The lead designer of Dragon Age: Origins and Neverwinter Nights has launched a Kickstarter for a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting based off of Norse mythology. Earlier this week, Arcanum Worlds Canada launched the Kickstarter for Raiders of the Serpent Sea, a new campaign setting and adventure book detailing the world of Grimnir. The book was designed by Brent Knowles, a former technical and creative director at videogame publisher Bioware. Knowles previously worked as a designer on titles like Dragon: Age Origins, Neverwinter Nights, Baldur’s Gate 2, and Jade Empire. Arcanum Worlds is the tabletop RPG publisher founded by former Bioware creative directors James Ohlen and Jesse Sky. Ohlen now works for Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast as the head of a new game studio creating new IP.
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Raiders of the Serpent Sea provides players with several new races and archetypes inspired by Norse myth and legends, including half-giant tallfolk, deep forest wolfriders, wooden constructs, raid leaders, and prophetic bards. The book also details a new Glory mechanic for 5E that allows players to make an Intimidation or Persuasion check with a bonus by wagering Glory Points gained over the course of a campaign. These checks can help potential foes surrender based on word of mouth alone, but failing them results in the loss of Glory points. Players may also choose Epic Backgrounds found in the campaign that come with additional abilities and skills, but with several setbacks. Raiders of the Serpent Sea also comes with a Level 1-Level 10 campaign that sees players try to stop a potential Ragnarok by uniting various clans together.
As of press time, Raiders of the Serpent Sea has raised over $86,000, or just over half of its $162,000 goal. Backers of the Kickstarter campaign will receive a PDF copy of Raiders of the Serpent Sea with a $24 USD pledge, or a hardcover copy with a $59 pledge. Pledges are expected to be fulfilled in April 2023.
The Kickstarter for Raiders of the Serpent Sea will remain open through November 20th. You can check out the full Kickstarter here.
