The Leyfarer's Chronicle, a 5E Campaign & Setting

The Leyfarer's Chronicle is TPK Brewing Co.'s original roleplaying campaign set in the world of Val'Ruvina, run using the 5E ruleset, and spanning levels 1–20. Hundreds of players have helped us develop the world of Val'Ruvina in person at our fantasy tavern brewpub, and now we're excited to bring the story to players the world over!

Val'Ruvina is an original, post-cataclysmic fantasy setting where the Player Characters (the Leyfarers) are tasked with exploring and documenting the changed world. Everything we produce is fully original, OGL 5E-compatible, with a heavy emphasis on exploration, hidden dangers, lost history, and broken magic. Since the story is fully original and written with exploration in mind, The Leyfarer's Chronicle is perfect for both new players to jump in and longtime veteran players who are looking for something fresh. These sessions have been run dozens of times by a team of professional, full-time Game Masters and fantasy writers who run 5E daily, ensuring an optimized, easy-to-run experience for home GMs, regardless of experience.

This Kickstarter is to help us produce the first hardcopy book in the chronicle, covering Chapter 1: Binding of the Nameless King & Chapter 2: The Gods That Wither and Bloom.

This 200+ page book includes:

• 12–18 sessions of 5E roleplaying content covering levels 1–5
• 10 Playable Species, including two unlocked through gameplay
• 5 Original Subclasses
• 6 Original Feats
• 3 Original Spells
• 150+ Original Magic Items
• 120+ Original Creature & NPC Stat Blocks

Chapter One – Bindings of the Nameless King

Something ancient stirs in the heart of the Koltean Wyd.

At the center of that beguiling forest stands a colossal tree, its roots wrapped around a prison older than memory. Long ago, heroes struck a desperate bargain with an Elderbeast to stop a tyrannical archfey. His name was devoured. His power was broken. His body was sealed within living wood.

But prophecies do not forget.

The enchantments have begun to fray. The fey grow restless and cruel. Blood has been spilled beneath the boughs. And one by one, the conditions that prophesize the archfey's return are being fulfilled.

The Nameless King is waking.

Will you defend the town of Briar’s End as the forest turns against it? Will you descend into the root-choked dungeons beneath the woods to unravel the mystery of the Nameless King's weakness?

And when the moment comes, what will you sacrifice to protect the valley from harm?

Chapter Two – The Gods That Wither and Bloom

New roots must be planted in uncertain soil.

In the western marshlands, uneasy alliances bloom between frogfolk, lizardfolk, and stranger things still. A ruined fortress stands ready to become a home—if its new stewards can survive the politics of the swamp.

But something festers beneath the waterline.

A parasitic fungus spreads through the shadows, twisting the creatures of the marshlands into shambling husks. It grows. It learns. It hungers.

When the marsh itself stands on the brink of transformation, will you unite its fractured peoples against a common threat?

Or will you face a harder truth—that some forms of life bloom only through unbearable loss?

What does mercy mean when the world is already withering?

Campaign Player's Guide

The appendix of this first book also includes the player character unlocks from The Leyfarer's Chronicle Campaign Player's Guide, up to the end of Chapter 2. That means 10 playable species, along with 5 original subclasses, 6 original feats, and 3 original spells!

Are you a Sun Elf, descended from the dawn fey who once comprised the Houses of Morning and Revelation, and in the light of the sun, you can still feel the warm embrace of the Dreaming? Or perhaps one of the many Wilderfolk populating the scarred landscape, such as the Grimalkin Catfolk or Ranga Frogfolk? Or maybe you bear the gifts of one of the seven draconic sovereigns, such as the Cindergale, Mindsire, or Neverbeast? And who can ignore the recently discovered Snailfolk, or whatever Squeeb’s Tenacious Tendrils is...

And on the subclass side of things: 

• Bard: College of Calamity — The Calamity Kids are a bardic troupe of unapologetically raucous rockers, maligned miscreants, and discourteous degenerates, and those who graduate from the college of calamity inspire awe, terror, and disgust in those around them; often all at once.
   
• Fighter: Frog Knight — The Frog Knights of Puddletown are an order of honor-bound warriors who defend their communities with stalwart courage and bravery. While many outsiders would be tempted to presume that their powerful leaping maneuvers and tongue-based defenses are intrinsic to the Frogfolk, they might be surprised to learn that this is not always the case, and these qualities can be gained through rigorous training.
   
• Paladin: Oath of the Ivory Knight — The Ivory Knights exemplify the ideals of the House of Ivory and are among the most distinguished warriors of the dusk fey, immaculate in both manner and form. Those of this order swear an oath of purity, protection, and cleansing.
   
• Ranger: Ghostscale Reaver — The Ghostscale Clan's reputation inspires fear and terror throughout the marshlands, where these Busaya Lizardfolk raiders are so renowned for their strength and ruthlessness that the mere sight of their white-and-black warpaint is often enough to cause their enemies to surrender or scatter.
   
• Warlock: The Lady of Ivory — The matriarch of the House of Ivory is the capricious queen of tooth fairies and bone fey. Her warlocks are collectors, curators, and quiet harvesters of perfection, bartering in pristine enamel for miracles both wondrous and unsettling. She demands immaculate devotion and an eye for flawlessness above all else. In her name, teeth become currency, and the most perfect offerings unlock power enough to reshape flesh and fate alike.

Monsters and Loot!

What are heroes without something to fight and something to loot? These first two chapters include 120+ stat blocks and 150+ magic items, padding out any GM's home game with thematic additions such as Prixies and their terrible Queen.

We've also been partnered with Printable Heroes since we opened, allowing us to add some of their incredible Chapter 1 & 2 paper miniatures to this Kickstarter.

And now the part you've all been waiting for...

Digital PDF ($30): A PDF version of The Leyfarer's Chronicle, Chapters 1 & 2, including any additional unlocks and upgrades from our stretch goals.

Hardcover Book & Digital PDF ($65): The full 200+ page hardcover version of The Leyfarer's Chronicle, Chapters 1 & 2, including any additional unlocks and upgrades from our stretch goals and a free copy of the PDF version.

The Leyfarer's Chronicle Starter Pack ($100; $30 Savings): The hardcover and PDF versions of The Leyfarer's Chronicle, Chapters 1 & 2, along with a deck of cards covering every item and all of the new player character species, subclass, feat, and spell options.

Val'Ruvina Starter Pack ($130; $30 Savings): The hardcover and PDF versions of The Leyfarer's Chronicle, Chapters 1 & 2, along with hard copy and PDF versions of our previous in-world publications The Blooms That Feed on Fire and The Nine Lives Trial.

Core Pack ($185; $70 Savings): The hardcover and PDF versions of The Leyfarer's Chronicle, Chapters 1 & 2, our previous works The Blooms that Feed on Fire and The Nine Lives Trial, the deck of item and player reference cards, and a GM pack including playable versions of key maps, tokens, and miniatures from across all three books.

Deluxe Pack ($275; $95 Savings): Everything from the Core Pack, with the addition of a set of 12 art prints containing the poems that accompany each session and six Leyfarer notebooks, mechanical pencils, and golden pins for your group.

Retailer Only ($800; 50% Discount): Wholesale pricing for verified retailers, including ten copies of all three of our books.

Pre-Release Bonus: If you follow the campaign ahead of launch, we'll throw in a free 4d6 of the Kickstarter-exclusive die with any physical pledge. If you also pledge in the first 24 hours, we'll add a free Leyfarer journal & pencil to your order!

Leyfarer Bonus: Once the PDF reward is delivered, Chapters 1 and 2 will become available as ReQuests that can be booked for in-person games in the tavern. Any current or past Leyfarer who pledges in the first 48 hours will get priority scheduling for these ReQuests, on a first-pledged, first-served basis.

With your help, we're hoping to add some exciting options that didn't make the cut when first running Chapters 1 and 2 back in 2023/2024:

• $30,000: We'll take a full pass on all existing art and commission new pieces from the artist partners we've cultivated over the past two years. There's still some of the early placeholder art that we didn't have the budget to upgrade when we first opened, and we'd love the chance to revisit it with our current production standards.
   
• $60,000: We'll add the Leyfarer Side Quest "A Troad Less Traveled" to the book. This 2–3 hour one-shot sees level three characters help Squeeb with a delicate diplomatic matter outside the Green Fort: escorting an expectant mother troll across the marsh and protecting her eggs from hungry predators!
   
• $90,000: We'll add a huge amount of item and monster spot art to the book, Item/Feature Card Deck, and GM Maps, Tokens, and Monster Pack. The exact count will be determined during production if we hit this goal, but it's all the stuff we wanted illustrated from the get-go, and numbers in the hundreds.
   
• $150,000: This is probably the thing we get asked about the most from our current Leyfarers: Alternate Reality Character Options. What subclasses, species, feats, and spells would have been unlocked if the Leyfarers had chosen differently in Chapters 1 and 2? If we hit this goal, all of those unlocks will be added to their respective rewards and will become legal choices in the current campaign chapter being run in the tavern.
   
• $300,000: Some species, subclasses, and factions that have appeared in The Leyfarer's Chronicle were never meant to be playable—or even particularly memorable—and yet, some of our players continue to ask when we're going to add them to the campaign. You know who you are. Well, here's your chance. If we reach this goal, we'll solicit suggestions from our backers for one new species and one new subclass, then poll our backers to determine the winner. These can be anything that is not in violation of the law or our core values. The winning options will be designed by our creative team, become legal choices in the current campaign, and be included in their respective rewards. Do your worst. Make our victory bittersweet. You monsters.
   
• $12,000,000: While brainstorming potential stretch goals for the campaign, our Creative Director pitched the idea of setting a goal for something outrageous, like an animated series based on the campaign. Our CEO made the mistake of saying that if we raise that kind of money, she can do whatever she wants. Absolute creative freedom. So, what will it be? The Leyfarer's Chronicle animated series? A life-sized, gas-powered, fire-breathing dragon on top of the brewery? A secret trapdoor that leads to a private speakeasy styled to look like a 1970's basement? The possibilities are endless, and if we hit this goal, our backers will have input into what sort of ludicrous side quest we take on as a result.