FAQ

UPDATED 27th May 2010 - updates in red.

UPDATED 10th July 2010 - updates in blue.

When will the Vampire Bestiary be available?

Okay thats the one question I can't answer, at the point of typing this (28th February) I am hoping for a late March release but if you know me, you know I have a tendency to miss release dates.

UPDATE: Okay its the end of May and its still not ready, but I am fairly close to being ready. I know thats fairly ambiguous but bear with me a little while longer.

UPDATE: Yes I know the resident procrastination has continued at its normal snails pace. However, a lot of the problems seemed to be due to the ever growing nature of the book. As a consequence I have decided to cut the book into three parts/volumes. Each roughly about 50-60 pages. The first part of this is very nearly completed - unfortunately, "very nearly" at this stage probably still means September. With the new free time I have from work due to kick in end of July/start of August I should be able to wrap it all up for release sometime in September.

Why all the delays?

Partly because I am a procrastinating fool who puts too much thought into the minutiae. Partly because I work a 30 hour per week "part time" job. Partly because the initial plans of a 64 page book have expanded to a 96+ page book. Combine the above then try having some semblance of a life beyond this computer screen and you begin to realise that time evaporates very quickly indeed. But I wouldn't be here if I didn't love it. :+)

Where will it be available (when you get it finished that is)?

The pdf will be available from RPGNow and Drivethru RPG. They are also starting a Print on Demand service which should be up and running by the time I get the book finished. I should note that when you get the Print version you also get the pdf free.

What price will it be?

Not totally sure yet as the final page count hasn't been fixed yet. The current incarnation has about 100 pages and if the book ends up at that size I'd probably set the price in and around $12.50 for the pdf. There are multiple options for the print version and consider this a guesstimate (at this stage) but I reckon about $19-20 (soft-cover) and $25 (hard-cover) will be somewhere close to the price of the print version.

UPDATE: The current size of the book is 144 pages (and still growing believe it or not). Completing all the art for that could take a few more months so I have decided to split the book into part 1 and part 2 and concentrate on the first part. Each roughly about 80 pages. I can assure you this was not part of my inital plan, in fact all the previews of the Vampire Bestiary on the website to date are actually within Part 2 (although I may move the Cherufe forward).

So you'll still get all the new size rules, new boss rules and half the entries in Part 1. As such I will obviously be dropping the price down significantly (probably about $9 or less for the 80 page pdf).

One irony is that about 75% of the 'vampires' are in Part Two, so I am not sure if Vampire Bestiary is as accurate a title as it otherwise would be. But it is what it is.

UPDATE: Assuming exactly 64 pages (of actual content), the individual pdfs will be $8.95. I'll look to lumping the various parts of the book together so that combining parts one and two (and assuming 128 pages of content) will be cheaper; more like $13.95. All three parts together (as one pdf and again assuming 64 pages each; 192 total) would be $16. The catch being that it might take me a while to get parts 2 and 3 released.

What do we get for our money?

Okay, I'm going to make a bold statement, but I think the Vampire Bestiary is the most important monster book since the launch of the 4E Monster Manual. I say that because it will redefine how we look at monsters in three key ways.

• Firstly it has some simple new rules for unit based and mass combat that will vastly expand the game in new directions. Ever see those epic movies, anime and videogames or read stories where few stand against thousands or even millions of enemies? Well now you'll be able to replicate those battles.
• Secondly it has new rules for creatures larger than Gargantuan which I think will be a big surprise (no pun intended) to gamers. These rules are a lot different to anything I have mentioned on this website (such as with my 4E Godzilla Conversion - which I'll revise after the Vampire Bestiary launches with the new rules) or on my forums. These are not mere strength bonuses for such monsters, instead I think they are different to anything you will have seen up to now. Also this time you will be able to fight castle; mountain, planet , galaxy or whatever sized or bigger monsters because these (4E) rules can handle it - but better than that, the fights themselves will be cool...trust me, you'll love these rules! ;-)
• Lastly it also acts as a prelude for the Legendary Tier rules I am working on, taking the game to new heights. I didn't want to shove that down peoples throats so there are really only a tiny percentage of monsters (Level 37+) that couldn't be used in a current epic campaign.

Beyond that you also get about 100 new, challenging monsters for your game.

UPDATE: Part 1 will have over 50 new monsters.

UPDATE: Okay, massive changes. Firstly, I am dividing the book into three Volumes, each roughly 48-64 pages.

• Part One: Details Levels 1-15, contains 40+ monsters. Also has my new 'Boss' rules for spicing up Solo monster encounters.
• Part Two: Details Levels 16-30, again contains 40+ monsters. Also has my new 'Unit' rules for battling armies...if The Serpent Riders adventure is released before the Vampire Bestiary part two then it will also have the Unit rules.
• Part Three: details Levels 31-45 (skewed a bit towards 31-38), contains 35+ monsters. Also has my new 'Superboss' ruleset for detailing and battling monsters larger than Gargantuan size.

As you can see

Can we see some previews?

Absolutely.

• Heroic Tier Preview: Pey (Forgotten Vampire)
• Paragon Tier Preview: Bisomus (Twin Wight)
• Epic Tier Preview: Cherufe (Volcano God)

A book just about Vampires...what if I don't like Vampires, why is this book for me?

While Vampires are the main theme of this book, and there are LOTS of vampires within its pages, there are many entries which have only tenuous links to vampires. If I had to give a rough estimate I would say that half the book is probably devoted to different types of vampires and the other half to monsters with links to vampires.

UPDATE: As noted above, about 75% of the actual Vampires are scheduled to be in Part 2. I'll have a full contents list on the website before release so you can see what you are getting.

UPDATE: I have changed things around a bit and the first volume now has about 40% vampire content - including things like: Vampire Intelligences and other things I won't spoil. That said the book does have a healthy dose of Cannibals and Cultists, as well as a strong Kali theme (as the cover infers).

Does this book have any monsters from your 3E Epic Bestiary: Volume One?

There are three monsters from that book and one monster from this website within the Vampire Bestiary.

UPDATE: Volumes One and Two will contain all new monsters (at least thats the situation as I type this). Volume Three may contain one or two Epic Bestiary monsters.

Can we see a Table of Contents?

I will have the contents list on the website closer to the release.

What levels does this book cater for? We know you like epic monsters, is it just another epic book?

With the Vampire Bestiary being my first foray into 4th Edition I decided to spread my wings as it were and cover every level of the game and then some. So expect monsters from Level 1 all the way to Level 40. The book has a roughly even spread throughout the levels with a slight swelling in those levels between 26-35 (where you could argue the existing roster of 4E monsters is at its weakest).

UPDATE: Volume One is for levels 1-15, Volume Two is for Levels 16-30 and Volume Three is for Levels 31-45 (with Levels 31-38 featuring more heavily than 39-45).

Is this going to be a trend, will future books cater for all levels?

I think in future books I'll return to what I know best which is epic+ material. Though you never know, so I don't rule out a return to the lower tiers at some point, I like 4th Edition enough that even the lower tiers can hold my interest.

Can we expect a Ghost Bestiary or Lich Bestiary?

No I don't think so. I have ideas for lots more undead, but not enough of a specific type to have a similar themed book. The next monster book I have planned (and thats 4 books away - see below, so it could be a while) is about Angels & Devils (though much like the Vampire Bestiary, such a book wouldn't just have Angels & Devils in it but also abominations, dragons, giants, golems etc.). Also there are lots of new monsters planned for both the Serpent Riders and the Canaanite Mythos books.

So what can we expect next...and when?

After the Vampire Bestiary I will be collaborating with other writers on four new projects (one at a time). These collaborations are my efforts to speed up my intolerably slow output. I have no idea when these books will be available, although I'm hoping for one released every 2-3 months. However I can tell you the order in which they will be released:

1. The Serpent Riders (Epic Adventure Path for Levels 25-28)
2. Immortals Index: Canaanite Mythos
3. Immortals Handbook: Legendary Tier (Rules for Levels 31-40)
4. Angels & Devils (Epic Bestiary for Levels 21-40+)

All books are planned to be roughly 64 pages, though thats not set in stone.

UPDATE: Okay, the collaborative writers must be thinking I'm a nutcase by this juncture. Unfortunately, I can't start the Serpent Riders until I have the Vampire Bestiary (part one at least) finished. I will stick my neck out and say that will be sorted by sometime in September though. If everything goes to plan (and so far it never has), consider the following the Eternity Publishing 2010/2011 schedule.

1. Vampire Bestiary (Part One) - SEPTEMBER 2010
2. The Serpent Riders (Epic Adventure Path for Levels 25-28)
3. Vampire Bestiary (Part Two)
4. Immortals Handbook: Legendary Tier (Rules for Levels 31-40)
5. Vampire Bestiary (Part Three)
6. Immortals Index: Canaanite Mythos
7. Angels & Devils (Epic Bestiary for Levels 21-40+)

It probably makes sense to have the Immortals Handbook Legendary Tier rules out in and around the release of the Vampire Bestiary: Part Three.

If you have any more questions feel free to email me agoodddesigner@hotmail.com or visit the Eternity Publishing forums here.