Drag yourself away from the clutches of Death itself in the Graveyard — New Setting and Subclass! (Patreon)

Hey Heroes!

First off, again, I'm behind a month! This was due out at the end of last month, but we're well on the way to wrapping up the last setting for Saddlebag year four. Thank you for your patience here, and enjoy this spooky setting on the spookiest day of the year!

What happens in the last flash of consciousness we experience on this mortal plane? How is that some are able to return from near-death, and even say they "saw the light"? What light is they speak of, and how are they able to suddenly recount their life in total in, seemingly, just a moment?

It is everywhere, and it is nowhere. It is a realm free of life and death. Those who come here are neither alive nor dead; they are not undead either—this is the Graveyard.

The Graveyard is not a plane of existence or a realm within the greater cosmology. In many ways, it is like a dream that occurs in the blink of an eye between near death and inevitability.

In this realm between life and death, characters will mentally explore their fears, joys, and stressors while still investigating the hidden mysteries of the graveyard. Characters who successfully navigate these subconscious hazards will emerge victorious and return to life. Those who fail to traverse the Graveyard face permanent death.

This document contains a series of introspective encounters that can be handled by yourself in this strange and existential place. By revisiting these core memories and moments of your character's life—both good and bad—you'll develop a stronger sense of yourself and use that to inch ever closer to returning to life. To fail is to face permanent death at the hand of the Grave Regent, who watches over this space.

The subclass for the setting is the new sorcerous origin: the Second Soul! In one of the most universally enjoyed subclasses ever playtested from the Saddlebag, you can explore what happens when your mortal frame is accommodated by an extra spirit. A necromancy-born spellcaster without the debilitations of typical undeath, you draw on the magic given to you by the simple nature of sharing this space with another soul. Do you work together with this soul, or actively against it? Summon this soul to support you at your side as a familiar, enjoy naturally-granted Twinned Spell casting, and absorb the hurt experienced by your allies while devouring the life force of your foes. 

Speaking of the subclass, here's a reminder that we also have official subclass playtest sessions on the Discord! So please feel welcome to sign up for them and get early looks and hands-on time with them! As always, further revisions will be made here with published updates as they're released!

What's Included:

• 17 pages of personal journeys through the space between life and death! Return to life in a final push of determination, even against the hands of Death!
• Further develop your character and their personal journey in life by exploring its backstory in death!
• Bonus maps donated by Cze & Peku!
• 7 new statblocks of death-defying monsters!
• New sorcerer subclass: the Second Soul! Explore duality and its effect on your spellcasting with powerful necromantic forces!

Credits

I was responsible for direction, design, and additional editing for this setting. However, this couldn't be possible without extra help. If you like this setting, consider supporting these other incredible creators:

DMDave — Writing, editing

TheArenaGuy — Monster design

Cze & Peku and Renflower — Maps

Aaron Riley — Subclass illustration

Damien Mammoliti — Monster Art

Benjamin Sommeregger — Cover art

Jelke Ludolphij — Additional layout

This release is also made especially possible by the extra generosity of $13+ Legendary Heroes! Thank you all so much for you support, and be proud of your place in the end credits! You've earned it!