About
Summary
Simply put: If you play Pathfinder or 5E, this book will be useful to you and super-fun to use in your games.
AA3 continues the massively-popular approach pioneered in the first two books in the series, extending the concept to a dozen-plus new powerful magic items, weapons, and armor.
Although designed to complement the upcoming release of the Druid Enclave setting book, AA3 is immediately usable in any campaign setting in either Pathfinder or 5E.
The Artifacts & Artifice Approach
Artifacts & Artifice introduces a variety of unique magical items, each with complete backstory, sample NPC wielder/user, detailed Rumors & Lore, story and plot hooks, character motivations, and even one or more Quests. Each item gets lavish detail and 6-12+ pages dedicated to it.
The intent is to make magic items much more interesting than merely a "+1 longsword", and to allow them to be "dropped in" to any campaign setting, with PCs of any level, with zero GM/DM preparation.
Each item gets the following:
- Description and crunch effect, cost, etc. with 4 complete statblocks
- History and background of the artifact's origins and backstory
- Rumors and Lore: A complete set of 6-12 pieces of hearsay to sprinkle into your campaign to set up mystique about the item
- One or more quad-statted NPCs, who uses the item as part of their gear
- Hooks to integrate the item into any campaign or adventure
- At least one Quest featuring the item, its effects, its history, or the NPC example.
Check out the Artifacts & Artifice books on DriveThruRPG, or download a free magic item, the Abhorrent Naginata, for Pathfinder, here.
AA3 Contents & Sizing Note
Please note that the first two AA books are each massive tomes: ~400 pages of full-color hardcover apiece.
AA3 has more modest aims, and will start life as a full-color softcover of ~128 pages. Stretch Goals and additional funding may burgeon that total, however; stay tuned.
As of this writing, AA3 is slated to contain the following:
- 12 artifacts total
- 4 weapons
- 4 usable items (poitions etc.)
- 4 miscellaneous/other (banners, textiles)
- 12 wielder/owner NPCs
The Quadded-Stats Approach
The intent here is to make items, quests, characters, monsters, and more accessible to ANY party containing PCs of ANY level.
With Infinium Game Studio books, nearly every piece of content is presented in four versions, spanning a wide range of character levels and "difficulty bands".
Grab a free PDF that explains a bit more about the approach involved.
Status & Timing
All the commissioned artwork for the core dozen items has already been completed. Similarly, the "crunch" (i.e., detailed statblocks) have already been completed for all NPCs associated with the items.
What remains is to lay everything out, and write the content for the items--the backstories, rumors, descriptions, and Quests.
Integration with Druid Enclave
The Druid Enclave city-setting book has been a long time coming, but is under production now and will be published soon.
Artifacts & Artifice 3 is part of that setting, and offers a variety of powerful artifacts with roles in that book.
Druid Enclave and AA3 have been designed to work great together, but are completely usable each on its own.
Who Gets What
All previous customers and backers entitled to a copy of Druid Enclave will receive AA3 (PDF) for free.
All previous customers and backers who have a copy of AA1 and/or AA2 will receive AA3 (PDF) for free as well.
All backers of the Western Realm Gazetteer will also receive a PDF copy of AA3 as well.
If you're already entitled to a PDF copy of AA3 per one of the above guidelines, there's a special pledge level for you to get a hardcopy of AA3 at an even bigger discount.
Add-Ons
Details to follow after the campaign, but at minimum, you'll have the option of adding on the following:
- Artificer: A new artifact will be added to the book; you can help design it and/or its associated NPC wielder/owner. +$75. Includes commissioned artwork for the artifact. +$100 for a custom NPC associated with the artifact, with artwork.
- Druid Enclave: A massive city-setting adventure book that integrates with AA3. $25 PDF, $50 hardcover.
- Artifacts & Artifice 1: Hundreds of pages of artifact goodness. $45 hardcover.
- Artifacts & Artifice 2: Hundreds of pages of of artifact goodness. $45 hardcover.
- Character Compendium 1: Over 400 full statblocks of NPCs or PCs for Pathfinder. $20 PDF, $35 hardcover.
-
Character Compendium 2: Over 400 full statblocks of NPCs or PCs for Pathfinder. $20 PDF, $35 hardcover.
- Villainous Compendium: Dozens of villains, dozens more henchmen, and tons of detail and quests. $30 PDF, $50 hardcover.
Stretch Goals
I'll keep it simple, so as to be able to deliver in a timely manner.
- UNLOCKED! $1,500: An additional magic item will be added to the book.
-
UNLOCKED! $2,500: An additional magic item will be added to the book.
- $5,000: Artifact Cards will be produced. See below for details.
Artifact Cards
If we hit this Stretch Goal, Tarot (2.75" x 4.75") and Poker (2.5" x 3.5") format card decks will be one deck for each AA book (AA1, AA2, and AA3).
Anyone entitled to a PDF of a given AA book automatically receives a PDF of the cards, and individual image files for each card, for FREE.
Hardcopies will be available as Add-Ons via BackerKit following the campaign.
- Artifacts & Artifice, Vol 1: $15 Poker-sized, $20 Tarot-sized
- Artifacts & Artifice, Vol 2: $15 Poker-sized, $20 Tarot-sized
- Artifacts & Artifice, Vol 3: $10 Poker-sized, $15 Tarot-sized
The Fine Print
Tidbits, guidelines, and other interesting information you may wish to consider before backing:
- All digital product delivery will be done via DriveThruRPG/RPGnow/OneBookShelf.
- All PDFs and hardcopies will be full-color unless otherwise indicated.
- Any pledge that entitles you to Product X in hardcopy also automatically entitles you to Product X in PDF/digital format.
- Already-published products will be fulfilled shortly after the campaign's completion.
- All other products will be fulfilled as they are published.
- "Estimated Delivery" dates for all pledges and rewards are just that: estimates. These also reflect the earliest anticipated publication.
Risks and challenges
The major risk is time: IGS is almost entirely a one-man shop, and that one man has three young children and a full-time day job. I devote literally every spare minute of downtime to IGS, and to making our products the absolute best, most impressive, and most valuable/usable books I can conceive of, but that devotion to quality amidst other demands takes time.
I will deliver. And I hope you agree that it will be more than worth the wait and pledge dollar. But my estimates as to when are just that: estimates. If you're comfortable with getting what I try to make world-class indie RPG books for a significant discount, and don't mind waiting a bit, then please consider pledging, supporting, and helping to make the results even more awesome!
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