Beyond the Woods: Open World Exploration and Survival for 5e

April Update - Setting Guide Update, Stickers, and GM Screen!
6 months ago – Mon, Apr 20, 2026 at 06:14:53 AM

Dia dhaoibh a chairde, hello friends! We are a little late this month but with good reason: we have some major updates!

Tír Nascath Setting Guide

First up, we’ve added three new chapters to the Tír Nascath Setting Guide, including the last two adventures! The update includes:

• Bones of the Earth: A chapter packed with tables and advice on creating your own lost ruins and settlements to populate Tír Nascath.
• The Bean Sí’s Curse: One of our stretch goal adventures, penned by Marvel Comics writer and editor (and fellow Irishman) Gary Maloney. If you haven’t checked out Gary’s Irish inspired comic, When the Blood Has Dried, go get it now!
• Sins of the Father: A dungeon crawl style adventure written by Dungeon Crawl Classics veteran Chris Doyle.
• Renaming! We decided to tweak some of the adventure names to make them more evocative. The Magic Hostel is now titled Any Inn in a Storm, and The Bull is now Something Borrowed. 

As well as adding these new chapters, this month we’ve also made amazing progress on the remaining text. Chapter 4. Chance Encounters and Chapter 5. Treasures of the Past are now in editing and should go to layout in the next few weeks. This means we only have 3 chapters left to complete! We’re closing in on finishing the text, which means…

Stickers and GM Screen

This month we started preparing the print files (exciting!). The sticker sheet and GM screen are now ready, and these files have been added to both the Core Rulebook and Tír Nascath Setting Guide listing on DrivethruRPG. To download them, just go to your DrivethruRPG library and you should see the new files.

• GM Screen: The GM screen PDF includes both the outer cover (the beautiful art) and the inner tables. These are one long page each but next month we’ll make a printer friendly version to make it easier to print at home.
• Sticker Sheets: The sticker sheet PDF includes two pages — one with a guide, one without. You can print these on your home printer using sticker paper. In addition, we’ve also included a zip file with each individual sticker, which you can drop into your favourite VTT.

Core Rulebook

The PDF of the Core Rulebook has been updated with some minor errata. This is the version that will go to print, so if you spot any little mistakes that managed to sneak through, please let us know!

Downloading the Files

To download the latest version of the files, go to DrivethruRPG and click ‘My Library’ in the top right. From here you can select ‘Recently Updated’ from a dropdown list and you should see the updated files. The latest version of the files ends in _260420. If you have any issues or you haven’t previously received your download link, please reach out to [email protected]

What Next?

Right now we’re doing everything we can to get the setting guide finished as soon as possible! I’m currently working on Chapter 2. Céad Darach, and both myself and one of our talented writers, Wayne Talbot, are finishing up Chapter 3. Beyond the Woods. Once those are done, we’ll lock off chapter 1, and then we’ll be ready for proofing! 

Our goal is to have the print files ready in the next two months so we can get everyone their books by October or November — but I’ll have firmer dates closer to the time. In the meantime, don’t forget to join the Discord, let us know your favourite part of Beyond the Woods so far, and check out this awesome new campaign from our friends at Elderbrain.

Spawns of the Mindrender

Spawns of the Mindrender is a massive, 600-page D&D 2014 and 2024 5e-compatible dark fantasy adventure and campaign setting for levels 11-15 with player options set in the perilous mountain realm of Vordan. This story-driven module blends survival, exploration, and tactical warfare in a hazardous sandbox environment, weaving a complex plot with multiple branching threads that intricately connect and gradually unveil the grand narrative of a realm unraveling into madness.

Spawns of the Mindrender introduces fresh mechanics, including special rules to simulate the chaos of a battlefield. Players will navigate treacherous peaks, ancient giant ruins, and shifting clan alliances as they uncover the secrets of the Farrealm and face a reality-warping threat. Whether seeking to unite a fractured nation, claim ancient artifacts, or save the world from total psychic collapse, Spawns of the Mindrender delivers an engaging experience for adventurers of all kinds.

Followers of the campaign before it launches will receive the following rewards:

• An encounter location in PDF format after the campaign starts, based on weekly follower voting. Each follower milestone unlocks new content to vote on: first the dungeon, then the main NPC, a featured magic item, the boss monster, and finally a brand-new subclass. The more followers join, the more choices open!
• Four extra copies of the printed custom character sheet that evolves as the follower count grows (for physical backers only).

We will announce the results during the Live Launch Party and cheer on the final outcome of this community-crafted encounter location together with our followers. Live campaign launches on Backerkit on May 5th at 12:00 PM (noon) ET.

March Update — Special Paddy’s Day PDF!
7 months ago – Tue, Mar 17, 2026 at 02:25:33 AM

Hello friends and Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh — happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all! Before we dive into the update, we have a very special Paddy’s Day treat: a brand new monster, the Luchorpán! We’ve gone and taken the iconic leprechaun and put a Beyond the Woods dark fantasy twist on it. You can download the free PDF here and see what this twisted little faerie has in store. Be sure to let us know in the comments or on the Discord what the Luchorpán gets up to in your game — and how many feet he claims!

Tír Nascath Setting Guide

The Setting Guide is progressing really nicely, and a lot of things are coming together all at once. We released an updated version of the PDF last month, so if you didn’t receive it be sure to check your DrivethruRPG library or reach out directly. Here’s a breakdown of where we are. For info on what’s included in each chapter, check out our October Update here.

OUTLINE

• Chapter 3. Beyond the Woods

WRITING

• Chapter 1. Keeper of the Old Lore
• Chapter 2. Céad Darach: First half released in PDF!
• Chapter 4. Chance Encounters: Eleanor Hingley has joined us to add some unique encounters to this chapter!
• Chapter 5. Treasures of the Past: Wayne Talbot has lent us his talents for this chapter, and it should be in editing by the end of the month!

EDITING

• Chapter 6. Bones of the Earth: A surprise chapter that came together very quickly and is now in editing!
• Adventure 6. The Curse of the Bean Sí: In dev edit and then heading for a full edit very soon!

LAYOUT

• Adventure 5. The Black Keep: Editing complete and heading to layout this month. 

RELEASED IN PLAYTEST PDF

• Chapter 7. Faeries and the Forgotten
• Adventure 1. Dead Wood
• Adventure 2. The Magic Hostel
• Adventure 3. The Hungry Man
• Adventure 4. The Bull

As you can see, things are moving through the pipeline very nicely. Next month we’ll have an updated PDF that we expect to add at least one if not two new chapters for you to enjoy. 

Beyond the Woods for Legend in the Mist Ending Soon

Our campaign to bring Beyond the woods to Legend in the Mist is ending in a little over a week, so be sure to check it out here. Even if you don’t back it, we have good news for our 5e fans: we’ve unlocked a new monster, which we’ll be releasing for both Legend in the Mist and 5e! When the Legend in the Mist campaign ends we’ll be asking all of our backers (both 5e and LitM) to vote to see which critter from Irish folklore gets added to the book. Here’s an early look at some of the options:

• 🍺 Clúrachán: The Clúrachán (or Clurichaun) is a cousin to the Luchorpán (Leprechaun), and is a mischievous and fun loving faerie. They enjoy a drink and usually haunt pubs and breweries. 
• 🦦 Dobhar-Chú: The Dobhar-Chú (possibly meaning ‘water hound’) is the King of the Otters. Though that might sound cute, they are a fearsome creature that kills both people and animals and drinks their blood!
• 🧜 Murdúchann: Murdúchann (commonly known as Merrow) are akin to sirens or mermaids and are tragic and sometimes malevolent creatures that often become infatuated with mortals.
• 🕵️ Fear Liath: The Fear Liath, or ‘grey man’, is a Slenderman-like entity from Irish and Scottish folklore. He manifests as dark man-shaped fog, and haunts the roads and cliffsides.

Voting won’t open until the campaign ends, but let us know in the comments which creature you’d like to see in Beyond the Woods! 

Until next time, go raibh míle maith agat for all your support and have a happy and healthy Paddy’s Day!

Secret Backer Tier for Returning Backers!
8 months ago – Mon, Feb 23, 2026 at 04:15:18 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

February Update - With a Proper Title This Time!
8 months ago – Thu, Feb 19, 2026 at 02:28:03 AM

So thanks to some weirdness in the Kickstarter backend, our February update was posted with the thrilling title "edit". Aaaand we didn't notice in time to change it, and we also can't delete it. Whoops!

You can read the full update here, but here's a quick summary:

• The Tír Nascath Setting Guide has been updated! You can download the latest version on DrivethruRPG, the file ending in _260217
• Beyond the Woods for Legend in the Mist launches next week! We'll have exclusive secret discounts for our 5e backers, so be sure to follow the campaign here.
• Our good friends at Three Sails Studios recently launched their campaign for Gallows Corner. Check it out here.

And that's it! Sorry for the confusion! We'll be sending another update around on Monday with links to the Secret Tier for Beyond the Woods for Legend in the Mist, so keep an eye out!

Tá brón orm - I'm sorry!

edit
8 months ago – Tue, Feb 17, 2026 at 02:41:11 AM

Dia dhaoibh a chairde, hello friends. Another monthly update, and it’s an exciting one! Before we dive in, don’t forget to join the Discord to get even more updates and sneak peaks. 

First up, the updated PDF of the Tír Nascath Setting Guide is now available, and features over 80 pages of lore, monsters, and adventures! Here’s what’s included:

• The first half of the Céad Darach chapter is now included, which gives insight into the history of the city and what day to day life is like for those that live there. The second half of the chapter will come in a later update and will feature dozens of places of interest to use in your campaign. This chapter has been a blast to write so I hope everyone enjoys it!
• The complete, fully-edited Faeries and the Forgotten chapter has been added, with plenty of monsters to throw at your party. Each entry includes lore about the creature, their goals and behaviour, and advice on using them in your game. 
• Last but certainly not least, we’ve added another awesome adventure by Gareth Hanrahan. The Bull sees the party tracking down a stolen bull from a wicked faerie lord to try to save a wedding — but not all is as it seems…

As always, please keep in mind that this is not the final version of the book! Most of the playtest PDF has been fully edited but hasn’t been proofread yet. There are some stray page references (the @@s), and a few missing pieces of art (those nice bright pink blocks you see on some pages!). All of this will be sorted in the final release, don’t worry!

Downloading the PDF

By now you should have received an email from DrivethruRPG with a link to redeem your free copy of the Tír Nascath Setting Guide. If you don’t have one already, I recommend creating a DrivethruRPG account. This will make it easier to access your PDFs in the future. 

If you can’t find your download link, be sure to do the following:

• Check your spam folder — sometimes emails from DrivethruRPG can get lost there!
• Make sure you check the right inbox! The complimentary copies are sent out to the email address tied to your Kickstarter account that backed the project, so be sure to check that inbox! Folks who use a private Apple ID will need to reach out directly so we can resend the link to an alternate email address. Likewise,  folks who pre-ordered through Backerkit should also reach out.
• Get in touch! If you still can’t find the download link, drop us a DM here or contact [email protected]. Let us know the email address to use and we’ll get you a new link as soon as we can.

Beyond the Woods for Legend in the Mist launches in ONE WEEK!

Beyond the Woods for Legend in the Mist launches next Tuesday, the 24th of February! We’re excited to bring the world of Tír Nascath to a brand new system and, as a special thank you to all of you wonderful backers, we will have super secret exclusive discounted tiers for anyone who backed Beyond the Woods for 5e and wants to try out Legend in the Mist! 

We’ll also be adding new monsters as we hit certain stretch goals but not to worry — we’ll be creating these for 5e as well and releasing them for FREE to all our backers!

Be sure to follow the campaign here so you don’t miss out. If you want to see Legend in the Mist in action, check out the video below.

Gallow’s Corner

Our friends over at Three Sail Studios recently launched Gallows Corner - A Peasants’ Revolt RPG and it looks amazing! We’ve already backed it, and you can find out more below.

Gallows Corner - A Peasants’ Revolt RPG

This is not your England. It's theirs. But we're going to take it back. And we'll start by burning it down!

Gallows Corner - A Peasants’ Revolt RPG is an alt-historical TTRPG system that focuses on stories of resistance, community, solidarity, and liberation in post-plague England. Created and designed by George Francis Bickers, developed and edited by Jeremy Blum, and with artwork by Joel Kilpatrick, Gallows Corner allows players to tell intensely personal stories of local resistance and struggle that ripple across a country calling out for salvation. With a rules light, narrative first approach, Gallows Corner moves beyond historical simulation and grind to capture the feeling and verisimilitude of peasant and working class struggle. 

You can back Gallows Corner here.