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Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt: A 5e Supplement

Created by MonkeyDM

A Soulsborne and Lovecraft inspired setting for DnD 5e. Fight Nightmarish Monsters, Survive the Madness, and Join The Hunt!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Steinhardt's Shipping Update (& Trick Weapon Workshop Update)
about 1 year ago – Sat, Feb 08, 2025 at 04:54:50 PM

Hello good hunter,

Let's jump right in

The Shipping Saga

Buckle up, it’s been a ride. 

The finish line is in sight, but not without a few last-minute hurdles (I swear, I’m genuinely losing hair over this). 

US Orders 

For our hunters in the US, all shipments have finally cleared customs and made it to the distribution warehouses. 

That was a huge relief! However, we hit a weird snag: some of the deluxe boxes arrived without the required "Made in China" label. (Apparently even eldritch horrors need to comply with import regulations, who knew?). 

This was a much bigger deal than it might sound: if we didn’t fix this quickly, we’d risk having to send everything back and even face a hefty fine. Cue the team scrambling around trying to source stickers at the eleventh hour—and not just any stickers, but ones that wouldn’t ruin the box design. I mean, I spent ages agonizing over that box art—I certainly didn’t want to plaster some monstrosity on it and call it a day. 

Thankfully, we found a solution that’s both permanent (customs requirement) and visually subtle (my requirement). The warehouses are now getting those labels, and once they’re stuck on, we can finally begin fulfillment. Fingers crossed we dodge any further red tape! 

TL;DR: US Packages should start coming to you in waves by the end of February.

TL;DR 2: Canada is Bundled with US
 
 

Europe/UK Orders 

Across the pond in the EU and UK, things got tangled up in bureaucracy. 

Our fulfillment partners and the manufacturer got into a dispute over the EORI code (that’s the tax identification number for imports). 

Essentially, both sides had different ideas on which EORI number to use for the shipment paperwork – a tiny detail with a big impact. One side insisted to use mine for regulations, while the others instead that theirs was better for regulation. 

This paperwork tug-of-war meant the pickup of the freight got pushed back, which in turn delayed its arrival at the regional warehouses. It’s frustrating, I know (imagine me repeatedly banging my head on the desk here). 

This issue is just about wrapped up, paperwork is being processed and freight should be moving again very soon. I'll keep a close eye on it and let you know as soon as I have concrete dates, but if you look at the TL;DR

TL;DR: Fulfillment for EU/UK backers is expected to begin in early to mid-March. 

AUS/NZ Orders 

Good news for our hunters down under: the Australian shipment is on track. 

Barring any wild beasts hijacking the delivery trucks (at this point nothing would surprise me), fulfillment for Australia/NZ is expected to begin around the end of February. 

The books are almost at your shores, and from there our partners will begin dispatching orders. So Australian backers, sharpen your stakes. 

TL;DR: Fulfillment for Australia/NZ backers is expected to begin by mid-late February. 

Asia Orders 

At the moment, we’re pretty much on hold until the Chinese New Year festivities wrap up. As is the custom, everyone over there goes into full holiday mode, so getting a response out of them right now is… optimistic at best. 

On the bright side, my head of transportation insists they’re the most efficient once they’re back in action. So, as soon as the celebrations are over, I’m expecting them to ramp up production and fulfillment at good speed. 

Until then, we’ll keep you posted on any new developments.

TL;DR: Fulfillment for Asia is expected to begin in mid-March.
 

Tracking Numbers

Finally, a quick heads-up on tracking: once your shipment is logged by the warehouse, our fulfillment partners will be conjuring the tracking numbers and sending them directly to you via email (they have all your email addresses from BackerKit). I’ll post another update when that happens, so you’ll know exactly when to keep an eye on your inbox. Make sure to check your spam folder, too—wouldn’t want those precious tracking details getting lost in some digital void.

Trick Weapon Workshop 

In other news, the Trick Weapon Workshop: I know many of you have been eagerly awaiting this feature since I first teased it a while back. The good news is it's finally on the horizon and slated for a beta release next week!

Crafting this workshop turned into a beast of a task. D&D 5e doesn’t give clear guidelines for designing scalable magic items, so I had to create one from scratch. I ended up creating an entire power system document just for Trick Weapons. 

This included building a power differential table to balance out some wildly inconsistent items (looking at you, Broom of Flying). Normally, I rely on comparison to gauge an item’s power level, but since this workshop needed a structured point-system approach, I wanted to make sure every transformation and upgrade was balanced, and not require everyone to do the amount of double-checking I do, that's my job, not yours.

On top of that, I developed a quick-check system for GMs. Think of it as a handy cheat-sheet that lets a Dungeon Master glance at a trick weapon's stats and know quickly whether or not it’s not going to break the game. The goal is to give you awesome, transformative weapons without giving your DM an ulcer. 

Bottom line: Trick Weapon Workshop will be in your hands next week. 

Final Thoughts

I want to sincerely apologize for these continued delays. Trust me, every time I think we’re past the last obstacle, another one seems to pop up and yell “Gotcha!”. I truly hope this is the final hurdle — at this point I wouldn’t even be surprised if an ancient Lovecraftian entity was personally meddling with our supply chain for kicks.

Thank you all so much for your patience and understanding through this rollercoaster. Your support and enthusiasm keep me going (and sane… mostly). I’m incredibly excited for you to get your hands on Steinhardt’s Guide and dive into the Eldritch Hunt. We’re so close to the finish line now – I can almost hear the rustle of packaging and that new book smell.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, drop them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.

Thank you again for sticking with me through thick and thin. The wait is nearly over.

Take care,
Evan | MonkeyDM

Steinhardt's Address Update
about 1 year ago – Wed, Jan 15, 2025 at 01:17:00 PM

Hey everyone!

Everything for Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt is moving!

TL;DR: Addresses Are About to be Locked in

So I went on a short holiday, it was great, except for the part where I got severe food poisoning and had to be hospitalized, i'm better now, but do not recommend, anyway, in the meantime the team was working full steam ahead.

IMPORTANT FOR USA / AUSTRALIA CUSTOMERS

A bit of what I was dealing with for the past month: some of the shipments got flagged for extra inspections, others I just didn't have any news on, except for "The order is being processed" without much in the ways of knowing how fast that was progressing or "We are sorry to let you know that the X shipment was flagged for a U.S Customs exam."

Some of them did make it through and are headed for the warehouses as you read this, for this reason, we are locking in all the addresses now.

Normally you should have received the mail to lock everything a couple of days back, and I should have written an update, but seeing as I was emptying my guts out at the hospital, I didn't write, so now that I'm better here is the update, seeing as most of the cargo is still being transported, and hasn't reached the warehouses, 

if you want to change your delivery address, write to us on [email protected]

I notified support, for the next 50h, you can change your address, after that it'll be through the shipping companies.

The customer support team will manually update the address you wish Steinhardts to be delivered at.

REST OF THE WORLD

For the rest of the world, as I mentioned in my previous update, customs take longer there, so it's still being processed, I'll write a separate update when it comes time for those deliveries.

TRACKING NUMBERS

When the shipments reach the warehouses, and are triaged, you'll receive the tracking numbers, I'll write an update about those soon.

I'm a corpse, so I'm going back to sleep now, but I'll check the comments of this post in the morning, so if you have any questions leave them there.

Take Care!

Shipping Updates: The Hunt is Drawing Closer
over 1 year ago – Sun, Dec 08, 2024 at 10:33:24 AM

Hello good hunter,

As I mentioned in my last post, here is an update on the shipping of Steinhardt’s Guide to the Eldritch Hunt. While the journey of our books across the seas faced a few challenges, the end is in sight, and soon you will have your guide in hand to prepare for the horrors awaiting just beyond the veil. Let’s break it down.

I also received the final art for the Mortis Engineer Artificer

US Orders

The ship carrying the books destined for the United States is expected to arrive at customs next week. Our paperwork is ready, and as soon as the shipment clears customs, the books will head to the fulfillment centers, and then to you. 

From there, tracking numbers will be sent out to you so you can track your package’s journey.

Now, customs can be a tricky beast—it sometimes moves at its own pace. While we’re hopeful for a smooth process, delays can happen. We’re keeping a close eye on everything and will do everything we can on our end to make it quick, but we can’t vouch for the customs themselves.
 

Europe/UK Orders

My fellows in Europe and the UK, your books are aboard shipment that was delayed.

Unfortunately, with the holiday season upon us, government offices handling the necessary paperwork are moving slower than usual, which adds to the delay.

We currently expect these orders to be delivered in Q1 of next year.
 

Canada and the Strike

For our brave Canadian hunters, the ongoing strike has added a layer of uncertainty. At this moment, we’re awaiting updates from the fulfillment centers to assess any potential impact. As soon as they have the books in hand, we’ll provide more clarity on your delivery timelines. With some luck the strikes will be resolved by then.
 

AUS/NZ Orders

Hunters in Australia and New Zealand, the ship carrying your books is expected to reach port around December 30th. Add a week or two for the fulfillment centers to process the cargo and dispatch your orders. 

A Personal Note

As some of you may know, I live in Romania, where the current situation has been… tense. The ongoing war at our border, and our current political madness have added uncertainty into my life. While this doesn’t directly affect the shipping process, it has affected the efficiency of my work lately, and for that I do apologise.

Stay strong, hunter. The wait is almost over.

Take care,
Evan | MonkeyDM

Steinhardt's Raises the Dead: Mortis Engineer Subclass for Artificer & Other Eldritch Updates
over 1 year ago – Sun, Dec 01, 2024 at 03:19:53 PM

Hello good hunter,

A shorter update today, but packed with exciting news!

1. FoundryVTT + Steinhardt’s Integration

The latest update to the FoundryVTT module for Steinhardt’s Guide to the Eldritch Hunt makes it (in my opinion) the best VTT to run your eldritch adventures on!

Right now, FoundryVTT is having a big sale until December 3rd. If you’ve been considering it, now’s the perfect time to grab the software.


To match their sale, I’m offering 20% off the FoundryVTT module of Steinhardt’s Guide! Use the code “HOLIDAY_2024” to ensure your holiday season is filled with unforgettable eldritch nightmares.

  • Sale ends December 3rd, Noon EST.

2. Artificer - Mortis Engineer

I promised to do an artificer subclass that would fit within Steinhardt’s Guide to the Eldritch Hunt.

It took a bit of time to nail the concept, but here it is, for free, as promised!

The art for the subclass is a WIP, but will be completed soon
  • Reanimate corpses, command undead minions, and wield devastating lightning.
  • A complementary Corpse Bag is offered on the house to carry your undead army.

The monster you see in this 2nd page is one of their signature abominations—a horrific fusion of metal and reanimated flesh that you'll encounter in the Heresy of Steel adventure, where it's been further corrupted by Malach's influence.

Find the PDF for the subclass for free here

3. Shipping Update 

Next week, I’ll receive the arrival dates for all regions, as well as expected dates for the warehouses. Expect another update in 7 days.

That’s it for now!

Take care,
Evan | MonkeyDM

P.S. Thank you for the overwhelming support on Heresy of Steel, I didn’t think it would do that well! I’ll be updating it within 2 weeks with a lot of side missions, and part 5 of the adventure.

Steinhardt's Update - Post Sickness
over 1 year ago – Wed, Nov 06, 2024 at 08:26:38 AM

Steinhardt’s Update

Hello good hunter,

I apologize for the delay on this update I was quite sick last week and could barely work. I’m back and better now, though my head still feels a bit fuzzy.

Enough about me, let’s talk about your books.

One of the NPCs you'll have the pleasure of encountering in Heresy of Steel, and an accurate depiction of how my week went.

SHIPPING UPDATE

Our ships are on the move, but we've had to navigate some challenges to ensure your books arrive safely. 

Given recent events in the Red Sea—where one of our friend's ships nearly had an unfortunate encounter with a rocket—we've rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope. 

While this adds distance to our journey, we're not taking any chances with your books.

This hasn't been our only hurdle. 

The recent dock workers' strike in the US briefly threatened to impact our timeline. Fortunately, that situation has largely resolved. 

Mother Nature hasn't been particularly cooperative either, with our ships facing some rough weather that's forced them to slow down at times.

Despite these challenges, we're still aiming to maintain our previous 8-week timeline (meaning about 4 weeks to go). 

Here's how things are looking by region:

NORTH AMERICA DELIVERIES

  • Likely to receive copies first
  • Simpler distribution system
  • Initial strike concerns have been resolved
  • Ships should make port in about 4 weeks

EUROPEAN DELIVERIES

  • Additional administrative requirements will add some time
  • More complex customs processes
  • May take 1-2 weeks longer than US deliveries

OTHER REGIONS

  • Timeline varies based on local import processes
  • We'll provide specific updates as ships approach their destinations

We're monitoring the situation closely and will keep you updated if anything changes. While we've faced some unexpected challenges, we're doing everything possible to get your books to you safely and efficiently.

FOUNDRY VTT

The latest Foundry update has temporarily broken compatibility with Steinhardt's. 

The good news is that the same team who handled our conversion has been working hard on the fix, though they're understandably swamped with the update. 
(The conversion team also works for Foundry and are the ones behind the DnD update)

They’re targeting December 12-13th for the fully compatible version release, as we're waiting for the DnD 5.1 system update. 

And here's something exciting—this will be our most impressive VTT implementation yet! 

In fact, they're adopting our firearm mechanics as the foundation for firearms in 5.5e, which means our system will have incredible compatibility going forward.

For those curious about what's coming, here are some previews of Trick Weapons v2 and our new Barrel weapons system with their associated properties. 

BUYING STEINHARDT'S GUIDE - CURRENT OPTIONS

Due to strong demand, we've made all our digital content available on our official website here: https://monkeydm.shop/collections/steinhardts-guide-to-the-eldritch-hunt-all

This means you can find the following:

  • Steinhardt's Guide to the Eldritch Hunt PDF
  • Digital Asset Bundle
  • VTT versions (Foundry, Roll20, Fantasy Grounds)
  • GM Cheatbook
  • Art Book
  • Heresy of Steel

     

Even without announcing the website, we've seen significant interest—thanks for your enthusiasm!

PHYSICAL COPIES

We're currently focused on getting books to our Kickstarter backers. While we do have additional stock, we're holding it back until all backer orders reach the fulfillment houses. 

This ensures we can handle any replacements or issues that might arise. 

Our backers took a chance on us early, so they get priority.

If you want to know when physical books become available? Leave your email here. 

We'll notify you as soon as we reopen sales.

     Important Note:  Some items were Kickstarter exclusives and will remain that way—these won't be available for future purchase.

Thanks for your patience and support while we take care of our backers. We'll let you know as soon as we're ready to open physical sales to everyone.

HERESY OF STEEL

The latest chapters of our dark journey through Luyarnha have been released! 

you can click here to get access to it

All Kickstarter backers can find the adventure Part 1 through Part 3 in their BackerKit for free, as a gift for supporting this campaign. 

Part 4 and beyond is available on our websiteat a discounted price for the next week.

For those following along, you'll find your party delving deeper into Malach's conspiracies, leading up to a masked dinner that spirals into nightmare. Part 4 is our darkest & deadliest chapter yet.

This is not a child, but a manikin wearing a skin suit. Yes, this adventure gets dark...

Part 5 is already complete and just waiting on some finishing artwork. We're hard at work on Part 6, and depending on how well the adventure performs, we might push it even further. 

It contains some fun new items and monsters too

While making a huge profit isn't our goal, sales will directly impact how much we can expand—we need to make sure we can properly compensate the talented artists and writers bringing these horrors to life.

So if you like the adventure and want to see more of it, tell your friends about it, or get it for yourself here, and please leave us a review, it helps a lot! 

(The adventure's price will increase as new content is added, but early supporters lock in the launch price.)

STEINHARDT'S 2?

You might have heard whispers about a sequel. 

To be clear: there is no Steinhardt's 2 in development. 

My focus remains firmly on delivering this project properly. While I've learned valuable lessons and built strong industry connections that would make future projects smoother, I won't start anything new until the majority of Steinhardt's is in your hands.

MORE FREE CONTENT INCOMING

We're currently working on the Trick Weapon Workshop, which should be ready in about 2-3 weeks, allowing you to craft your own arsenal of destruction.

A week after that, we'll release a new artificer subclass, for free. I have some fun concepts, and I want to share it with you.

What could this man be planning?

5.5E CONVERSION

Yes, we will update Steinhardt's for 5.5e. 

However, I'm still weighing whether to charge for the conversion. It's a substantial undertaking:

  • Power level readjustments
  • New Weapon Masteries for our arsenal
  • Jaeger Class modifications
  • Copywriting and editing

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this before making a final decision. I'll share my definitive stance on this particular issue in the next update.

Take Care!
Evan | MonkeyDM


 


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