Under the Shadow of Helfast Spire - Zine for Shadowdark RPG

"...no threat looms as ominously as Helfast Spire casting its sour shadow over the valley."

Under the Shadow of Helfast Spire is a zine of new material designed for use with Shadowdark RPG!

What's Inside?

This 64-page zine, available in print & PDF, includes the following:

4 New Classes! 
▶ The Berserker sacrificing themself to protect their allies, the Mountaineer crafting makeshift weapons and defenses, the Tunneler tinkering with explosives, and the Necromancer grappling with Death itself!

16 New Monsters, each with Unique Loot!
▶ From the cursed bitu-men to Uldruun the Great Black Heron!

30 New Magic Items, Gear & Hazards! 
▶ Including dangerous cavern fumes (inspired by real coal mines) and the fantastical mushrooms used to detect them!

10 Hexcrawl Wilderness Sites! 
▶ From a vengeful village to a volcanic chasm to Helfast Spire itself!

The Coal Catacombs Dungeon!
▶ The 22-room, Jaquays-style, vertical dungeon crawl where even Death is no escape!

The Vale Setting

This valley is a rugged territory, both newly settled and scarred by forgotten conquests. While arduous for the pilgrim, this region is small enough for the blast of a frost giant’s horn to echo from the mountains and stir the bloodthirsty treant in the woods across the plain.

▶ Regolienn, the sorceress of Helfast Spire plots to raise an undead legion…
▶ The defenders of Rian’s Village are missing after their attempt to thwart her…
▶ The village stands defenseless between warring raiders and the ancient inhabitants of the Vale.

The Coal Catacombs Dungeon

A thousand-thousand years of restless death and heat gave birth to the black veins beneath young Helfast Spire. Both mine and crypt, the Coal Catacombs were clawed open and filled with fresh corpses—flesh for riches, over again.

▶ The coal-cursed, undead bitu-men clash with mutated monsters…
▶ Rare flora of the dungeon's fungal jungle may help explorers survive…
▶ An ancient monster called Uldruun, resembling both a serpent and a wading bird, stalks the tunnels to toy with intruders both in conversation and battle.

What You Get

This campaign includes everything below, available in print & PDF!

📩 CLICK HERE for free PDF samples!

Under the Shadow of Helfast Spire 
▶ The main event! A brand new hexcrawl setting, classes, monsters, magic items, 3rd-level vertical dungeon crawl, and more! Designed for Shadowdark.
(Cover art available as a radical holographic sticker!)

Delve: How to Build & Survive Deadly Dungeons
▶ My love-letter to The Dungeon: 200+ pages of dungeons, monsters, traps, magic items, player options, history, and more! Designed for Shadowdark. Co-written with Eventyr Games.
(Your choice of two gorgeous cover options!)

Witch’s Word, Dragon’s Doom
▶ The perfect one shot for convention play: A scene-based, theatrical, and heroic 2nd-level adventure! Designed for Shadowdark.

Creating & Adapting Monsters for Shadowdark RPG
▶ A must-have for Shadowdark GMs: The complete guide to building your own monsters and adapting monsters from other systems! Written by Michael Putlack.
(Includes a mini-bestiary and quick-reference monster stats bookmark!)

Skrym: Wilderness Sites, Encounters & Loot
▶ For the world-builders: A GM toolkit for randomly generating adventure-worthy sites, mysterious monsters, and loot both wondrous and mundane! Designed for Dungeon Crawl Classics.

Death at Helfast Spire
▶ The origin of the Helfast setting, born from binging a dozen pulp fantasy novels: A scene-based, collaborative 1st-level one shot adventure! Designed for Daggerheart.

Pledge Levels

Stretch Goals

You get free rewards as the campaign grows! Spread the word!
Back any physical tier to receive physical stretch goals rewards.

The Party

Bob Mason (Bob World Builder) - Author, cartographer, illustrator, layout artist
▶ When I'm not making YouTube videos about how to have more fun playing TTRPGs, I'm writing my own supplements and games! On that note, this new zine is already written, in layout, and only awaiting further editing and more awesome art!

Michael Putlack (Night Noon Games) - Editor, logistical genius, Shadowdark expert
▶ Michael is the author of the must-have Creating & Adapting Monsters for Shadowdark RPG, a frequent freelancer for the Arcane Library itself, and this campaign couldn't have happened without his expertise!

Alexey Gorboot (this mad lad just goes by his name) - Cover artist
▶ Alexey is a cartoonist, comic artist, and illustrator who wields vibrant colors like no other Sword & Sorcery artist on the scene! For example, I would not have thought to choose pink for the background, but Alexey knew best, and it rocks.

Simon Underwood (Lizardbrain Art) - Character class artist
▶ Simon is an illustrator for bands, authors, and game designers alike! Depicting action and tension, he truly brought the Helfast classes to life! ...so he might also be a necromancer.

Shipping & Fulfillment

Tony and the team at Plus One Exp will be handling the fulfilment of the campaign from their warehouse in Pennsylvania! They've partnered with hundreds of independent designers, small studios, and other creative teams to develop and deliver RPG materials around the globe. Your zine is in good hands!

Delivery: Digital Tier Rewards
▶ Under the Shadow of Helfast Spire - June 2026
▶ Everything else - April 2026

Delivery: Physical Tier Rewards
▶  Everything - September 2026

Shipping rates are subject to change, but our current estimates are listed below. Reward tiers including Delve (the beefiest book in the bunch) will be on the higher end.

▶ US Shipping: $10 - $17
▶ Canada Shipping: $20 - $30
▶ Other International Shipping: $25 - $37
▶ Backers responsible for VAT or other import duties.

Post-campaign pledge management and digital fulfillment will be handled using BackerKit!