Monthly newsletter for the Vineyard Project - August
THANK YOU to everyone who helped us in our design process by taking the survey. It's really valuable data. I'm excited to bring you the first look of The Vineyard.
Thank you for taking an interest & I hope to provide you with enough savory bits to enjoy while we build this empire from the catacombs beneath your D&D city.
The Vineyard Supplement
What the supplement is:
A modular supplement that includes every facet of a setting-agnostic undead organization. Lore, encounters, NPCs, lairs, and plot hooks. This is spiritually between one of the 3e splat books, Xanathar's Guide to Everything, & Candlekeep Mysteries in its actionable content. The focus is on the faction, encounters, mechanics, lore, and NPCs to drop into any city. Additional material as crowdfunded goals: Setting agnostic adventures, VTTs for encounters, additional NPCs, & custom sub-classes.
How Do I Use This Supplement?
Our goal in creating this supplement is for each section - whether it be a stat block, encounter, mechanic, or history of the faction - can be ripped from the pages and directly placed into your game with minimal preparation. We want you to be able to flip to an NPC in the supplement and put them into your game TONIGHT and have it be memorable. We want this content to be easy to commit to & addictive to everyone, much like the insatiable desire for power amongst the Vineyard ranks.
What Is The Vineyard?
Deep within the warrens of the City is a labyrinth of tombs that were carefully dug and reinforced by a cabal of undead. For a thousand years the Vineyard existed only in whispered rumors and superstitions before introducing themselves as a new player in the City’s politics. Headed by an ancient vampire, the Vineyard is a criminal organization that prides itself on being able to retrieve any manner of rare artifact and deliver it to generous clients. While business with the Vineyard is frowned upon in polite society, the other major players lacking a means to eliminate them has created an uneasy truce.
Any organization from the City who wanted to explore necromancy or venture beneath the City to access its portals used to do so without permission - until the Vineyard announced its dominion. Now everyone must strike a bargain with the Vineyard - whether they like it or not.
The Vineyard is the premiere smuggling and assassination power in the City.
Motto: “Everyone serves Their Majesty in the end.”
Beliefs:
Power is giving someone what they want.
Control is an illusion spell the living cast every day.
Debts can be collected. Always.
Goals:
Keeping the City dependent upon the Vineyard.
Acquisition of powerful arcana to secure position in politics and legacy.
Make deals and increase the amount of debts owed by powerful members of the City.
Meet Our Team - Issue Highlight
Vineyard Co-Creator & Narrative Designer - M Ebel, best known for their work on Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden & ENnie winning One Night Strahd.
Our team's last ask: It would help out the team immensely if you hit NOTIFY ME ON LAUNCH on our pre-launch page.