Stretch Goal 2 Unlocked!!: "Nine-Tailed Soul" Sorcerer and other news
over 3 years ago – Tue, Oct 18, 2022 at 01:58:59 PM

Hello, everyone, thank you so much for all your support!!

With all your generosity, we've finally unlocked the "Nine-Tailed Soul"! We hope you enjoy chowing down on enemy mages' magic and b e c o m i n g a s g o d s as is the way of the sly fox. 

What's next on the docket?

As of this update, we have 8 days left until the KS ends, so we're entering the final stretch. Given that we'd really, truly like to release all of our wonderful new archetypes, we've again recalculated our stretch goals to see what's possible. Most goals are now 1k apart from each other!

Crucially, here are some big changes you won't wanna miss:

At the 61k Stretch Goal, we have both our plague-eating "Medium" Druid to be cleared AND!!! We've partnered with Alchemy RPG to bring you a digital experience through a module on their platform! You will be able to experience Undying Corruption as an immersive roleplaying experience based around theater of the mind. 

At 70K, we will introduce our totally homebrewed Tactician class! The Tactician class is designed to be a "Mounted Support-oriented Martial". You'll be able to ride one of several creatures into battle including an Imoogi wyrmling and a Cheonma (a Korean winged horse)! 

In battle, they employ class-unique actions called Strategems to grant allies bonuses. Charisma will be an important secondary ability to boost your Strategem DC to sow disinformation and confusion into enemy ranks. At Level 3, you can pick up one of three Military Arts:

•  Art of the General: You guide your comrades in the front lines. As a General, your techniques prioritize a strong defense. In addition, you've become versatile with giving orders in the midst of heated moments, and you can strike as part of using your Strategem.
•  Art of the Hwarang: Both the Dangukese courts and military prize poetry and the ability to inspire people by capturing the essence of the moment. As a Hwarang, you are a warrior poet with the ability to cast a limited amount of spells on the Bardic spell list. Your experience and skill with language gives you additional bonuses on certain verbal Strategems. Being a student of the arcane arts, you've found a way to weave your magic and bolster your allies' spellcasting as well.
•  Art of the Monster Slayer: The Dangukese military employs a special force focused on combating extraordinary creatures threatening the realm. These tacticians focused on slaying monsters have unique means of combating any type of creature so long as they prepare in advance. Your bread and better is making advance preparations and winning fights before they even begin, creating advantages against even the most legendary of creatures.

We're excited for this one in particular. Upon clearing 73K, we will partner with writers and researchers who have lived experience in their respective cultures to expand the world with lands surrounding Danguk. This includes lands inspired by China and Japan, but other Asian countries the Joseon Dynasty had relationships with including Thailand and Indonesia.

While I can speak on Korean culture with a modicum of authority, I think collaborating with different writers who have unique lived experiences with their individual cultures will help make this truly meaningful.

Upon clearing this stretch goal, once the main 5e version of our book has been finalized, we will begin efforts to convert mechanics into Pathfinder 2e. I've been running and playing in PF2e games, so I'm really excited to work with this system's mechanics. When we reach the conversion stretch goal, everyone who got our 5e PDF/book through Kickstarter will also receive the PF2e PDF as well when it launches!

To make sure we get the mechanics just right, we've teamed up with James Beck of Eldritch Osiris Games, a worker's co-op with a focus on Pathfinder 2e. James Beck is a Jewish LGBT writer and one of the founders of Eldritch Osiris Games, a worker's co-op. He's also worked with a bunch of pathfinder 2e projects such as Lost Omens: Firebrands, Sinclair's Library, Deadly D8, and plenty more!

On reviewing what's possible, I think we should be able to begin translating the game into Korean with this new stretch goal level. Again, it is of the utmost importance for us to be able to return to our roots with Undying Corruption. Not as a matter of "if we clear this", but as a question of "sooner or later". 

Please help us! And of course, everyone who bought a PDF or book through Kickstarter will receive a Korean language copy of Undying Corruption 5e.

Stretch Goal Unlocked: More Illustrations + Matchmakers' Zeal One-Shot
over 3 years ago – Thu, Oct 13, 2022 at 07:16:27 PM

Hello, hello, everyone!!

We just reached our $55k stretch goal for additional monster illustrations!! This means you'll be able to see MORE illustrations accompanying our monsters inspired by Korean mythology! As a treat for all your generosity, we'd like to present a sketch of the Demon of Greed, Geumdwaeji:

The Geumdwaeji/금돼지 (literally meaning Gold Pig) represents the greed in the hearts of humanoids. They don't just hoard wealth like dragons; they "create" wealth. They lure people with the promise of gold, trap them inside the demiplane through its belly, and it turns them into solid gold. Vain as they are, their carapace is made out of solid gold while they adorn themselves with all manners of elaborate and exaggerated garbs and accessories. 

With your help, we'll be able to design more creatures like the Geumdwaeji!

Also:

Matchmakers' Zeal

Love is in the air! 

The one-shot written by Theta Chun will feature the Samshin Halmoni/三神 할머니, a trio of goddesses that govern fate and childbirth within the pantheon of Korea's household gods. As of late, the Samshin Halmoni have been butting into people's love lives, trying to people up together! But something appears to be off about these relationships.

As adventurers, you're going to have to investigate this curious instance of divine intervention. And maybe, hopefully, end it with a nice cutie to share your love with??

What's Next?

As mentioned in our previous update, we have the magic-eating Nine-Tailed Soul Sorcerer and plague-eating "Circle of the Medium" Druid to unlock! But beyond that, what's this?

Jangseungs or Village Guardians are carved structures traditionally crafted at the edge of rural villages in Korea. They're placed to frighten away evil creatures and the spirits within are worshiped as minor deities. In our setting of Danguk, these Jangseungs hold tremendous spiritual power. If maintained and treated well, they emit a warding presence that weaken creatures like aberrations, fiends, and undead.

Sometimes, these Jangseung can take mobile form (often as a humanoid), allowing the spirit inside a new lease on life in their wooden form. Upon birth, they have a broad purpose ingrained in them that they seek to live up to (for example: inspire hope, protect the good, help the needy). They will die when they feel they have accomplished this task and no sooner, unless destroyed by an external force.

We'll have more info about the Noru in the next update! Once again, thank you so, so much for your support! If you've got any questions, you can email me at [email protected] or hit up our Discord server!

100%!!! We are FUNDED!! Thank you everyone! Plus some announcements and revisions
over 3 years ago – Sun, Oct 09, 2022 at 06:18:25 AM

We are FUNDED! 

Thank you everyone for helping our dream of a Korean adventure book come alive! Being that this is our group's first project, we do not take your support and generosity lightly. We will put everything we've got to representing our culture in this book and making this adventure a truly memorable one for all of you.

That said, we will begin that mission by discussing real quick STRETCH GOALS.

Stretch Goals

We have revised our set of Stretch Goals to make them a bit, well, more manageable to reach according to our current pacing. Considering the effort necessary to reach this stage, we have taken the liberty of unlocking the Dokkaebi and Gumiho playable ancestries/races for our book!! As a token of our appreciation, you will be able to play as Korean myth's famous trickster nature gods and ravenous nine-tailed foxes!

In addition, let's talk subclasses starting with the "Nine-Tailed Soul" bloodline for Sorcerers. An ancestor of yours crossed paths with a powerful fox spirit whose longevity is owed to countless years of accumulating energy by devouring livers, hearts, and knowledge. Your status is symbolized through your ability to imbue a Fox Marble with your soul.

Your can turn into a fox at will and your powers revolve around eating the magic of others and replenishing sorcery points that way. Through feeding on raw magic this way, you will soon be able to transform into a Beast of Calamity, a powerful, animalistic form that bolsters your defense and enables you to savage your foes in melee combat. You're a master of illusions that takes magic from other casters to better devour them with.

Druids of the Circle of Mediums believe that pestilence in the modern world is a form that malevolent spirits take. Removing pestilence from mortal bodies alone is insufficient; more ideally, they must be purified and transformed into energy that bolsters the harmonious order of the world. As a Medium, your body is a vessel that can bind diseases and other conditions i.e. malevolent spirits to your body. For each condition cured, you gain a Gwishin die (max. up to your proficiency bonus) at the cost of a small debuff to your current and maximum Hit Points.

As a Reaction, you can use this die to reduce the result of an opposing roll. Conversely, you can call forth into your body your guardian spirit (a household god, local god, ancestor, or any entity you have a personal relationship with) using a use of your Wild Shape. Beyond bolstering your own combat capability, you can convert Gwishin die into boons of protection for allies. Through your acts taking on and eating suffering, you're able to transcend mortal limits and walk the path of a Mudang martyr.

We would also like to announce that our Korean language stretch goal has been reduced from 150k to 115k! In PDF form to begin with, but hardcover books are absolutely on the table in the future depending on printing and logistics. We are strongly committed to bringing this book back to Korea to encourage gamers there can play it with ease.

Announcements

Now for some announcements! We're offering sets of our merch at a discount to thank you all for your support! Granted, some of you have already picked up sets of our merch without the discount, so please feel free to switch out add-ons to grab our wonderful stickers, sticker sheets, pins, or prints at a lovely discount.

Also, for those who got the Jungin Tier: in offering our discounted merchandise, I recalculated and noticed that the Jungin tier is 7 dollars more expensive than the total price combined with the new discount. For that, I wish to make things right with you.

Everyone who pledged on the Jungin Tier will receive a survey at a later date where we will offer a selection of additional merch valued at $10. Alternatively, if you wish, we can count the amount paid to any potential shipping costs to be calculated around the same time. We appreciate your patience and hope we can do right by you through these efforts, but please contact me if you have proposals or options.

Cultural Exchange

We also received some comments from non-Korean speaking gamers and friends whether they'd be equipped to run this game deeply rooted in Korean culture. I want to assure you that everyone of any background is welcomed and we revel in the opportunity to share our cultures with each other as fellow people. To assist you, we will include with the book a pronunciation guide and a guide to Korean culture in our Player's Guide key information and contexts we feel might be a helpful primer.

The last thing we want is to discourage people from enjoying this game. Our goal is the opposite, to introduce people to what excites us about our history and culture.

We also want to reach out to Korean-speaking gamers and address your concerns we've received. The book will initially be published in English, yes, which may make running the game difficult for you. To assist with pronunciations (since romanized Korean words get a little weird), we will include the Hangul for each romanized word. Additionally, we are committed to bringing this project back to Korea at least in PDF form. Already, we are working with Korean GMs and players excited about the project offering their services getting promotional material out. Our stretch goal to begin work on translation has also been reduced to 115k from 150k. There will also be a Korean-language one-shot coming out by DM Strofel based on the world of our book! We are committed to returning this game founded on Korean mythology back to Korea.

한국어 게이머들의 염려와 의견들을 받았습니다.

맞습니다. 이 책은 우선 영어로 출판될 겁니다. 때문에 여러분은 조금 불편할 수있습니다.  해설을 돕기위해 (때론 한글 영어 표기화 번역이 약간 이상하기 때문에) 한글로도 만들어 질 것입니다.

또한 이 프로젝트는 PDF 형태로 한국으로 보낼 것입니다.  한국 GM 과 게이머들과 함께 작업 중입니다.

우리의 번역 작업 목표는 (stretch goal) 15만불에서 11만 5000불로 낮춰졌습니다.

세계로 나아가는 우리의책은 DM Strofel 에 의해 one-shot 으로 나타날 것입니다.

우리는 한국의 신화를 기반으로 한 이게임이 한국으로 돌아갈 수 있게 하고자 합니다.

75% Funded!! Stretch Goal Talk #1, Giveaway, and Shout Outs
over 3 years ago – Mon, Oct 03, 2022 at 03:09:27 AM

Good morning! 

We woke up to the incredible news that our Kickstarter is 75% of the way to being funded! Once again, thank you all so much for your support. We are humbled and do not take your generosity lightly. We're five days into the Kickstarter, so I think we can start talking about our early stretch goals plus to direct your attention to a giveaway and some friends who have been very supportive in our journey.

Reddit Giveaway

We have a giveaway for a commission and a free PDF on Reddit! To enter, just upvote and comment and we will choose a winner sometime around Monday morning. More details provided in the link listed.

Best of luck!

60k Stretch Goal

Starting with our 60K! We have so many more monsters we would like to have illustrated and displayed in our book. One point that our project boasts is the vast array of monsters unique to Korean mythology. In celebration of October, we've been posting up some stat blocks of spooky Undead creatures. Famous ghosts in Korea!

You can find on our social media sites that I've been statting up for fun some Korean monsters not normally in our book. They include the Egg Gwishin, a faceless ghost that can kill on sight and assimilate others into taking on its characteristics, the Skull Gwishin, a skeletal ghost that steals people's skin, and the Chooyeo'myo, a horse-bodied hydra-like monstrosity with the heads of nine cats! If we clear these goals, I will be highly tempted to include more monsters like these into our book!

Meanwhile, Theta Chun who you might be familiar with from TeaTRPG's actual play of our sample chapter will lend her talents in writing a one-shot based on our setting! It'll feature the Household Gods, a pantheon of small deities that represent each room and function of the house. Though weaker in scale than those of the Nine Heavens, they're by far the most popular deities in Danguk and they play an active role in everyday life!

70k Stretch Goal

Dokkaebi are the first of our two races/ancestries on offer once we reach the 70k tier! They're the lowest ranking nature deities in Danguk and fey whose existences are closely tied to those of mortals. As spirits, they inhabit abandoned objects left behind by people to manifest in physical form. In mythology, they are natural partiers! Love drinking, love wrestling, baby, they just love having fun. 

But at the same time, they are innocents with a strong sense of right and wrong and in tales they appear, often do end up punishing greedy or wicked mortals that try to fool them. They're basically the personified id of mortals. Their biggest feature is that they can transform in and out of a set Object Form! If they die, they turn back into said object which Raise Dead can be used to bring them back to life. Several players rolled up some Dokkaebi in Stellaluna's one-shot stream of our sample chapter!

Probably one of the most famous monsters from East Asia, the Gumiho is a shapeshifting nine-tailed fox that can take on beast form, mortal form, or something in between. What separates the Gumiho from the Kitsune of Japan and the Huli Jing of China is their voracious appetite. They have the Beast (Shapechanger) creature type and they're known to feast on people's hearts and livers. Alternatively, they wield an artifact called the Fox Marble that they use to seduce mortals with before using it to steal their knowledge and wisdom.

They come in two subraces/heritages: Liver Eater, for the more bestial types, and Knowledge Eater, for those who master magic. Despite their wicked reputation, Gumiho often possess a strong yearning to continue evolving or ascending beyond their current state. Just as they transcended their beast states to sentience, they crave divinity, perhaps out of shame of what they are or simply a wish to better themselves.

Our Friends

Elementara: Guide to the Seven Elements is produced by our friends over at Plus Three Press and offers a trove of new elements-based spells, techniques for martial classes, and a whole unique setting! They offer variant rules with their new typing for their elemental magic system as you venture forth through the world of Ezara. Ezara features seven great nations that have built themselves around a gargantuan elemental anomaly. Please, check it out and tell them Nine Heavens sent you!

A skilled drow craftsman named Selanar stumbled across long-lost manuscripts and used them to revive the lost art of harnessing gemstones and runes into items. Socketed items enable you to design and flavor your character's abilities by applying magical effects to items, weapons, and armor, allowing you to design your own armory from scratch! If you're interested in expanding your games' inventory, please check out Selanar's Socketed Items!

Writer Shawn Morrissey brought to my attention his amazing Kickstarted comic that features stories of Korean fantasy, history, and folklore! He also does tours in South Korea and has a podcast where he talks about both its urban legends and darker aspects of life that Koreans struggle to come to grips with. Bit of content warning there considering some of the sensitive topics they discuss. He will be launching a Kickstarter for his second edition to Dark Side of Seoul very soon!

OVER 50% FUNDED!! Plus Art + Giveaways
over 3 years ago – Thu, Sep 29, 2022 at 04:49:18 PM

Undying Corruption is over halfway funded!! 

Thanks to all of you, we've had a spectacular first day and we're well on our way to ensuring we can deliver this Korean fantasy adventure to everyone! From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for your support.

That said, this is far from over and we at Nine Heavens Press will work tirelessly to make sure this book receives funding! All we would like to ask is that you tell friends, followers, anyone about this project and help ensure people become aware of it. I have no doubts if we do our best, this project will come alive.

That said, for those of you who haven't been following our social media accounts, we've been posting a lotta art that'll be in the book and giveaways! 

Also: consider checking out our add-ons! There are a lot of fantastic stickers, pins, and such to go around. If you only want the merch without the book, the Add-On Tier is for you!

 Our instagram gallery for your perusal! 

Here are our giveaways currently localized on Twitter:

 Check out our thread here for a chance to win a PDF or a Hardcover Book + PDF Combo! 

MLarty's Art Raffle ends Oct 5th! Enter for a chance to win a fullbody commission! 

Join Jenny's giveaway for a custom Norigae, normally valued at the Daewang Tier ($420)!!