Serenissima Obscura is a setting guide & modular adventure for Venice in the Magical Renaissance. Face conspiracies, mystical convergences and a realm of unspeakable terrors! Play with 5e, Ars Magica or your favorite system!
Serenissima Obscura – A 400-Page Descent into Renaissance Horror and Hidden Conspiracy
Half setting guide, half modular adventure, Serenissima Obscura plunges you into a fantastical reimagining of Venice in the year 1507, where gilded palaces mask decaying truths, and ancient forces stir beneath the lagoon.
▶︎ A setting guide like no other:
Explore the most enigmatic city in the world at the dawn of the Magical Renaissance, an age when magic and non-human beings no longer hide in the shadows, but reveal themselves to the world, shattering old certainties and igniting political upheaval across Europe. This isn’t just fantasy – it’s a world on the edge of a new reality.
▶︎ 27 modular adventure arcs steeped in horror and investigation: Each tale is a standalone story of masks, monsters, and mystical dread, but when combined, they form a sprawling campaign of rituals, rebellions, and revelations that shake the foundations of Venice and beyond.
▶︎ Enhance your journey with powerful Add-Ons:
- The Magical Renaissance 5e Player’s Guide – all our new classes, species, including the ones from The Straight Way Lost
- The Ars Magica Guide to Serenissima Obscura – full system support for Hermetic magi and saga-based campaigns
- Street Maps and Battle Maps – large-format, beautifully illustrated maps for navigating and fighting in shadowed Venice
Serenissima Obscura beckons you into a labyrinth of splendor and decay, where enchantment walks hand in hand with dread.
Large parts of the setting guide as well as the adventure modules are system-agnostic, and can be played with any system: The mystical and historical background, the detail information about Venice, its factions and the stories themselves are not tied to any specific ruleset. We provide 250+ shorthand universal stats for you to easily adapt characters and creatures to your preferred game system or use for rules-light play.
D&D 5e compatibility: Serenissima Obscura includes 80 stat blocks for the main NPCs and all monsters, rules, new classes and new species for 5e. Everything is possible in this fantastical version of Venice!
Add-On for 5e
Designed to put the power of the Magical Renaissance directly in your players’ hands, this booklet collects all the character creation options from The Straight Way Lost and Serenissima Obscura in one spoiler-free, player-friendly package.
Inside, you’ll find bold, original content tailored for adventurers navigating a world on the brink of magical revelation and political chaos:
▶︎ classes: the Philosopher, Artist, Merchant and the Gonneslinger, ▶︎ sub-classes: the City-druid and the Courtier, ▶︎ species: the Children of the Lagoon, Nephilim and Half-Dwarves, ... and much more!
Add-On for Ars Magica
As historical fantasy, Serenissima Obscura is a natural fit for the Order of Hermes and with this dedicated supplement, you can bring your saga deep into the heart of the Magical Renaissance.
The Ars Magica Guide to Serenissima Obscura is a 100-page companion volume packed with conversions, lore, and tools to fully integrate the setting into Mythic Europe. Here’s what you’ll find inside:
▶︎ 80 stat blocks for creatures and NPCs (60 foes + 20 allies), along with magical items and artifacts steeped in forgotten lore
▶︎ A fully developed covenant in Murano, complete with its own history, resources, and a timeline of the Order of Hermes reimagined up to the year 1507
▶︎ Story ideas and hooks to seamlessly blend Serenissima Obscura’s mythical elements into your existing Ars Magica campaigns
▶︎ Custom mechanics to translate our Renaissance-inspired character classes into fully playable Ars Magica Companions
The gondolas, the masks, the fading glory of the Serenissima. That is the Brightside – the Venice of sunlight, commerce, and complacency. But there is another city, a Shadow Venice, slipping ever more boldly through the cracks of the familiar. Beneath the palazzos and piazzas, in mirrored canals and forgotten crypts, something ancient stirs. And the city is changing. Older powers, long dormant or imprisoned, now awaken – some recoiling in fear, others hungering for what comes next.
Serenissima Obscura is a setting woven from rich, secret lore – crafted to reward discovery and drive unforgettable campaigns. Everything hidden has meaning. Every shadow has depth. Every mystery offers a choice.
What will you do when the masks come off?
Uncover the fate of the vuoti – once-human vessels of a primal evil, caught between tragedy and terror.
Confront the spirit of the city itself, dwelling in her stone bones and wooden sinews, watching, perhaps judging.
Face the Whisperers – enigmatic agents of the Stupor – who veil the truth in forgetfulness, ensuring that what should not be seen is never remembered.
Parley – or battle – with the children of the canals, born of a monstrous mother beneath the waves.
Explore the city’s dark reflection, a haunting twin where familiar sights twist into nightmares.
And if you dare, seek the source – the ancient force that waits in hidden sanctuaries, ready to rise and remake Venice in its image.
Serenissima Obscura is not just a setting. It is a living labyrinth of mystery, fear, and revelation. Enter if you must – but remember: some things were meant to remain forgotten.
Are you looking for absolute freedom to play, or do you need a little more guidance? Our setting guide and adventure modules allow for a multitude of ways in which your game can unfold.
▶︎ Create your own adventures inspired by the setting guide with tons of NPCs, campaign frames and adventure hooks!
▶︎ We present 27 adventure modules in two worlds that can be used independently or combined into a massive campaign.
▶︎ Depending on the group’s preferences, the focus of the game can either be on investigation in the mundane world or horror in the darkest shadows of the city, or any combination of these aspects. Groups may even choose a dungeon-crawling play-style in a truly terrifying location.
Venice is a city of many dangers. This is why our adventure modules are filled with the most gruesome monsters, fascinating villains and creepy creatures that crawl out of the canals. All of them can be confronted in the course of the campaign or used independently.
All 60+ monsters and villains come equipped with with our own shorthand universal stats, with full stats blocks for 5e and - in the extra booklet – for Ars Magica.
And, in case you are asking yourself: Yes, we have 80 fully stattet individuals, but 20 of them are potentially "friendly", so we don't count them here. 😉
Detailed information about our mystical background of the Magical Renaissance.
Considerations about how the rise of magic and the emergence of non-human species changed the world.
Scores of characters both historical and imagined – all of them equipped with our Shorthand Universal Stats. (Important ones also come with full 5e and Ars Magica stats.)
Numerous factions arisen from the upheavals caused by the emergence of magic.
Detailed information about the social and political structure of Venice in 1507.
Beautiful and detailed street maps and descriptions of the six quarters of Venice.
▶︎ Instead of the classical approach of playing adventurers coming from different walks of life, why not select one of our 10+ setlets?
▶︎ These focused micro-settings and campaign frames are deeply embedded in our mystical or historical background. Maybe your players want to experience the Venetian world as operatives of the powerful Council of Ten, as knowledgable nuns in a convent or as officers commanding a deadly war galley sent on daring missions.
▶︎ All setlets come with story hooks and a set of protagonists which you can either use as NPCs or inspiration for player characters. Even more adventure options!
▶︎ With the rise of magic and newfound insights into the fabric of reality, inventors have turned crude magical effects into weapons based on the arquebus, the horse pistol, the grenade. Enter the Gonneslinger, a roughneck shootist ready to kick in your door and start blasting!
▶︎ The Merchant is one of the early capitalist visionaries who will shape the world in the centuries to come. Wherever they go, they see the potential for development and the flaws of the systems.
▶︎ The Children of the Lagoon are deeply rooted in our setting. The Putèi – as they call themselves – come with the most useful powers for the life in this city on the water!
▶︎ 5e species and classes are adapted to the setting: Discover, among others, the history of the Gnomes, the City Druids, the Miracolisti and a new powerful patron for Warlocks!
▶︎ We offer the The Magical Renaissance Player's Guide for 5e as an Add-On. It contains all character creation options from "Serenissima Obscura" as well as from our first work, "The Straight Way Lost".
▶︎ Serenissima Obscura includes 2 large street-maps of Venice and its shadow version, as well as 6 detail maps for the sestieri. All the city quarters are fleshed out with specific descriptions, additional story hooks, NPCs and locations.
▶︎ The street-maps are in the book, but you can also buy large-scale digital or print versions to be used by your players. These versions are cleaned of "secret" locations so that you don’t give away all the information at a glance!
▶︎ We also offer 4 large scale battle-maps specifically designed for our setting as an add-on. Believe us: they are absolutely worth it!
We have developed an easy-to-use system to set up your headquarters in Venice. This includes a magnificent cutaway illustration of the palazzo as well as floor-plans, descriptions of rooms and facilities to shape your new home. The adventurer’s hub will additionally be expanded when we meet certain stretch goals. Read more about it below!
We also offer a system to advance socially, which is particularly interesting if the characters are no native Venetians. Through their valuable services for the Serenissima, the adventurers can achieve citizenship and gain access to the highest offices. Who knows, one of them might become a senator or a procurator of San Marco!
We intend to ship in April 2026. Please note that the reward prices do not include shipping or country-specific taxes.
Our products will be shipped from the EU. However: For the US-American backers, we plan on shipping in bulk to the US and then distribute via a national fulfillment center.
Shipping costs will be collected in the pledge manager after the campaign. We will charge you for shipping based on the best available rates at the time. If your order contains many physical rewards, your shipping costs might rise.
The prices below are rough estimates, based on the current handling and shipping prices for 1 book of approx. 1.5 kg:
Germany → 10€
EU → 16€
Other European countries (not EU) → 22€
USA → 30-50€ (Depending on the development of tariffs)
Rest of the world * → 40€
Local Pickup available for Saarbrücken, Germany → 5€
We will not be held responsible for delays imputable to reasons beyond our control, such as local customs or postal services. Country-specific taxes can apply upon delivery.
* Due to logistical reasons, we do not deliver to countries where there is war or where there are other difficult conditions. This includes: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Syria, Palestine, as well as many countries in the Middle East or in Africa. It is highly unlikely, that someone living under dire circumstances would want to buy an RPG, but please contact us if we are mistaken. We will check if delivery is possible.
This is not our first crowdfunding project. In 2023, we produced "The Straight Way Lost" and delivered all its components on schedule. Kickstarter backers and buyers via our shop can attest to our fine customer service!
The content of Serenissima Obscura is as good as completed, the artwork is finished and – as you can see – the layout process is already in its initial stages. We still feel the need to tweak a few chapters before sending everything to our editor. Thereafter follow final layout and print. We don't expect any delays on that side.
"The Magical Renaissance 5e Player's Guide" will be completed soon after Serenissima Obscura comes back from the editor. It needs no separate edit and the layout concept is the same as for the main book, so this will be finished in no time.
One Add-On still requires considerable work: The Ars Magica Guide for Serenissima Obscura. We expect to be working on this until the end of the year. This book will surely be the last component to be finished, but we intend to distribute it alongside Serenissima Obscura.
All maps, as well as the add-ons from our previous campaign are completed and waiting to either be distributed via the pledge manager or to be shipped alongside Serenissima Obscura. Ok, the maps still need to be printed, but this is a minor task to be handled alongside the printing of the other components.
Speaking of: For printing and fulfilment, we will be working with the same reliable partners as for our last project and are confident that all components will be shipped on time, because only then will Melina be able to sleep again.
