Here's a rundown of everything that's happened on Druskara since the campaign ended. We've been posting weekly progress over on our Discord, but about half of you aren't there yet, so consider this the digest version.
The Numbers
Since the campaign wrapped, we've completed over 160 pages of final content. We've been averaging somewhere over 2.6 pages a day, including weekends, over the two months we've been keeping track. That's higher than the 2 per day we had set for ourselves!
CROCODILIAN UNDERCROFT
What's been built
We've integrated some of the oldest material in Druskara's history alongside brand new content. The Blood Forest and the Aging Temple were written almost four years ago, and revisiting them with everything we now know about the setting let us layer in details that hadn't been conceived back then.
We have finalized one of the most important locations in Druskara: the Lost City of Chromatica. We've also finished the Crystal Moon Temple, the Land Temple, the Black Coil smugglers' camp, the Sand Sea, Five Arches, the Crocodilian Undercroft, the Chelonian Mine, and the Crystal Ice Temple.
The Ice Temple had mostly melted (since the Crystal Ice had been taken from it) and was completely undefined in any of my playtest campaigns. After a great brainstorming session with Casey Christofferson of Parallel Dimension Gaming (a friend we met at North Texas RPG Con), we landed on a concept we love: mold. Lots of different, very deadly kinds of mold!
And most recently, we finished Brass Oak, which has always been one of my favorite cities in all of Druskara. A mile-wide tree housing a society of clockwork elves and their automatons. Jealous? You can become one of them by having your head removed and grafted onto a construct! Don't worry... it's painless!
For You
The Late Pledges/Pre-order store is live and the surveys are out and being processed through BackerKit! If you haven't filled out your survey, now's the time!
Art Update
New pieces have been arriving steadily:
RIME TYPHON
BOARFROST
ESCAPE FROM CLIFFSIDE
BOARFROST MAP
SKELETAL SPHINX and MAROUQ the DESERT WIZARD
SKULL TEMPLE ENTRANCE
We're amazingly proud of our incredible roster of artists. They keep blowing us away with each piece they create!
Want more frequent updates?
If you'd like to follow along week-to-week instead of waiting for these larger digests, come join us on the Dungeon Damsel Discord. You'll see more artwork posted there, and we often run playtests. We will also do polls, discussions about Druskara, live plays, and Play-by-Posts. So get over here and enjoy the fun!
If you've got a group willing to run a session through part of Druskara, we'd love to have you. Playtesters who give us feedback we implement get added to the credits, and it's invaluable for us to see how the material plays at other tables. Reach out to us on Discord or Facebook and we'll get you set up!
Thanks for your patience and support. We're making great progress, and we're excited about how it's coming together!
Many of you have chosen Pay Over Time (POT) and I wanted to address the main question being asked... "When will I get my survey?" So we've chosen to do an update to help answer a lot of your POT inquiries and a few other things!
When will I receive my survey?
If you're using Pay Over Time, your survey won't arrive until your pledge has been paid in full. Once your final installment successfully processes, BackerKit will send your survey by email, usually within 72 hours.
Will Pay Over Time affect my rewards?
Not at all! Your rewards are reserved just like any other backer. The only difference is that we can't ship anything until your pledge has been fully paid.
What about survey deadlines posted in updates?
Those deadlines are primarily aimed at backers who have already completed payment. If you're still making installment payments, don't panic—you won't be expected to complete your survey until your pledge is fully paid.
Can I change my installment amount or payment date?
Unfortunately, no. The payment amounts and scheduled charge dates are set by BackerKit and can't be adjusted. Payments can't be paused, delayed, split, or paid ahead individually.
Can I pay off my balance early?
Absolutely! If you'd like to finish your payments early, head to your pledge page and select "Charge Remaining Balance." Once processed, you'll be fully paid and may receive access to your survey sooner.
What happens if a payment fails?
No need to sound the alarm. Your pledge isn't lost, and you don't need to do anything right away. BackerKit will automatically attempt the payment again in 7 days.
What if multiple payments fail?
If a payment continues to fail after the retry, the missed amount gets rolled into your next scheduled payment. If multiple payments are missed, those amounts can stack together on the next charge attempt.
BackerKit provides several opportunities to resolve payment issues before a plan is canceled. However, if all retries ultimately fail, your Pay Over Time plan will be forfeited. At that point, the remaining balance becomes due in full and the installment plan cannot be reinstated.
How do I update my card or fix a failed payment?
Simply update your payment method through BackerKit. Once updated, the system will immediately attempt the charge again. If you don't make any changes, BackerKit will automatically retry the payment after 7 days.
I accidentally paid my entire balance!
Backerkit has seen this happen!
When a payment issue occurs, BackerKit may offer a "Charge Remaining Balance" option. If selected, you'll receive a confirmation message warning that the action cannot be undone.
Once confirmed, your entire remaining balance is charged and your Pay Over Time plan ends. Unfortunately, neither we nor BackerKit can restore the installment plan afterward.
If you didn't click that button, don't worry—the system normally only retries the amount currently due.
Need additional help?
For Pay Over Time questions, billing issues, or account assistance, BackerKit Support is usually your fastest route to a solution.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Dungeon Damsel support email?
support(at)dungeondamsel.com
When will cards be charged for pre-order store purchases and survey add-ons?
We're currently planning to charge cards between June 9th and June 16th.
Prepare thyselves. The merchants of Druskara will soon come calling for their coin. This does not mean your order locks, it just means any additional adjustments, or pre-orders will be charged automatically within 24hrs of purchase.
Titanbound partner collaboration freebie info
Backers who supported both the Druskara and Titanbound campaigns during their live runs will receive the Titanbound exclusive luck token as a free gift. This was a perk tied specifically to the live campaign period, and we want to honor that commitment to those who backed us while we were live. The item will be added automatically to the inventory of those eligible backers. We are ONLY responsible for the coin, while Titanbound is obligated to fulfill their cross-collab freebie zine. For those joining through the pre-order store, we genuinely appreciate your support, but this particular freebie was reserved for live campaign backers and is no longer included automatically. The luck token is still available to add to your order through the add-ons page, so you still have a way to get your hands on one (or 4)!
Can this be played in Solodark mode?
Yes! Solodark mode is coming to Druskara! This was a stretch goal we hit thanks to the incredible support from our community, and we are so excited to make it happen. We’ll be doing our best to adapt Druskara for solo play! This one’s for all the darklings and peoples of the realm who asked for it!
There are some Project FAQs listed in your survey for easy reference. For Backerkit specific questions, please reach out to Backerkit support. If you have questions without answers pertaining to this project or Druskara as a whole, please don't hesitate to ask below in this thread, or reach out to us personally.
Hopefully this helps some of you! And if not and you've dropped the torch... don't worry, the Dungeon Damsel team will do their best to fumble in the dark and re-ignite the flames. No party member left behind! Unless there's stingbats...
All surveys have been unleashed into the wild! Check your spam, your promotions, search Druskara... or GO HERE if the dungeon swallowed it whole, or you'd rather not explore the vile depths of the mailing sytem.
WOOT! Get it done adventurers! Reminder: Pre-order store is open to those who missed the initial campaign! This is your last chance to save on the bundles! Some items will NOT be sold after fulfillment, so get them while they're available. Find the Pre-order store HERE!
Please... if you have pledged, DO NOT pre-order! If you know you pledged and are having a hard time getting your survey, or are unsure if you did in fact pledge, please contact us or Backerkit support, and we'll do our best to find you in the system!
Dungeon Damsel Support: support(at)dungeondamsel.com Replace at with @
Also, we'll be venturing into the realm of North Texas RPG Con next week... come find us if you dare!
You lucky few get to lock in early, while others must wait 12 – 72 hours depending on how quickly the tests get completed. We need to ensure everything is going smoothly! Want to Upgrade?
1. If you're interested in upgrading your tier, click "Switch Pledge Level" under the big green "GET STARTED" button. It's small and easy to miss... but it's there! This is the easiest way to snag more gear for less.
2. You'll also be prompted to upgrade via the pledge questions if you'd rather go that route.
3. Below is also another route to switch! Not as simple... but still works!
Steps to upgrade your pledge throughout the survey
Enjoy browsing the add-ons in the survey as well! There's a new T-shirt available featuring the most wicked lich in Druskara... death metal art worthy of any dungeon crawler and Shadowdark delver. Art and design by Mark Riddick, heavy metal master of epicness. And don't forget the dice tray, also courtesy of Mark! The more you grab, the more we get to commission him for insanely awesome art.
Unisex Druskara t-shirt
Druskara dice tray
Add-ons will be charged at a future date, so let future you worry about the consequences, and let present you enjoy the treasure!
Shipping: Shipping will be calculated closer to fulfillment and charged later, so you won't be seeing any shipping fees currently.
Reminder: Pre-order store is open and ready for those who missed the campaign!
WANT MORE UPDATES & SNEAK PEAKS?
We don't want to overburden your emails, so for potentially multiple daily, or near-daily updates that showcase incoming art, classes, cities, production and more, join our DISCORD!<--- Click that or... click below... I think that's it? Beep boop, do the things!
Missed the campaign? No worries! You can now jump in and claim your books, luck-tokens, add-ons, and more.
Already pledged during the campaign? Please WAIT for the survey.
The survey will be arriving very soon, and we’re currently making sure everything is properly set up so everyone receives the correct rewards and add-ons.
Please do NOT place a pre-order if you already backed the campaign.
Doing so will create a duplicate order, charge you shipping twice (when that day comes), and create a major merging headache for both the BackerKit team and us behind the scenes.
If you already pledged, you’re all set! Just hang tight for the survey.
Not sure if you already backed Druskara?
If you think you may have already pledged during the campaign, here are a few quick ways to check:
Search your email for Druskara or BackerKit. You should have received a confirmation email thanking you for supporting the project.
On BackerKit, click your profile icon in the top-right corner and check your Pledges.
If you visit the pre-order store while signed into the correct email, it should tell you that you’re already a backer.
If it says you’re already a backer, you’re good to go! Sit back, relax, and keep an eye out for the survey in the next week.
And if you’re still completely unsure but are certain you supported us, feel free to contact BackerKit Support or reach out to us through the Dungeon Damsel website. We’ll do our best to help get everything sorted out!
Thank you all again for the unbelievable support, excitement, and patience throughout this entire campaign.
We’re incredibly jazzed for what comes next! Bunni & Xane Dungeon Damsel Publishing
Umbral Caldera Revealed + A Proper Thank You + Pre-orders & More!
Druskara is officially FUNDED… and then some.
You and 1,290 other absolute legends showed up and pushed this project all the way to $281K. That’s… epic and unreal, right?
It’s been about a week since funding closed, and we just want to take a moment to say it properly... thank you. This big ol' project exists because of you!
And now we finally get to start showing you more of what’s coming. The Umbral Caldera cover art reveal...
Cover art by Mark Riddick.
The Umbral Caldera is exactly what it looks like... suffocating, dark, dangerous and crawling with all manner of creatures. Mark absolutely nailed the tone here, and we cannot wait for you to hold this pretty little zine in your hands.
Surveys & Pre-orders:
We’re currently in the process of getting everything lined up on the backend. Surveys are slotted to hopefully go out in about a week, once funds have fully settled.
Alongside that, preorders will open soon for those who missed the campaign or want to grab more. It's possible pre-orders will be opening sooner as we are discussing with Backerkit to implement and beta test a new literal late pledge feature. We’ll keep you posted every step of the way.
That's it for the Dungeon Damsel side of things! And some of you might be thinking... "what about the metallic dice set?" And for that, we are considering our options... more on it later.
Now onto...
We also want to point you toward something pretty cool from Elderbrain that’s currently in prelaunch:
Spawns of the Mindrender is a massive 600-page dark fantasy adventure and campaign setting for levels 11–15, built for both 2014 and 2024 5e. It leans hard into survival, exploration, and large-scale conflict in a brutal mountain realm, with a branching narrative that evolves as players dig deeper.
I know we’re all Shadowdark gremlins here. This is a different system, but the dark fantasy energy is very much there. If you’ve got even the slightest itch for a bigger, crunchier, high-level experience… this thing looks seriously cool and absolutely worth a peek.
They’re also doing something fun with their follower rewards. Before launch, followers help build a custom encounter location through community voting. As more people join, more pieces unlock... dungeon, NPC, magic item, boss, even a subclass. The final version gets revealed at launch.
Followers will also receive: • A PDF encounter location built from those votes • Extra printed character sheets that evolve as milestones are hit (for physical backers)
It's a really big project, and they helped share our little one! So let's share the love and show them some support in turn!
If that sounds like your kind of thing, it’s worth following now while those rewards are still active.
Many of you have chosen Pay Over Time (POT) and I wanted to address the main question being asked... "When will I get my survey?" So we've chosen to do an update to help answer a lot of your POT inquiries and a few other things!
When will I receive my survey?
If you're using Pay Over Time, your survey won't arrive until your pledge has been paid in full. Once your final installment successfully processes, BackerKit will send your survey by email, usually within 72 hours.
Will Pay Over Time affect my rewards?
Not at all! Your rewards are reserved just like any other backer. The only difference is that we can't ship anything until your pledge has been fully paid.
What about survey deadlines posted in updates?
Those deadlines are primarily aimed at backers who have already completed payment. If you're still making installment payments, don't panic—you won't be expected to complete your survey until your pledge is fully paid.
Can I change my installment amount or payment date?
Unfortunately, no. The payment amounts and scheduled charge dates are set by BackerKit and can't be adjusted. Payments can't be paused, delayed, split, or paid ahead individually.
Can I pay off my balance early?
Absolutely! If you'd like to finish your payments early, head to your pledge page and select "Charge Remaining Balance." Once processed, you'll be fully paid and may receive access to your survey sooner.
What happens if a payment fails?
No need to sound the alarm. Your pledge isn't lost, and you don't need to do anything right away. BackerKit will automatically attempt the payment again in 7 days.
What if multiple payments fail?
If a payment continues to fail after the retry, the missed amount gets rolled into your next scheduled payment. If multiple payments are missed, those amounts can stack together on the next charge attempt.
BackerKit provides several opportunities to resolve payment issues before a plan is canceled. However, if all retries ultimately fail, your Pay Over Time plan will be forfeited. At that point, the remaining balance becomes due in full and the installment plan cannot be reinstated.
How do I update my card or fix a failed payment?
Simply update your payment method through BackerKit. Once updated, the system will immediately attempt the charge again. If you don't make any changes, BackerKit will automatically retry the payment after 7 days.
I accidentally paid my entire balance!
Backerkit has seen this happen!
When a payment issue occurs, BackerKit may offer a "Charge Remaining Balance" option. If selected, you'll receive a confirmation message warning that the action cannot be undone.
Once confirmed, your entire remaining balance is charged and your Pay Over Time plan ends. Unfortunately, neither we nor BackerKit can restore the installment plan afterward.
If you didn't click that button, don't worry—the system normally only retries the amount currently due.
Need additional help?
For Pay Over Time questions, billing issues, or account assistance, BackerKit Support is usually your fastest route to a solution.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Dungeon Damsel support email?
support(at)dungeondamsel.com
When will cards be charged for pre-order store purchases and survey add-ons?
We're currently planning to charge cards between June 9th and June 16th.
Prepare thyselves. The merchants of Druskara will soon come calling for their coin. This does not mean your order locks, it just means any additional adjustments, or pre-orders will be charged automatically within 24hrs of purchase.
Titanbound partner collaboration freebie info
Backers who supported both the Druskara and Titanbound campaigns during their live runs will receive the Titanbound exclusive luck token as a free gift. This was a perk tied specifically to the live campaign period, and we want to honor that commitment to those who backed us while we were live. The item will be added automatically to the inventory of those eligible backers. We are ONLY responsible for the coin, while Titanbound is obligated to fulfill their cross-collab freebie zine. For those joining through the pre-order store, we genuinely appreciate your support, but this particular freebie was reserved for live campaign backers and is no longer included automatically. The luck token is still available to add to your order through the add-ons page, so you still have a way to get your hands on one (or 4)!
Can this be played in Solodark mode?
Yes! Solodark mode is coming to Druskara! This was a stretch goal we hit thanks to the incredible support from our community, and we are so excited to make it happen. We’ll be doing our best to adapt Druskara for solo play! This one’s for all the darklings and peoples of the realm who asked for it!
There are some Project FAQs listed in your survey for easy reference. For Backerkit specific questions, please reach out to Backerkit support. If you have questions without answers pertaining to this project or Druskara as a whole, please don't hesitate to ask below in this thread, or reach out to us personally.
Hopefully this helps some of you! And if not and you've dropped the torch... don't worry, the Dungeon Damsel team will do their best to fumble in the dark and re-ignite the flames. No party member left behind! Unless there's stingbats...
Since we just smashed through the $135K stretch goal (thank you!!), we wanted to start a discussion here instead of sending another update and flooding everyone’s inbox.
For this stretch goal, the community will get to vote on a new Class and Ancestry to be added to Druskara. We have some really cool ideas ourselves, but we want to hear what you have been wanting to see at the table.
Classes:
What do you feel is missing from the classes already released in Unnatural Selection, Shadowdark, or other 3rd-party supplements?
Is there a class fantasy you’ve always wanted to play but haven’t really seen done yet? Something that would make you excited to roll up a character and jump into a campaign?
Ancestries:
Same deal here... what ancestries do you feel are missing from Shadowdark right now?
While we’d prefer not to create a full animal-folk zoo, we do have an idea for how something like that could be implemented if it’s something people really want.
What ancestries would be fun for you to roleplay? What would bring something new to your group’s table?
Drop your ideas in the comments!
When we post our next update, we’ll gather the most interesting suggestions and turn them into a community poll so everyone can vote.
We also have a major stretch goal announcement coming up that’s absolutely killing us to keep under wraps… but you’ll just have to build a little anticipation.
(Also, we’re honestly not sure how many people hang out in the discussion tab… so if you’re here, hello!)
Right now, the book is sold out — but with so many new backers discovering Dungeon Damsel through Druskara, we’re considering bringing it back for another print run. Unnatural Selection is woven into the four books that make the Druskara Core Set. Despite this, you're still hungry for our original creation. Unnatural Selection birthed the roots from which Dungeon Damsel Publishing grew from.
What if we re-print? If we did, the book would be updated to the new format/design internals as Druskara, so that they can exist seamlessly alongside one another. See some of the campaign imagery to find out what that may look like. We would also open up a few new pledge tiers to accommodate the book.
Before we make that decision, we want to hear from you...
Would you like to see a reprint of Unnatural Selection: The Untamed and the Underworld? Vote in the poll below and let us know! Your feedback will help guide what we do next.
Here's a rundown of everything that's happened on Druskara since the campaign ended. We've been posting weekly progress over on our Discord, but about half of you aren't there yet, so consider this the digest version.
The Numbers
Since the campaign wrapped, we've completed over 160 pages of final content. We've been averaging somewhere over 2.6 pages a day, including weekends, over the two months we've been keeping track. That's higher than the 2 per day we had set for ourselves!
CROCODILIAN UNDERCROFT
What's been built
We've integrated some of the oldest material in Druskara's history alongside brand new content. The Blood Forest and the Aging Temple were written almost four years ago, and revisiting them with everything we now know about the setting let us layer in details that hadn't been conceived back then.
We have finalized one of the most important locations in Druskara: the Lost City of Chromatica. We've also finished the Crystal Moon Temple, the Land Temple, the Black Coil smugglers' camp, the Sand Sea, Five Arches, the Crocodilian Undercroft, the Chelonian Mine, and the Crystal Ice Temple.
The Ice Temple had mostly melted (since the Crystal Ice had been taken from it) and was completely undefined in any of my playtest campaigns. After a great brainstorming session with Casey Christofferson of Parallel Dimension Gaming (a friend we met at North Texas RPG Con), we landed on a concept we love: mold. Lots of different, very deadly kinds of mold!
And most recently, we finished Brass Oak, which has always been one of my favorite cities in all of Druskara. A mile-wide tree housing a society of clockwork elves and their automatons. Jealous? You can become one of them by having your head removed and grafted onto a construct! Don't worry... it's painless!
For You
The Late Pledges/Pre-order store is live and the surveys are out and being processed through BackerKit! If you haven't filled out your survey, now's the time!
Art Update
New pieces have been arriving steadily:
RIME TYPHON
BOARFROST
ESCAPE FROM CLIFFSIDE
BOARFROST MAP
SKELETAL SPHINX and MAROUQ the DESERT WIZARD
SKULL TEMPLE ENTRANCE
We're amazingly proud of our incredible roster of artists. They keep blowing us away with each piece they create!
Want more frequent updates?
If you'd like to follow along week-to-week instead of waiting for these larger digests, come join us on the Dungeon Damsel Discord. You'll see more artwork posted there, and we often run playtests. We will also do polls, discussions about Druskara, live plays, and Play-by-Posts. So get over here and enjoy the fun!
If you've got a group willing to run a session through part of Druskara, we'd love to have you. Playtesters who give us feedback we implement get added to the credits, and it's invaluable for us to see how the material plays at other tables. Reach out to us on Discord or Facebook and we'll get you set up!
Thanks for your patience and support. We're making great progress, and we're excited about how it's coming together!
