Altheya: The Dragon Empire – A High-Fantasy 5E Setting
Created by Roll & Play Press
Enter a land where dragons rule, planes clash in eternal wars, and magical vaults hold ancient secrets. A campaign setting for DnD.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Creative Progress and Sneak Peek
9 days ago
– Thu, Oct 29, 2026 at 09:35:46 AM
Hey everyone,
We have an update on creative progress and a look at what we're up to behind the scenes!
Creative progress
The book is really coming together. All the main province chapters are written, and we're in the process of doing our edits and briefing the last illustrations.
We're also putting together all the supporting material that helps you turn the book's content into an unforgettable campaign. We'll be spending the next few weeks refining the content, making tweaks and giving it a final proofread as planned.
Here's a glimpse of a couple of my favourite work-in-progress spreads:
Which province will you explore first?
Timeline check
February – March 2026 // Kickstarter campaign live ✅
April 2026 // Pledge managers sent to backers after the campaign closes ✅
July 2026 // Pledge managers locked and cards charged ✅
May – November 2026 // Book written and edited, artwork commissioned and produced, proofreading completed. ⬅️
December – January 2027 // Early samples signed-off by the team, the products are printed in bulk, freighting begins.
Our next project is a team-up with the folks at Critical Role and Darrington Press, to create new one-shot adventures for Daggerheart's official campaign frames.
Don't play Daggerheart? These adventures are built in our One-Shot Wonders format, and are easy to convert and play in your favourite system. There are one-shots set in enchanted forests, magical schools, horrifying swamps, and more!
First Wave Digital Fulfilment and Playtest Update
about 2 months ago
– Tue, Sep 15, 2026 at 07:35:55 AM
Hi everyone!
It's time for the first wave of digital fulfilment for this project! This includes all existing Roll & Play Press digital books and add-ons to backers who selected these rewards. Please note, this does not include the Altheya books or any Altheya rewards (as those are due to be fulfilled early next year). Scroll down for more info on what's being delivered today, and how.
At the bottom of the update, you'll also find some insights from your feedback on the playtest material. We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who sent in their comments. We got hundreds of responses, all of which have been super helpful to refine and improve these elements of the book.
What's being fulfilled today?
In this first wave, we are fulfilling digital versions of any existing Roll & Play Press products available in the pledge manager. This includes digital copies of One-Shot Wonders: Volume 1, the Map Library Core Box, No Place Like Homebrew and the Roll & Play Fantasy Toolkits.
When are Altheya: The Dragon Empire and the other rewards from this campaign being fulfilled?
The digital edition of the Altheya book and other digital rewards from this campaign will be delivered in February 2027.
How do I download my rewards?
Emails with download links will roll out between now and the end of the day, so keep refreshing that inbox (and double-check your Junk folder).
You'll get an email like this one from Roll & Play Press. All you need to do is click on the Download button, and you'll get access to all your digital files.
If you have an account, head to the website and click on the My Account icon (it's the one shaped like a person). Log in, then click on the order you would like to download items from. Inside the order, click on any of the links, and your files will begin downloading.
If you don't have an account on our website, sign up using the email address you used to back this Kickstarter campaign, then follow the steps above. Your digital downloads will be waiting for you.
Need help?
If you don't receive an email by the end of today (Tuesday 15th September 23:59 BST), or if you have any trouble downloading your rewards, send us a Kickstarter message or email [email protected].
Playtest feedback
Your feedback on the playtest material has been so encouraging and really helpful for us, so thank you so much to everyone who filled in the questionnaire. Here are a few interesting insights:
The most highly rated subclasses were the Circle of the Greenshield Druid and the Stormrunner Ranger.
You also loved the Test Subject background and Aetheric Armament spell, both of which got 100% Positive ratings.
The Path of Bloodfury Barbarian received the most responses of any part of the playtest. The comments you gave really helped us shape the power levelling of the whirlwind and meteor abilities.
The Tactical Officer Fighter subclass got a lot of hype. A fair few of you asked for more clarification on how the stratagems were triggered. This subclass had the most tweaks, and we're feeling good that the changes will make for really exciting gameplay. You'll get Momentum more easily through stratagem Objectives, and have access to awesome benefits called 'Gambits' when a stratagem is triggered. Can't wait to share more soon!
Anything else?
The book and your other rewards are coming together really well. We're most of the way through the writing process, with art, editing and layouts all following along nicely.
For this month's WIP art update, we're focusing on some of the chapter art and maps, which do an incredible job of bringing the scope of this expansive fantasy world to life.
Life in Iceheart can be lonely sometimes (Rafater, work in progress)
We're attempting to map out Kelscariss, wish us luck! (Jog Brogzin, work in progress)
Suncrest Isles just became my next holiday destination (Rafater, work in progress)
That's it for now, but we'll be back next month with another update!
Beth
The Altheya Playtest is LIVE!
3 months ago
– Fri, Aug 07, 2026 at 07:18:56 AM
Adventurers, are you ready to enter the vault and discover the treasures inside?
If so, great news – the playtest for this project starts today! This is your first exclusive peek into the new Altheya mechanics and player options, and we absolutely cannot wait for you to dive in.
What's in the playtest?
In this bumper playtesting release, we're sharing some of the rules that will feature in the Players' Toolbox chapter of the book. The playtest material includes:
12 x subclasses
4 x feats
4 x backgrounds
2 x playable species
10 x spells
2 x species
These are all DRAFT documents, with the illustrations and other design elements removed. All text is subject to further editorial review, rules tweaking and proofreading.
Where do I get the material?
You will receive the playtest PDF by the end of the day today from BackerKit straight into your inbox. Keep your eyes peeled, and check your Junk if you don't see anything.
Playtesting gives the backers who supported this project the opportunity to shape it with us. Please don't share the playtest material elsewhere online, so this can stay as an exclusive early look for our backer community.
How do I give feedback?
We've set up a Google form that lets you give feedback on one element of the playtest material at a time (e.g. a subclass, or a spell). You're free to submit the form as many times as you'd like.
The playtest form will be open from Friday 7th August until Monday 31st August 2026.
If you have any questions about the playtest process, or the Google form, please let me know in the comments.
Chat about your favourite mechanics
We've also set up a new private channel on our Discord server, so you can talk about the playtest material with other backers. Use this link to gain access to the invite-only channel: https://discord.gg/yctcF9gza
Can my friend join the playtest?
If you know someone who’d love to join the playtest but didn’t back the Altheya kickstarter campaign, there’s still time to get involved!
Anyone who makes a late pledge will also receive access to the playtest material. Send them a link to the BackerKit late pledge portal and, once they complete their order and their card is charged, we’ll send the digital playtest material over to them. This may take a couple of days to filter through.
How is the rest of the project going?
Honestly, it's so much fun! We are full steam ahead with art commissions, writing, editing and creating layouts. Fan-favourite character and locations from the High Rollers campaign are being illustrated and described in greater detail than ever before, AND we're getting to build out all-new environments in previously unexplored corners of the Dragon Empire.
These illustrations are just a snapshot of what we've been developing:
Dragonborn Spy by Linda Lithen (work in progress)
Mindworm Spell by Toby Fox (work in progress)
Tarik Clan by Zeljka Dobras (work in progress)
Iceheart Dragonborn thumbnails by Eren Angiolini (work in progress)
I can't wait to hear what you think of the playtest material, and meet the awesome characters you create! Let me know on Discord when you've submitted the form, and what your favourite part of the playtest is – I'd love to know what you think.
All the best,
Sam.
Locking Orders and Charging Cards
4 months ago
– Fri, Jul 03, 2026 at 05:13:44 AM
Hey, I'm here to pin an important missive to the tavern notice board. Hear ye! Hear ye!
Next week is a big milestone on our project timeline – Locking Orders and Charging Cards. Please give this update a read to check you're all set.
Locking Orders and Charging Cards
We're locking orders and charging cards for this project on Monday 6th July. That means you only have a few days left to edit your pledge rewards or throw in extra add-ons. If you need a quick link to your pledge manager, CLICK HERE.
If you fill out your pledge manager after the deadline, you could miss out on campaign-exclusive products and might receive your items later than other backers.
You'll only be charged for shipping and any items you added in the pledge manager.
If there are any problems taking payment, BackerKit will notify you and then try again a couple of days later. The most common issue is expired card details, so now's a good time to check your saved card is up-to-date.
Why are we locking orders now?
Now that the campaign has wrapped up, we're ready to confirm final quantities and move into the next phase of production. Locking orders gives us the information we need to start planning manufacturing and fulfilment with our partners.
Locking Addresses
Even though your choice of rewards will be locked soon, you can still change your address. So, if you're moving house between now and physical fulfilment, don't worry.
We'll let you know before we lock addresses, which we're currently expecting will be in January 2027.
What Next?
Here's a quick check-in on our timeline, so you can see where we are and what's coming up:
February – March 2026 // Kickstarter campaign live ✅
April 2026 // Pledge managers sent to backers after the campaign closes ✅
July 2026 // Pledge managers locked and cards charged ⬅️
May – November 2026 // Book written and edited, artwork commissioned and produced, proofreading completed.
December – January 2027 // Early samples signed-off by the team, the products are printed in bulk, freighting begins.
January 2027 // Pledge manager addresses locked.
February 2027 // DIGITAL FULFILMENT BEGINS.
March 2027 // Products arrive in our warehouses.
April 2027 // PHYSICAL FULFILMENT BEGINS.
Creative Update
There's so much exciting progress being made on this project, so I'll share a couple of highlights before getting straight back to it!
We've officially lined up 11 incredible artists to work on Altheya: The Dragon Empire. Some are artists Roll & Play Press has worked with for years, while others are brand new to us. We'll begin briefing everyone later this month, with artwork running through until November. I genuinely can't wait to see this world come to life in all its visual glory.
Mara and I spent the whole day on Tuesday planning out Altheya province by province, from the overgrown territories of Mistwold, to the bogs of Urdas Kirr, all the way to the reaching spires of Kelscariss. By the end of the day, we both came away feeling very satisfied. Altheya feels more alive than ever before, and we can't wait to start writing about everything we came up with, and fleshing out parts of the world that have never been explored before. Seriously, I don't think you'll be able to stop flicking from page to page. Every province feels completely distinct and packed with stories waiting to be discovered.
That's it for now! Don't forget to check your pledge manager, and I'll be in touch again soon.
Have a great weekend,
Sam
Creative Progress and Poll Update
5 months ago
– Mon, Jun 08, 2026 at 02:54:19 AM
Hey everyone,
A lot has been happening behind the scenes since my last update, so here's an update on progress.
Creative Progress
Mara has drafted all 12 Subclasses and is now working on the Species, Feats, Backgrounds, Spells and Magic Items. Next, the Roll & Play Press team will be reviewing them, briefing artwork and getting them ready for playtesting. Are we excited? YES!
Artwork has already begun for the Subclasses. Here's a look at the work-in-progress illustration for the Earthborne Sorcerer subclass, developing from sketch to first colours.
Development sketches and initial colour by our Lead Illustrator, Toby. Final art still to come.
Initial synopsis planning and development is well underway. Spreadsheets, spreadsheets, spreadsheets.
We've been reviewing samples for the cloth map and coins, and we're due some more material samples soon.
Coin Poll Update
Talking of those all-important coins, a huge thank you to everyone who voted in the poll on our last update. 86% of you voted "Yes" to add the Jotnyr coin to the pledge manager.
Everyone who completed the sharing form still gets their coin for free, but now others can purchase a Jotnyr Silver Coin for £10. The coin remains exclusive to Kickstarter backers, and won't be available on general sale after the campaign.
If you'd like to buy the coin: head over to BackerKit, log in and edit your pledge, then add the Jotnyr Silver Coin as an add-on. If you have any questions, or can't access your pledge, email us at [email protected] and we'll guide you through the process.
UK Games Expo
We took a side quest to UK Games Expo last week, bringing the Roll & Play Tavern to Birmingham (UK) for the first time. We were joined by Mara on Friday, and tons more Altheya backers across the three-day show, which was awesome. Drop us a comment if you stopped by and said hello!
The Roll & Play Press team at the Roll & Play Tavern
Our "Coming Soon" table was packed, we had a ton of printed dummies and products to show
Stay tuned for another update next month, and don't forget to fill in your pledge manager if you haven't already. We'll be locking orders and charging cards in July, but addresses can be edited until January 2027.
Until next time,
Beth
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