Monstrous Heroes - 5e Monster Classes

Happy New Year! Monstrous Heroes Update
9 months ago – Fri, Jan 05, 2024 at 10:08:54 AM

Greetings one and all!

This is going to be a quick update to wish you all a happy 2024, a year that promises to hold some big things. Monstrous Heroes has entered a latter phase of development, with all the main playtesting done and the classes running well overall. Now comes the secondary playtesting, which will be faster and more focused. There are other miscellaneous parts of the book getting developed more, such as the NPCs section, which will feature a backer-conceptualized NPC for each of the monster classes. I'm still waiting on a number of boss monster tier backers to send in their NPC concepts, but a few are further along, such as ...

We're still anticipating a Q2 release of Monstrous Heroes, though as I've said before, I will not rush things, and I remain committed to producing a robust book of high quality content that you can use over and over across the years.

As always, you have my sincere thanks.

—Esper

Final Open Playtest + Progress Report
10 months ago – Tue, Dec 05, 2023 at 09:16:43 AM

Hello everyone!

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. The fourth final adventure path for the Monstrous Heroes public playtest is now available:

Download Tides of Iniquity to provide your feedback and see how things are shaping up!

This new playtest features the classes arborean (plant), brindlecap (fey), lycanthrope, minotaur, and ogre. The party adventures throughout various monstrous islands, seeking to uncover and defeat the sinister forces behind a resistance fighting against the Bazagonian Empire.

In broader terms, what this means is that the main phase of playtesting will be wrapping up before long. There are still some specialized playtests to run, and some other parts of the book to develop, but the classes themselves are basically down to just fine tuning, polishing, and checking for potential game-breaking exploits.

Here are my best estimates on a progress report for the project as a whole.

Estimated Release for Monstrous Heroes: Spring 2024

Last but not least, here are some new pieces from the artist Ashkan Ghanbari, who’s making a comeback after his fantastic work on Esper’s Emporium of Esoterica.

Until next time,

Esper

The Next Public Playtest Is Live | General Update
11 months ago – Tue, Nov 07, 2023 at 09:31:35 AM

Hello everyone!

Things continue at full throttle, with tons of playtesting going on. The third playtest adventure path is now available: Infernal Nemesis. It features the classes yadira (celestial), dragon, ousia (elemental), and vivilith (construct), as the characters hunt down a growing faction of devils and their miscellaneous allies within the ruins of a dragonborn city.

Download Infernal Nemesis and provide your feedback after giving it a whirl!

I personally am running 3 different weekly playtest groups, and along with this, I am receiving feedback from various sources: the playtest feedback forms, messages and calls from online friends who are playtesting, and the general discourse on the Monstrous Heroes channel on my Discord. Overall, the feedback I’m getting is very positive, and most people are really enjoying these monster classes.

Some of the classes still need quite a few adjustments, while others are essentially just down to fine-tuning. They are shaping up better and better, and even though this book is taking longer than I had anticipated, it remains so important that this in-depth development and crafting take place. As I’ve said before, I am unwilling to sacrifice the quality of the product and the functionality of the content. The aim is for this book to last a long, long time, providing a high amount of replay value.

Aside from playtesting, I continue writing and editing large amounts on my own. This solo space is really where I dive deep and do much of the creative work. In addition to the written aspect, I communicate regularly with the illustrators, providing art directing and guidance on the aesthetic front. I’ll leave you with a glimpse at some illustrations that have recently been completed.

Until next time,

Esper

Quick Update + Livestream This Thursday
12 months ago – Tue, Oct 10, 2023 at 11:49:53 AM

I recently posted my October newsletter on my Patreon page, which has a brief overview of the progress on Monstrous Heroes, as well as a preview of several spells from the book.

Also, this coming Thursday, October 12th at 7 pm Central Time, I will be live on YouTube, taking live chat questions, as well as conceptualizing some monster class feats live with viewer suggestions.

Monsters on the Loose!

The monstrous season of Halloween is upon us, and with it, the ferocious characters of Monstrous Heroes are shaping up. Playtesting is in high gear, and I am running multiple playtest campaigns. These simple adventure paths are also available publicly, for free on my Patreon page, so that anyone can game with the beta states of the classes and provide feedback.

The available playtest campaigns at the moment are Shadows of Vengeance and The Dread Warrens. In the coming weeks, I will be releasing the other two: Infernal Nemesis and Tides of Iniquity. You can find them on my Patreon page.

Due to the scope and complexity of this project, some classes are more developed than others. They all have their main features and building blocks in place, though some have gotten more testing and attention, and are getting closer to their final forms. Others are still patiently waiting for their time in the spotlight. Here are my estimates on them:

—Highly Developed—

These classes have gone through the most playtesting and revision. They are approaching their finished states.

Arachnir, Hag, Protean (ooze), Revenant, Troll, Vampire

—Moderately Developed—

These classes have received some playtesting and revision, and are making good progress, but still need a good amount more.

Brindlecap (fey), Dragon, Lycanthrope, Minotaur, Nefarix (fiend), Ogre, Paracosma (aberration)

—Less Developed—

These classes have received the least playtesting and revision thus far. They need lots of testing still.

Arborean (plant), Ousia (elemental), Vivilith (construct), Yadira (celestial)

As you can see, there is quite the spread of development with these bestial and mythical characters. I am happy to report that things continue to look good. The classes are fun, effective, dynamic, and they really evoke the feeling of being the monstrous races that they are.

I still have a lot of work to do, and once again, I find myself in a position that I underestimated how much time it would take to create this book. That said, it is not as insanely complicated as the Emporium was, so it’s just a matter of staying focused and staying dedicated. And that I am. Every single day, I am working on Monstrous Heroes, and my passion and inspiration for it continues to be strong!

You all have my thanks and my best wishes. Enjoy the festivities and tricks and treats that come with October, and keep an eye on my YouTube channel, as I’ve been producing a lot of videos recently.

Monstrous Heroes - Playtesting in Full Swing | Join the Discord to Interact and Give Feedback
about 1 year ago – Wed, Sep 20, 2023 at 01:38:26 PM

Hello everyone!

Where is the time going? I have been hard at work on Monstrous Heroes, it is a full-time job, and much progress is being made, though I do not see the completed book in sight yet. These monsters need more time in development. An indicator of this is that playtesting sessions are consistently still finding issues and features that need revision. Fortunately, the playtests are in full swing—I’m even about to start up an additional playtest group.

Things are really taking shape, and it’s looking really good overall, I just don’t want to rush the production. As always, I remain committed to delivering a well-developed and polished product that everyone can feel proud of.

Here is a general status overview as well as a peek at a few recent illustrations 

If you’re not already, keep an eye on my Patreon page, where I release playtest documents and updates. Also, on my Discord server there is a Monstrous Heroes channel where I regularly ask for feedback and answer questions.

These monsters are going through the grueling fighting pits and getting trained for greatness. As always, a bardic bow of gratitude to you all. 

Until next time,

Esper