In the river town of Sawtooth, every solstice brings dread as the "Wormfather" demands a youth be sent into his mountain vault as tribute. The town elders comply, knowing the alternative is the release of the Murderworm upon their homes. When Elira, daughter of a respected farmer, is chosen by "random" lot, her father secretly begs the PCs to rescue her before she meets whatever fate awaits in the darkness. What begins as neighbors helping neighbors quickly spirals into something far more sinister.
The journey takes the PCs from their homes in Sawtooth through treacherous wilderness to the mountain vault where the Wormfather conducts his twisted rituals. Inside a terrible revelation awaits them and the PCs must make an impossible choice: destroy the Wormfather and risk unleashing something that could destroy their village, or become complicit in a cycle of sacrifice that preserves a terrible status quo.
Vault of the Murderworm is a 0-level funnel adventure for Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) RPG.
All Early Bird Backers (FIRST 48 HOURS) get a Murderworm D20 added to their rewards. The dice are being made rught now, so I don't have pics of the actual dice yet, but here is the symbol that will replace the '20' on die.
There are a total of THREE covers available. The Billy Blueillustrated cover is the official cover, for both standard and deluxe formats. The Waclaw Traierpainted cover is the alternate cover, for both standard and deluxe formats.
The Billy Blueillustrated cover (without the Heroic Adventure! trade dress) is our BackerKit Exclusive cover and will only be available on BackerKit. This cover is available for both standard and deluxe formats if we hit the stretch goal!
No matter which cover(s) you decide on, whether it's one or all three, you'll be able to choose in the BackerKit Pledge Manager.
We have four pledge levels, which you can see below. If these don't line up with what you are looking for, be sure to check our add-ons page to round out your order.
Digital Package $10 - You're a Digital Warrior who doesn't want to be weighed down with physical books and materials? This is the pledge for you. Includes standard and alternate covers, printable maps, pre-gen characters, and any applicable stretch goals.
Physical+Digital (Standard Package) $25 - You like having a book in your hands or open before you, rock on. We're here for it and you still get all the digital stuff too. You will be able to choose which cover(s) you want during checkout. Includes any applicable stretch goals.
Physical+Digital (Deluxe Package) $100 - Do you like your books... fancy? Get a load of this sweet deal! This gorgeous hardback includes enlarged text, more art, bigger maps, and zoomed in map fragments per encounter. The deluxe package also includes everything from the Digital and Standard Packages, plus poster maps, and any applicable stretch goals. You will be able to choose which cover(s) you want during checkout.
Mighty Merchant (Retailer Package) $250 - Pick and choose from everything we have to offer at a retailer discount. Selections will be made in the Pledge Manager.
Be sure to check out our stretch goal dungeon! As we hit our funding goals, we'll unlock new stuff to add to the campaign!
Be sure to keep an eye out for Secret Doors that may pop up with surprise stretch goals!! ACHIEVED! $2100 - Funding Goal Met. Hugs and high-fives all around! If we meet the funding goal on Day One then we have a little thank you treat for all of our Day One backers.
UNLOCKED $3000 - Scenic Sawtooth. Bob Brinkman will create additional Sawtooth content (with a map) to be included in the Vault of the Murderworm book. Brett Hess will illustrate the map in his signature style, which will be in the book and also included in the digital map files and the Poster Map Pack add-on.
UNLOCKED $3500 - Purple Power! We add a set of extra cool Purple Dice to the Deluxe Package (and matching add-on).
UNLOCKED $3750 - Secret Door! The Elf found a hidden chamber. Bob will write up a new item for the Slitherbane dice set.
UNLOCKED $4000 - More Art from Carlos! If we hit this stretch goal, I'll ask Carlos to do SIX more illustrations.
UNLOCKED $4500 - Stat Block Art! One of the great things about DCC is the tendency to invent new monsters for every adventure. That way you're always going to see something new and interesting. If we hit this stretch goal we'll include art with every stat block.
UNLOCKED $5000 ExclusiveVariant Cover. If we hit this goal, we'll unlock the Backer Exclusive "clean" cover shown in the header graphic above. No trade dress, no logos, just art.
UNLOCKED $6000 Super Secret Final Encounter. We've got plans. More to be revealed as we get closer.
Congratulations!! Not only did you survive the Stretch Goal Dungeon, you totally unlocked a ton of great goodies.
Scenic Sawtooth! - More content from Bob Brinkman and an extra map in the Map Pack. Purple Power! - A new purple dice set (Slitherbane) with a custom magic item insert from Bob Brinkman. More Art! - An addition 6 pieces of art from Carlos Castilho. Stat Block Art! - Every stat block gets an illustration by Carlos Castilho. Exclusive Variant Cover! - The BackerKit exclusive Art-Only cover (no logos or trade dress). The Wormfather's Apprentice! - A new adventure that takes place after Vault of the Murderworm.
Tell me more...
Heroic Adventure! #2.1: THE WORMFATHER'S APPRENTICE
The Murderworm's threat may have passed, but something still festers in Sawtooth. When villagers begin disappearing, returning with bizarre behavior and bearing strange markings upon their skin, whispers spread of the Wormfather's final curse. As paranoia grips the town and neighbors suspect neighbors, the heroes must root out cultists hiding in plain sight, discover their underground temple beneath Sawtooth's sawblade river, and confront the apprentice before their summoning reaches completion on the coming solstice.
The newly-minted heroes of Sawtooth discover a splinter cult operating in the shadows, led by a mysterious figure who claims to be the Wormfather's apprentice.
In addition to the Pledge Levels and Stretch Goals, we have a number of add-ons available. You will be able to add them with your pledge during the campaign or in the pledge manager once it opens.
T-Shirts (multiple designs), Official DCC Dice (yes all 14) in a variety of styles, a Map Pack with poster-sized versions of all the maps needed for the adventure.
Sizes and Colors will be selected in the Pledge Manager!
Recently Unlocked!! The Wormfather's Apprentice is now available as an add-on for this campaign. Set after the events in Vault of the Murderworm.
Cover art still in progress - Not Final Art
We also have our previous releases, including Heroic Adventure! #1 - Evil Never Dies, all back issues of our system-neutral Explore Dungeons Zine(s), our 5e compatible zine: Tales from the Tower, our beefy Mörk Borg zine: sMörkåsBorg, and KINLESS (our Mörk Borg compatible solo Viking survival RPG).
NOTE:Physical Book / Map add-ons also include Digital versions.
If you like DICE (and who doesn't?) we have plenty to choose from!
Shipping will be calculated and collected after the campaign through the Pledge Manager.
As for when* it will ship, I am projecting for August 2025.
The manuscript should be completeby June 1, barring any stretch goal content.
Art should be complete by mid June.
Cartography should be complete by late June.
Editing and review process is projected to begin in June. Should take 1-2 weeks.
Layout follows editing. process and can take up to a month, so mid-July.
Post-Layout review takes about a week.
Files should hit printer by late July. Printing and shipping can take 3-4 weeks. Digital fulfillment happens when files go to the printer.
Fulfillment begins upon receipt of books from printer.
We expect everything to be complete on our end by late July.
Turnaround time on printing could be as little as 2 weeks or as long as 5 weeks. (We won't know until we submit the files to them.) Fulfillment will begin immediately after receiving the printed books and maps.
We feel reasonably confident that we could start fulfillment by Early September.
*as things/schedules change or new information becomes available, this page will be updated accordingly.
Vault of the Murderworm is designed by Bob Brinkman (Evil Never Dies, Crypt of the Devil Lich, DCCDying Earth #7 - Magnificent Machinations at the Grand Exposition of Marvels) and Chris Williams. Featuring covers by Billy Blue and Waclaw Traier, interior art by Carlos Castilho and cartography by Brett Hess. Published by Explore Dungeons.
What risks, if any, are associated with this project?
As with any crowdfunded project, the following risks apply:
Supply Chain Issues caused by things out of human control can affect turnaround times on printing and shipping, and fulfillment costs. We will try to mitigate this by waiting to collect shipping charges so we can provide the most accurate quote. None of these should stop us from delivering, but they can cause delays.
Tariffs are taking front and center in the world these days. Some countries are taking retaliatory measures, up to and including stopping all postal shipments to or from the US. Historically, we've managed to do everything stateside for the manufacturing phase, but you need to be aware of any applicable tariffs or postal limitations in your own country.
The writing is well underway, the first interior art order has been placed, and maps will begin soon. If we hit additional content stretch goals, this can introduce delays and those will be communicated to the backers.
