Stretch Goal Unlocked With 5,000 Backers!
over 5 years ago – Wed, Apr 14, 2021 at 03:11:23 AM

This morning, you helped the Anime 5E Kickstarter cross a mind-blowing threshold: 5,000+ backers! Thank you for the encouragement and support as we count down the final 10 days of the campaign.

You also collectively unlocked the $375K stretch goal, which means every backer pledging $25+ will receive expanded digital content: two original Anime 5E character classes, with descriptions and progression over 20 levels. The 14 classes included in the core game are formidable, but there’s always room for more ideas and expansions!

Unlocking at $400K: Anime 5E Dice!

Many of you have reached out to us about creating custom Anime 5E dice, since we had done so for our BESM Fourth Edition RPG line. There’s no such thing as “too many dice”, after all.

If campaign funding reaches $400K, we will ask our factory to manufacture a custom boxed set of Anime 5E polyhedral dice. They will have a gorgeous pearly crimson finish and come in a set of eight: one each of d4, d8, d10, d12, and d20, plus three d6. Since this is a new and unplanned product, we’ll still need to explore with the factory how we can engrave customisation into some of the dice to mark them as part of the Anime 5E set. The mock-up image above is a preliminary design that shows how the packaging and dice might look (mock-up is without die customisation).

Add-On Dice

We will make the dice set available as a $15 add-on to your pledge during the BackerKit pledge manager survey after the Kickstarter ends (not through the base campaign page). Since dice fall into a different shipping category, though – and will thus change the pricing structure – we can only make the dice available as an add-on for the $50 Gamer, $100 Adventurer, $100 Collector, and $300 Storyteller pledge tiers. We will absorb the additional shipping costs instead of increasing the shipping fee when adding on the dice, which is why the dice won’t be available to other tiers.

Free Bonus Die

Since we think stretch goals that only unlock new add-on products (without offering backers anything else) are rather lame, we will also be manufacturing an additional single custom d20 in an alternate colour – prefect for when your character has an advantage on their d20 rolls. Every backer who adds on a dice set to their pledge will receive one of these exclusive d20s as a free bonus gift. This bonus die won’t be available for sale in retail stores; it’s an exclusive promotional gift to show our thanks for your support!

We are grateful that you continuously pushing this Kickstarter to new heights! Have a wonderful Monday, and we will check in tomorrow with another update.

$400K Unlocked So Dice Are Coming!
over 5 years ago – Wed, Apr 14, 2021 at 02:41:26 AM

Thank you for pushing the campaign to an astounding 4000% of its original funding target! Since you unlocked the $400K stretch goal, we will now make an Anime 5E boxed set of polyhedral dice available as an add-on to your pledge (after the campaign, through the BackerKit pledge manager). Even better, every backer who adds on the dice set will receive free custom bonus d20, too!

We've added this chart to the top of our campaign to help track the unlocked stretch goals.

$425K Stretch Goal: Poisons!

Poisons are one of our favourite parts of tricky and hazardous Fifth Edition adventures – but those that merely do additional damage are rather boring, dontchathink? If campaign funding reaches $425K, we will create five original poisons across both the potency and effect spectrum, with Anime 5E stat blocks and brief descriptions. These poisons will be available as a free bonus PDF download for all backers pledging at least $13 in the Kickstarter.

Anime 5E Preview: A5E Kobold vs. Fifth Edition Kobold

We want to give you some insight into how monster stat blocks look in Anime 5E compared to standard Fifth Edition, since they present similar information in a different way. We thought that showcasing a kobold would be a great choice since it also demonstrates how the Anime 5E size rules featured in Update 23 are applied. Kobolds are small, reptilian humanoids that stand between 2' and 3' tall and fight with a pack mentality.

First, let’s take a look at the Fifth Edition kobold from the Monster Manual (MM).

Next is the Kobold’s Anime 5E stat block.

The two kobold versions obviously have the same ability scores and hit points, but there are noticeable differences as well.

➡️ Armour Class

Since kobolds are small-sized, they have the Anime 5E size template modifiers included in their stat block (which sums to a total of -5 points, as indicated in Update 23). Their small size makes them harder to hit (Rank 2 AC Bonus Attribute = +2 AC), which gives them a 14 AC when considering their +2 Dexterity bonus. This compares to 12 AC in the MM. Anime 5E kobolds are harder to hit than MM kobolds.

➡️ Movement Speed

At only 2’-3’ tall, Anime 5E kobolds suffer from the Rank 1 Slow Defect. This cuts their speed in half to only 15’ instead of the normal 30’ for medium size. MM kobolds rapidly move at the same speed as humanoids twice their size, or 30’. Anime 5E kobolds are slower than MM kobolds.

➡️ Melee and Ranged Attacks

The kobolds’ two hit dice indicates that they would have a +2 proficiency bonus. They also have a -2 Strength bonus, which would result in a melee attack modifier of +0. MM kobolds use daggers, though, which have the finesse modifier and use their +2 Dexterity mod instead of -2 Strength; this results in a +4 to hit bonus. Anime 5E kobolds gain the Rank 2 Combat Mastery Attribute (2 points) due to their small size, providing them with a +2 bonus on all attack rolls. They can also use their +2 Dexterity bonus to hit with daggers, giving a final melee bonus of +6 to hit. A similar trend carries through the kobold’s sling attacks: +4 to hit in the MM, and +6 to hit in Anime 5E. Anime 5E kobolds hit more frequently than MM kobolds.

➡️ Damage Received

Due to their small size, Anime 5E kobolds sustain greater injury from standard damage attacks (slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning). Their Rank 2 Susceptible Defect (-2 points) increases the damage they receive from such attacks by +2. MM kobolds do not have a corresponding penalty. Anime 5E kobolds suffer more damage from most attacks than MM kobolds.

➡️ Damage Inflicted

The Rank 2 Limited Damage Defect (for -2 points) for the small size template modifies the damage that Anime 5E kobolds inflict with normal melee weapons (that use their Strength modifier), but not with melee attacks and ranged weapons that use their Dexterity modifier. Consequently, the damage calculations for dagger and sling attacks are the same for both Anime 5E and the MM.

➡️ Sunlight Sensitivity

Rather than the unique MM description for this feature – disadvantage on attack rolls and Perception checks in sunlight – the Anime 5E kobold has it summarised in their Rank 2 Obstacle Defect (-2 points).

➡️ Pack Tactics

Anime 5E kobolds have the Rank 2 Edge Attribute (2 points) assigned that is specific to attack rolls when allies are nearby. MM kobolds have a unique description that details a similar effect.

➡️ Weapon Proficiency

We wanted our Anime 5E kobolds to have some additional experience with weapons larger than a dagger, and assigned them a Rank 1 Weapon Proficiency (1 point) with shortswords. In a kobold’s hand, a normal shortsword would feel much more like a longsword!

➡️ Unique Attribute and Defect

In addition to the entries above, Anime 5E kobolds also have a Unique Attribute for 1 point that aligns with their size: they are small, light, and unobtrusive. Conversely, they also suffer from a Rank 1 Unique Defect (-1 point) that halves the distance they can throw weapons.

As you can see from the details above, Anime 5E kobolds and MM kobolds are both CR 1/8 (25 XP) and have similar features. The way Anime 5E modifies numerous size-related issues results in some notable differences.

Thanks for reading! We’ll check back in tomorrow.

Anime 5E Preview: Character Advancement
over 5 years ago – Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 05:13:37 PM

Whether you’ve been supporting the Kickstarter for weeks or joined the community in the past day, your efforts have been steadily progressing the campaign funding towards the $400K milestone. It’s thrilling to watch so many stretch goals unlock!

Today, we present another Anime 5E sneak peek to help slake your curiosity.

Character Advancement

Character advancement (ie. progressing through additional class levels) is unnecessary in a short adventure, but during a lengthy campaign, players will want to improve their characters and unlock new features and powers. Advancement is not a requirement, but it can reflect the characters’ learned knowledge through conflicts with the environment, with opponents such as creatures and NPCs, or even with themselves.

The DM is encouraged to award all characters Experience Points (XP) at the end of each game session. Experience Points are a numerical measure of the knowledge, maturity, and training the character gains through adventuring. Often this will include XP for defeating or destroying creatures and NPCs, but not every game session may involve this type of direct conflict. The amount of the XP award should depend on the creature challenges overcome and the events of the game session, and perhaps even the quality of the role-playing.

Overcoming Conflict

When determining the XP awards for conflict, DMs must remember that conflict does not necessarily mean combat. While combat is a type of conflict, it is not the only form. Solving a mystery, saving someone from a raging fire, escaping a mage’s death trap, negotiating the release of hostages, or other similar situations where the character is pitted against an opposing force, is considered conflict as well. Any situation where there is a consequence for the character failing their attempted course of action can be considered conflict. The term is “Experience Points” and not “Killing Points” or “Destroying Points”, nor is it “Beating-Things-Up-and-Stealing-Their-Stuff Points”.

For challenges of note, DMs should award sufficient XP to represent knowledge the characters gained from the events. All characters involved in a conflict – typically every player character, and any significant NPC allies or retainers – earn an equivalent share of the XP, regardless of their specific involvement. Each character played a role in successfully resolving the situation, even if their contributions take different forms.

Earned XP is added to the character’s current running XP total. If the they cross the minimum XP required to advance to their next character Level (see Table 08), they gain one Class Level of choice.

For example, if three player characters and their NPC ally are hired by a nearby village council to storm a dungeon, vanquish the minor creatures therein, and negotiate a peace between the boss monster and the village, the group will earn XP. If the dispatched creatures were worth a collective 800 XP, and the DM decides that negotiating with the boss monster is worth an additional 1200 XP, the total experience awarded to the group for the conflict is 2000 XP. That total is divided equally amongst the four participating characters, gaining each of them 500 XP for a job well done.

Awarding Experience Points

The quantity of the award depends on how much of a challenge it was for the characters to overcome. The following represent several XP award categories to consider.

Defeating Creatures

Monsters, creatures, and NPC opponents are assigned XP based on how powerful they are. See the later section on Challenge Ratings for additional details.

Succeeding at a Task

Conquering the task at hand is a rewarding event that can provides the character with insight, knowledge, and perspective. The XP rewarded for such successes depends on the scope of the challenge the characters faced, and is based on the participants’ average Character Level:

➡️ Minor Challenge: From one-quarter to one-half the number of XP required to advance to the next character Level.

➡️ Moderate Challenge: From one-half to three-quarters the number of XP required to advance to the next character Level.

➡️ Major Challenge: From three-quarters to the full number of XP required to advance to the next character Level.

➡️ Extreme Challenge: A number of XP up to that required to advance one or two character Levels.

Failing at a Task

Characters can still learn valuable (and future-transferable) lessons even when they fail at their task. DMs can award one-tenth to one-quarter the number of XP that the characters would have earned had they been successful.

Shortcutting Conflicts

The above guidelines for awarding XP assume more traditional conflict resolutions, such as slaying or driving away monsters through battle, or undertaking challenging quests. With the vast number of character Attribute options in Anime 5E compared to standard Fifth Edition rules, characters may shortcut conflicts with creative resolutions. For example, rather than fight a wyvern, a character could open a Portal to send it to another dimension quickly. For such situations, DMs may decide to reduce XP rewards – reflecting that the characters don’t learn as much from the short conflict.

Exceptional Role-Playing

In addition to a share of group XP rewards for overcoming challenges, individual characters can potentially earn bonus XP at the DM’s discretion as well. Exceptionally talented or active players (those who remain true to their character, encourage other players to participate, help advance the game plot, etc.) can earn these bonus XP awards. When a player performs exceptionally at role-playing their character, the DM can provide a bonus equal up to one-quarter the character’s share of the group XP award during that session. DMs should not feel obliged to provide this award regularly, though; it should be reserved for rare role-playing interactions that stand out.

So that’s Anime 5E’s take on character advancement, which is but one of many DM tools to advance the campaign’s dramatic narrative. We’ll check in again soon!

Anime 5E Preview: Margins of Success and Critical Hits
over 5 years ago – Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 07:55:14 AM

As we move through Sunday and closer to unlocking the $375K stretch goal, we thought you might enjoy a peek at our critical hit and failure rules.

Standard Fifth Edition Rules

The normal Fifth Edition rules for extreme successes are well known: If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC. Similarly, if the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC. This means that every attack roll produces a minimum 5% chance to hit and a minimum 5% chance to miss.

Furthermore, characters that score a critical hit roll extra dice for the attack’s damage against the target. There are no extra rules for rolling a 1 in combat.

Anime 5E Margin of Success

To understand Anime 5E’s critical hit and failure rules, you’ll first need to understand the dice context.

Most dice rolls in Anime 5E produce binary results: success or failure. Sometimes it can be useful to the DM and players to know the degree or margin of success or failure as well. If the task was successfully completed, how successful was it? Conversely, if the task failed, how severe was the failure? The greater the difference between the character’s dice roll and the DC (or opposed roll, for contests), the greater the margin of success or failure, as listed in Table 21.

Anime 5E Critical Hits

In some instances, the attacker’s strike is so powerful or overwhelming that it delivers damage greater than its normal maximum amount – known as a critical hit. If the attacker’s total roll is significantly higher than the defender’s Armour Class, the attacker scores a critical hit.

If the attacker’s roll exceeds the AC by at least 11 (an extreme margin of success), the final damage delivered is doubled. If the attacker’s roll exceeds the AC at least 15 (an outrageous margin of success), the final damage is tripled instead.

Unopposed Critical Hits

An unopposed attack against an adjacent unconscious or restrained opponent typically results in an outrageous margin of success critical hit (DM’s discretion).

Alternative Critical: Natural 20

Rather than using difference between the attacker’s roll and the target’s AC to determine whether a critical hit occurs, the DM and players may collectively decide that any attack die roll of 20 results in a double-damage critical hit.

Anime 5E Critical Failures

Groups applying the rules for critical hits in their games, may also want to consider a framework for critical failures. After all, some anime attack attempts are so wildly ineffective that they actually cause harm to the aggressor and their allies!

If the attacker’s total roll is significantly lower than the defender’s AC, the result is a critical failure (alternatively known as a critical fumble). If the attacker’s roll is lower than the AC by at least 11 (an extreme margin of failure), the DM applies one of the consequences in Table 22 – either by selecting one that they believe best reflects the circumstances, or by rolling 2d6 to randomly choose one. If the attacker’s roll is lower than the AC by at least 15 (an outrageous margin of failure), two consequences are applied instead.

Alternative Fumble: Natural 1

Rather than using difference between the attacker roll and the target’s AC to determine whether a critical failure occurs, the DM and players may collectively decide that any attack die roll of 1 results in a critical failure.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about the awesome successes and failures that can occur during dramatic anime combats! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

Anime 5E Will Have a Soundtrack!
over 5 years ago – Sat, Apr 10, 2021 at 11:31:18 PM

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

We are thrilled that you pushed the campaign through the $350K stretch goal, because now Anime 5E will have it’s own epic soundtrack score! This bonus soundtrack will be available as a free audio download for all backers pledging at least $100 towards the Kickstarter.

Bonus Classes at $375K

Anime 5E features 14 fascinating character classes, each showcasing their own special blend of abilities, proficiencies, powers, and talents. But what if you had access to even more?

If campaign funding reaches $375K, we will create two original character classes – with descriptions, base capabilities, and progression over 20 levels. This bonus content will be available as a free PDF download for all backers pledging at least $25 in the Kickstarter. Like most of our content stretch goals (including the soundtrack!), the file will also be available for sale to those backers with pledge tiers that don’t align with this free bonus.

We Like You. Will You Like Us?

We maintain an active presence on social media. We’ve seen many backers join the Anime 5E Facebook group to connect with the A5E community, and that’s amazing. We would also love to keep you update on what’s happening at Dyskami, and hope you’ll consider liking our Facebook page. Two clicks, and you’re done! And if you search for @dyskami, you’ll find our other social media accounts too (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube).

Thanks once again, and we will check in tomorrow for another update.