The Island of Primordium — New Setting and Subclass! (Patreon)

The island of Primordium was born out of a violent volcanic explosion that occurred over a million years ago, sometime during the world’s prehistoric period. The island’s unique, crystalline geology possesses a capacity for magic unrivaled anywhere in the world—too great for mortals to possess. Devamant, an androsphinx, decided to shroud the island behind powerful enchantments in order to protect its vulnerable ecology from intruders. For eons, prehistoric life continued to thrive under Devamant’s stewardship.

During that time, Devamant began experimenting on the island’s flora and fauna, using Primordium’s strange crystals as magical foci. His experiments led to the creation of a mutagen that caused certain creatures to grow in size, strength, longevity, and durability. The first of these immortal Apex Predators, Gorilla Gargantua, proved to be the mightiest of Devamant’s creations; it wasn’t long before the androsphinx’s safeguards and defenses were overwhelmed by his own experiments.

Years passed—tens of thousands—as Devamant toiled to find an antidote to the mutagen he himself had created. The Apex Predators were every bit the sphinx’s equals: they, too, were immortal. They were a problem that could not simply be outlived. As the world around Primordium changed and evolved, the island and its self-appointed guardian remained locked in a bitter stalemate. But Devamant eventually succeeded: he discovered his antidote. His first test subject would be the island’s mightiest Apex Predator, Gorilla Gargantua.

It would also be his last. The great ape overcame his creator. Now, Devamant’s head sits on a spike outside Gorilla Gargantua’s lair, a grim warning to anyone—or anything—that would dare challenge the beast’s rule.

For countless years, Devamant’s enchantments kept Primordium hidden from the rest of the world. With the sphinx’s death, however, those enchantments have begun to fail...and people have begun to notice.

Primordium, the land out of time, is ripe for the taking.

Primordium is a strange island that's been shrouded by obscuring enchantments for untold ages. Time has continued to pass virtually unchanged on Primordium, creating a seemingly alien world of bizarre colors and minerals. The once-protector of the island, a great androsphinx, now lies dead, but not forgotten: even now, his ghostly wails serve to warn the adventurers that visit the dangerous island. Through the jungle floor, you can feel the tremendous thuds of impossibly large feet....

This setting includes a new rogue subclass: the Stitcher! Rogues that choose this archetype have a knack for theft, but not for treasure or valuables. No, these rogues steal fragments of time itself, rearranging how they fall in ways meant to better serve their purposes. Steal extra bonus actions, rush through initiative orders or short rests, and make time come to a crashing halt as an enigmatic Stitcher!

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:

• 18 pages of jungle island exploration, cults, and super-sized monsters!
• Face off against great beasts, including their devoted followers! Bring their reign of terror to an end, or escape in one piece!
• Bonus maps donated by Cze & Peku!
• 4 new creature statblocks, plus a way to convert mundane beasts into tree-crushing monsters!
• New rogue subclass: the Stitcher! Take extra time from your foes and use it to do more on your turns!

Bonus Animated Background from James' RPG Art!

James and I wanted to do something collaboratively for this setting, and he was so wonderful to work with. Updated and included at the bottom of this page is a .zip with two variants of Primordium: day and night!

James makes animated scenes to help players visualize environments and add immersion and tone to your games. He's created over 300 scenes from official WotC adventures, and many unique locations that are often found in a D&D adventure. He releases 4 new locations each month for his patrons.

Make sure to check out this bonus animated background and use it in your games to help set the untamed scene when your players visit Primorium for themselves! If you like the content, support him on Patreon for yourself to say thanks and use even more of his content in your games!

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:

John Webb — Writing

TheArenaGuy — Monster design, editing

Cze & Peku and Renflower — Maps

Damien Mammoliti — Monster Art & Subclass illustration

Benjamin Sommeregger — Cover art

Jelke Ludolphij — Additional layout

James RPG Art — bonus setting animation

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!

Updates

v1.1: Modified the wording of Borrow Time to make sure it could be used with builds that make use of spells like Green Flame Blade.