good Bones and The Hollow Places (T Kingfisher), Dark Matter (Michelle Paver), Derelict (Podcast), Hot Fuzz, Midnight Mass, Midsomer Murders, Midsommar, Miss Marple, Slow Gods (Claire North), The Bear and the Nightingale (Katherine Arden), The Green Knight, The Terror, The Thing

The Witch Class

Few creatures stir the imagination more than a Witch. Myths and legends spring to mind – from the cautionary tale of breadcrumbs and a gingerbread cottage, to the wise healer at the heart of her community. Mentors, caretakers, stories to frighten children, powers to be respected. Devotion. Retribution. The wheel turns, and it is a Witch’s task to ensure it may ever be so.

The Witch class uses Charms, a new class-specific Reaction, to take advantage of any opportunity. Cast them on another creature’s turn, or to modify your own turn. Of course you only have one Reaction per turn, so the Witch class is about choosing your moment with care, while taking full advantage of offensive, defensive and support spells the rest of the time.

Subclasses
As part of the base campaign, there are five subclasses available to choose from, each with a distinct vibe and a different play style.

With art by Maéna Paillet. Layout for illustration only, and is subject to change.

The Coven of Dreams: Dreamwalker, dream eater, or one of a thousand different creates of myth and folklore, haunt your opponent's dreams and provide debuffs with levels of Exhaustion.

The Coven of the Firmament: Claim the skies as your domain and hear the whispers of the stars to stand against your enemies.

The Coven of the Green: Revel in the company of root and claw to exchange resources, making sure you and yours always have what you need on hand.

The Coven of Tides: The water can look like solid ground or the chance to fly ... until you fall in. Reflect opponent's attacks back at them and change the battlefield with forced movement.

The Coven of Storms: Weather Witch or War Mage, a Storm Witch is always in demand. Wreathe yourself in an Aura of wind, rain and lightning, and punish anyone who would face you with wrath in their heart.

The Mobile Home

Explore the world on two chicken legs by adding this mobile house to your campaign. This supplement contains a new feat to make a chicken-legged house available to players, rules for expanding your home with ten useful rooms, and the promise of chaos should it not receive sufficient enrichment activities.

This supplement also contains hooks for handling houses that have become unstable in temperament, attacking Witches, other people and creatures alike.

Rewards

Tier 1 The Crow: Early Bird Discount (£18)

Get the full book in PDF format with a beautiful cover by Martin Mottet! This includes the Witch Class and all its subclasses, the Chicken-Legged Cottage Mechanics, and the 5e/5.5e adventure Teeth in the Dark. 
In addition, Early Birds get a special, campaign-only unique item for DnD, with art by Matt Spencer! This will include a printable item card to hand out to your players!

All unlocked stretch goals will be added to this tier. Available for the first 24 hours of the campaign at a reduced rate.

Sample item card mockup featuring the Harp of Two Sisters, from The Blood Price (see add ons).

Tier 2: The Fox (£20)

Missed the Early Bird Discount? Don't worry! You can still get the full book in PDF format, with all unlocked stretch goals added to this tier.

Tier 3: The Forest (£35)

Immerse yourself in gothic fables and fairy tales with The Forest Bundle. Featuring The Witching Hour, a full colour 44-page comic written and illustrated by Robin Thorne.

The forest comes alive at night. The wind howls and whistles between the trees, and every snap of a branch may be an animal, a witch, or something far, far worse. Keep a careful eye out for shapes and shadows. The white horse rides.

“As pristinely beautiful as a snowstorm, as deadly, as chilling. File next to Becky Cloonan’s morbid, unresolved, wonderful fables. File prominently, file with pride.”
Kieron Gillen, Wicked + The Divine

Once you're done reading The Witching Hour, get out your custom character sheet, and dive into The Blood Price, Robin's first forest-themed adventure. The Blood Price comes complete with an adventure, a wondrous item (The Harp of Two Sisters), and a four-page micro fiction to back it all up. 

"The forest rises before you, branches bowed and weighed heavily with sodden moss. Through the tight canopy of leaves, large droplets of rain drip onto you. Any indication of the path that brought you to Heolfor is gone, reclaimed by winding roots and hungry vines. Even the River Carrow, which sparkled so brightly under the mid-day sun, has lost its shine as it winds and wends among the trees.
A crash of lightning strikes above you, casting jagged shadows across the ground. All hint of animal life is silent, tucked away beneath roots and in tree hollows. They are safe. You are not."

Tier 4: The Whispering Star (£50) Limited to 15 Backers

Hand of Stolen Glory, Art by Jon Neimeister

The first of three opportunities to contribute to the book itself! If you back at this tier, tell us about your character. We'll write them a setting-appropriate custom spell for inclusion in the book. Of course you'll also get a copy of the PDF, and all unlocked stretch goals will be added to this tier. Fancy the comic or the Blood Price? Include them via the Add-Ons feature.

Tier 5: The Collector (£135) Limited to 5 Backers

For some, the thrill is in the adventure. For others, only treasure will do. Choose a celebration from the Wheel of the Year (Samhain, Yule, Beltane, Mabon, etc) and an item rarity. We'll craft a unique item for inclusion in the book, complete with a beautiful piece of art by Matt Spencer. As The Collector, you will also get a PDF of an item card, to print and give to your players.

This tier includes a copy of the PDF, and all unlocked stretch goals will be added to this tier. Fancy the comic or the Blood Price? Include them via the Add-Ons feature.

Sample item card mockup featuring the Harp of Two Sisters, from The Blood Price (see add ons).

Tier 6: The Familiar (£185) Limited to 3 Backers

Immortalise your pet in Season of the Witch. Select a Spellcaster Class, Spell School, and send us a picture of your pet. We'll write a custom touch-based spell to cast through your familiar, and the fantastic Cory Trego-Erdner will illustrate a black and white vignette of your furry friend in familiar form for inclusion in the book.

This tier includes a copy of the PDF, and all unlocked stretch goals will be added to this tier. Fancy the comic or the Blood Price? Include them via the Add-Ons feature.

Tier 7: The Court (£250) Limited to 5 Backers

Robin Thorne will create a stunning custom spell scroll for you. This is the only physical item in the campaign. Select an official spell, or let Robin craft one for you. Printed in A4 on Canson Infinity Arches Aquarelle Rag 310gsm with deckle edges, bring magic to your table with a physical prop. 

This tier includes a copy of the PDF, and all unlocked stretch goals will be added to this tier. Fancy the comic or the Blood Price? Include them via the Add-Ons feature.

Add Ons

Keen to pick up one or more of the items from The Forest, but want a different base tier? No problem. Select whatever tier you fancy, and use the Kickstarter Add-On functionality before finalising your pledge. Add:

The Witching Hour PDF (£8): a full colour 44-page comic written and illustrated by Robin Thorne.
The Blood Price PDF (£6): 11 pages of adventure, a unique item, and a four-page micro fiction to underscore your sessions with lore.
Digital Character Sheet (£3): Add a touch of whimsy to your character sheet with this chicken-leg cottage themed sheet! 

Stretch Goals

UNLOCKED: Our first stretch goal is the Stitch Witch, an additional subclass for the Witch class that uses threadcraft to manipulate raw magic. Weaving, embroidery, knot magic, even knitting - with unique Charms and new spells, put the craft in witchcraft. We are incredibly lucky to have Magic the Gathering artist Julia Metzger coming on board to illustrate the subclass.

UNLOCKED: Every backer who has pledged for The Blood Price, whether as part of The Forest tier or as an add on, will receive an audio reading of the accompanying story. While this will be something for your ears rather than your eyes, we've produced a little video to give you a preview of the story.

UNLOCKED: Teeth in the Dark will be getting an art upgrade. Martin Mottet, who has worked on Dungeons and Dragons, Crow and Crown's Mausoleum, and Ghostfire Gaming's Aurora (to name a few), will come on board to make the town of Fairham come alive. We're also incredibly excited to announce Cory Godbey, whose clients include The Jim Henson Company, Bizzard, and Magic the Gathering. He's the perfect artist to put the folk in folk horror. 

UNLOCKED: You unlocked the Shadow Fractured Witch! With this Subclass, discover what happens to Witches when they write checks they can't cash. Drain power from the land to become something changed... something darker. With stunning art by Maéna Paillet.

One to go.... If we make it all the way to £9,500, we will include a mini setting guide to Dominion, the world in which Teeth in the Dark takes place. While you can absolutely drop Teeth in the Dark into your existing campaign, we love a bit of lore here at DM Confidential, and couldn't resist sharing. 

For Humans By Humans

Every aspect of this project, from the creation of this kickstarter, to the writing, art, and the ideas that underscore them, is crafted by humans, for humans. We believe steadfastly in the value of creativity, and that the effort required to create is the point. If we're asking you to invest your time, we've invested ours.

If we achieve our base goal, The Season of the Witch will include art by:

• Martin Mottet
• Maéna Paillet
• Jana Heidersdorf
• Charlie ‘Newt’ Borovský
• Matthew Spencer 
• Cory Trego-Erdner
• Jon Neimeister
• and Robin Thorne

Film and editing by the amazing Paul Canavan, music by Jon Neimeister, writing and mechanics support from Terry Johnson, and thank you to Kate Ashwin, Val Gershman and Fen Inkwright for their support and advice. I couldn't have put this project together on my own. 

Credit: The Human Made logo is created by Hinokodo. Folk iconography licensed from Annie Konst. Fonts by Aesoterik.