The definitive tome of magic runes for 5th Edition! Unearth new races, lore, monsters, & more tied to your favorite languages!
This is the Pre-order Store for the Kickstarter campaign – Caliya’s Chronicle of Runes: A Runic Expansion for D&D 5e. The prices and rewards (including Stretch Goals) are the same as during the campaign and are available until order quantities are locked in.
** 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄: Shipping fees will be calculated and charged SEPARATELY at a later date closer to fulfilment. After shipping fees are added in, you will be notified via email before you're charged. Placing a pre-order from this page constitutes an agreement that you have read and understand this. See the estimated shipping section near the bottom of the Kickstarter page for more.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
September Update
6 days ago
– Sat, Sep 21, 2024 at 08:28:24 PM
Hey folks!
Not much new to share, but I wanted to give a monthly update as usual. I know this next playtest release (Alpha v0.9) has taken a bit. Doing my best to get it out ASAP!
One notable update is that the Kobold Viper race is being moved to the companion adventure: Ascension of the Behidra. (You can still pre-order that over on the BackerKit store if you didn't before.) Of course, the race is still perfectly accessible to everyone and usable via all the playtest PDFs to date, and it's already been reviewed and edited so it shouldn't be changing.
The reason for the change is that it had been bothering me that, technically, Kobold Vipers (which are related to Behirs, rather than Dragons) are really more tied to the Serpentine dialect than the Draconic language, but the book already has the Nagaran race for Serpentine. So since the adventure book will feature Behirs and Kobold Vipers heavily, I've decided to bring the race over there instead. (Which will also feature two subclasses and a group patron for other player options.)
In their place for Caliya's, I've added "Dragonborn Variants" for each draconic ancestry. These are essentially a few additional thematic traits unique to each kind of Metallic and Chromatic Dragonborn (Black, Blue, Green, Red, White, Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold, and Silver) and help bring the Dragonborn race up to snuff with other 5e race options—since it's always been rather lacking. Much more fitting as a true "Draconic" race option for the book. I think you all will love it.
I always like sharing art in these updates, so here's the Gravekeeper Ranger subclass!
By the talented Artur Mósca
As always, let me know if you have any questions. You can reach out here on Kickstarter, by emailing [email protected], or just chatting on the Discord server. Hopefully should have the next playtest out by the end of the month. Thanks, friends!
– Tony
August Update!
about 1 month ago
– Wed, Aug 21, 2024 at 06:44:01 PM
Hiya folks! Got your monthly update here!
Alpha v0.8 Playtest was sent out a couple weeks ago, so make sure to go check it out if you haven't yet! New things added were: Nodal and Sahuagin runes, the Dragon Domain Cleric subclass, the Half-Giant race, and two new spells. As always, feel free to contact me if you're having trouble accessing your downloads. I welcome all feedback and questions via messaging me on Kickstarter, emailing [email protected], or just chatting on the Discord server.
New art for the Path of Shamanic Wrath Barbarian, by Hiidra Studio
This leaves just a couple remaining pieces before we move into Beta—all main content in the book, but not yet "finished" enough to call it the v1.0 ready-for-print release. There should be just one more Alpha release (v0.9) before then, which will include the final two runic languages (runes + lore), the final subclass (Paladin), and a few more subraces for the Half-Giant and Unbound Archon.
Once all of that is out and we're in the Beta phase, I'll be adding the Table of Contents, making final revisions to the lore for each of the languages, replacing some runes that didn't make the cut, incorporating the long-awaited translation guides for the various languages, adding in the rune pricing tables and optional rules for alternative ways to implement runes in your game, finalizing the layout, and a couple other pieces. And of course, working in any final feedback from folks!
As for a quick personal update, the cycle of illnesses my family's been working through has certainly continued this past month (son is currently home sick with me). But overall I'm still pleased with the progress I've been making, and I'm excited to share the latest with you all.
My endless thanks to all of you for being so supportive and patient throughout the development of this project. I have no doubt that, in the end, we'll all be proud of the final result.
Thanks, friends!
– Tony
July Progress Update!
2 months ago
– Sat, Jul 20, 2024 at 11:04:44 PM
Hey folks! Monthly update here.
I'm looking to get the Alpha v0.8 playtest out within the next week. It's getting to a pretty good place as far as the (seemingly eternal) endeavor of feedback and revisions—most notably this month, the Rivener lineage and Necril runes, among other pieces. The Abyssal and Goblin fonts are just about finished up too, so be on the lookout for those in the next couple weeks.
This update will also include Half-Giants (the final race option!), the Dragon Domain Cleric subclass, lore and runes for two more languages (probably), and at least one new spell. Plus more art coming in all the time, like this awesome Sphinx runes scene!
Daphne is also contributing art for the Dwarvish, Halfling, and Celestial runes!
All that being said, I know this won't yet be a complete draft of the book. The remaining content is: lore and runes for two more languages, one more subclass (the Paladin), the monsters (many of which are designed, but haven't yet been laid out/included in the playtest), plus all the optional rules for implementing runes and rune pricing. And aside from all of that, the book will still need multiple thorough passes for final revisions before it can be sent to print, because I'm not gonna put out anything less than my best work.
Unfortunately, a whole medley of illnesses have torn through my family this past couple months, and since a lot of the other progress for this project (Rune Cards, VTT modules, art and fonts, etc.) hinges on me finishing the book, that's delayed things a fair bit. So that's my main priority, and I'm working hard to really rein it all in and keep myself on a good schedule to get it all out to you as soon as possible. If all goes well, next month's update should be "complete," barring probably the monsters and optional rune rules. But there is definitely a light in view at the end of the tunnel!
I really appreciate all of you folks for being so encouraging and patient throughout this process. I know this is taking longer to move along than expected. (Though perhaps that's the most "expected" part of running/backing a Kickstarter!) I can promise I am doing my best on this, and the final product will be something we can all be proud of.
Thanks, friends. And as always, if you have any questions or feedback to share, feel free to message me here, email me at [email protected], or head over to the Discord server.
– Tony
June Update
3 months ago
– Thu, Jun 20, 2024 at 04:35:52 PM
Hi folks! I'm feeling under the weather so I'm gonna keep this quick.
I'm working to get the Alpha v0.7 Playtest PDF out by the end of this week. It will include the Necril lore and runes, the new Druid subclass (an elemental "Circle of the Calamity"), the Rivener aberrant lineage, and at least one new spell. There's also a lot of cool new art included, and I've done quite a bit of work on the layout, so the book is really shaping up!
The Constellar and Sphinx fonts will also be sent out shortly to those who ordered them.
As always, feel free to message me here, email me at [email protected], or head over to the Discord server if you have any questions.
Kickstarter Spotlight
I've also got a shoutout for a fantastic Kickstarter going on right now: Songs of the Spellbound Sea by creator 'somanyrobots'—a set of rules and mini-settings for running nautical adventures in 5e. The project is just over a week in and already has over 600 backers! Here's some more info on it:
Songs of the Spellbound Sea is a 200+ page book, containing everything you need for thrilling adventures at sea. Check it out for:
Three new classes: the Troubadour, Swashbuckler, and Bloodrager!
Dozens of new subclasses!
A complete set of seafaring rules, for naval combat, ocean travel, and building your own floating stronghold at sea!
Hundreds of spells, including (but not limited to) the entire Spells That Don't Suck project!
New Species!
New Monsters!
Mini-settings, enchanting islands you can drop into an existing game for instant adventure!
That's all folks! Be on the lookout for the new playtest doc in a couple days!
– Tony
May Progress Update!
4 months ago
– Mon, May 20, 2024 at 06:35:44 PM
Hi folks! Monthly update here for you.
If the PDF of the book is part of your pledge (which is most people), you should've received 'Alpha Playtest v0.6' last week. As always, if you haven't gotten it, feel free to reach out and I can help! The Gnomish and Undercommon fonts were also sent out as well, if those were part of your order.
As of right now, almost all of the content for the book has been written—save for the monsters, which are about halfway done. There's still quite a bit of editing to do, but it's mostly a matter of layout and revising/polishing things at this point.
The next playtest doc (v0.7) will have 23 out of the 25 languages (lore and runes), nearly all of the race options (probably one more still to come), a new subclass, and possibly a bit more. Plus I've got some more great art on the way as well.
All-in-all, still making solid progress. And if you want to help out, I'm always excited to see new feedback come in from folks, so feel free to message me here or shoot me an email ([email protected]) with any thoughts you have on the playtest. And of course, there's always the Discord server too!
Looking to have another playtest draft for you all by mid-June to hopefully get out the full Beta release in July, but I'll keep you all posted.
Creator Spotlight
As you know, several popular creators contributed items/art to Caliya's, one of them being my friends at Critical Crafting. Well, they're getting ready to launch a D&D 5e Kickstarter of their own: The Mages' War: Magic vs. Machines, which I'm super excited to see. (Coming June 11th!) Here's some info from them on the project.
High Magic battles High Tech in this comprehensive D&D 5th Edition tome. Take a side and join The Mages' War!
Unleash the ultimate fusion of fantasy and sci-fi with this D&D 5E supplement, introducing a wealth of new content including mechanics, player options, monsters, and adventures, all bridging the gap between ancient sorcery and futuristic marvels.
