Dawn of the Necromancer is a 5e campaign from the OSR GM and occasional movie fight choreographer John Harmston.
The project is looking for $6,000 to fund and include new magic items, monsters, puzzles and unique NPCs. At the time of writing, it’s half-way there and still has more than 40 days on the campaign clock. You can check out the details from the project page.
There is a free to download sample encounter from Dawn of the Necromancer that looks pretty good and is absolutely worth checking out before making a pledge.
John summarises the highlights of Dawn of the Necromancer has the book’s “bonkers” encounters, new monsters in every fight, tactics, wild environments and unexpected challenges.
Characters begin the sandbox adventure at level 1 and will be at level 20 before the final battle. The game involves travelling, and John argues that therefore be quickly dropped into your own setting or that you can keep it in the included campaign world of Argomere.
I wondered about using the word “bonkers” as in Scotland that leans towards the zany side of strange, but maybe it’s the proper term to use, as here’s an example snippet from the adventure.
In Ashgate capital punishment is carried out by the Royal Torpeo, a medusa who petrifies the convicted and then oversees their body being smashed to pieces by those who were wronged as they wield the ceremonial Hammer of Justice.
It takes a pledge of $25 to unlock the PDF edition of Dawn of the Necromancer as a reward.
Doubling up to $50 adds the standard hardcover, with shipping added later and limited to certain countries only.
It’s not that much more, just $60, to get the Collector’s Edition hardcover, but that tier is limited to only 300 backers.
There are higher tiers if you fancy a virtual session with John. All the rewards are expected to ship in August.
Replying to other comments to this article with helpful observations can boost your karma.
I helped playtest this campaign with John over the past year and had a great time! The story and setting are engaging, but the encounters really sold me. Each has a unique twist or creative aspect that makes it fun and memorable. There is a lot of room for role play and character development for those who are into that (which I am). It’s one of the best campaigns I’ve played, and I have played D&D since the 1970s.
Thanks Michael! If people are struggling to get their head around it… Is there any other campaign out there that you would compare it to?
I was in the playtest with Mike and absolutely agree with everything he has said here. I came in about half to two thirds through the campaign and had an absolute blast playing. I don’t have the experience history that Mike has but I will say that I felt it was unique in that it takes you from level 1-20. Most modules I have experience with seem to finish about level 10-12 so being able to play my character all the way through to the end of the campaign and hit level 20 before the end was a really enjoyable… Read more »
Hi Michael, thanks for your comment. I see Brendon (below) has a question about custom character backgrounds you might be able to answer.
Does anyone know if there are any custom character building options to help players make characters that better fit the feel of the campaign? Custom backgrounds, sub-classes, and the like?
Brendon, We are adding three new campaign-specific sub-classes as a stretch goal. Enjoy!