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:
FOR THE EMPRESS! CAMPAIGN COMPLETE!!
26 days ago
– Fri, Mar 20, 2026 at 08:17:00 AM
YOU DID IT!!!! ALL GOALS SMASHED!
What a whirlwind of a last day, I still can't believe we smashed through our bonus stretch goal with less than 15 minutes left on the clock. The excitement in the office was unreal.
A free Empress Gold Coin will now be added to every physical pledge as a thank you from us all! We'll have the visuals to share soon.
The incredible support of the High Rollers community has also helped this become Roll & Play Press's most highly funded campaign ever. That's a testament to how you came out in force to bring the Altheya book to life – and how much you love shiny coins!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this all possible. In 30 days we raised £701,937 ($934,843) with 5,845 backers. Absolutely amazing.
Duke Ignarious art by Mat Wilma
Important Coin Info
The pledge manager (sent out in a few weeks) is where you'll be able to see any of the coins that were added to your rewards as a perk. That includes early backing (Clever Toad Bronze Coin), sharing the project (Jotnyr Silver Coin), and from the final stretch goal (Empress Gold Coin).
What next?
Now the project is officially funded, we'll be diving straight into making these products the best they can be: writing the book, commissioning art, developing rules, planning play tests, getting production samples.
While we're busy with that, there are a couple of things you'll be asked to do:
1. Pay for your pledge – Over the next couple of weeks, Kickstarter will start charging cards and processing pledges. If there's an issue with your card, you'll have 7 days to resolve it before they try again. (And if there are still problems, this can usually be fixed in the pledge manager via PayPal).
2. Fill in the pledge manager – In a few weeks, you'll get a link to our pledge manager from BackerKit. We'll collect your shipping details, and a few other key bits of info. You can also upgrade your pledge or add extra rewards in the Add-On Store.
Orders and addresses won't be locked until later in the project, so there's plenty of time left to make changes to your pledge. If you have any questions, reach out to us at [email protected].
Front cover art by Mat Wilma
Project updates
From now until we fulfil your rewards, we'll keep you up-to-date with progress in monthly updates. Look out for illustration reveals, photos of samples and other sneak peeks.
You'll also hear from us with any important fulfilment news. Here's a timeline of our key milestones:
April 2026 - Pledge managers sent to backers to confirm rewards.
July 2026 – Pledge managers locked and charged
August 2026 – Existing Roll & Play Press digital products sent to backers who selected these add-ons.
January 2027 – Pledge manager addresses locked
February 2027 - Digital fulfilment of new Altheya add-ons
April 2027 - Physical fulfilment of all rewards
We'll explain each and every stage of the process as it happens. Between updates, you can join us on Discord, Facebook and Instagram where we chat about all things RPGs, from GM tips to dice hoarding. You can also sign up to the Roll & Play Press newsletter for a free random table every month.
Until then, a HUGE thanks again to every single one of you.
Sam, the Roll & Play Press team, and the High Rollers team.
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Heliana & Ryoko's Guide to Mythozoology
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BIG BADS: Most Wanted
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STRETCH GOAL UNLOCKED: One Shiny New Bonus Stretch Goal Added!
28 days ago
– Wed, Mar 18, 2026 at 11:52:12 AM
Hey everyone,
We’ve SMASHED the £625,000 stretch goal, and we now have over 5,000 backers!!! 🎉
That means we’re adding the two final subclasses to the Altheya: The Dragon Empire book and D&D Beyond Player Pack, Cleric and Ranger!
🐲 CLERIC: DRAGON DOMAIN – Praise the Dragon Empress! Draw upon the the divine to power your dragon-themed spells, and dazzle your enemies with draconic majesty.
⚡️ RANGER: STORMRUNNER – Rangers from Azarr Steppe train in the lightning fields, and learn to harness it to their own ends. Zap around the battlefield with breakneck speed and use the weather against your enemies.
Honestly, we’re completely blown away. This is everything we hoped for and more, and it’s all thanks to you.
One More Bonus Stretch Goal!
We’re super excited that this is our biggest Kickstarter campaign ever, and that we've been able to unlock every subclass. So, we thought we'd have some fun by adding ONE BONUS final stretch goal at £700,000 for the final 24 hours:
✨ The Empress Gold Coin ✨
If we hit this huge goal, every backer with a physical pledge will receive an Empress Gold Coin for free. That means you’ll be able to complete the full set:
BUT, there's less than 24 Hours to go until the campaign wraps up... can we do it? With how this campaign has been going, honestly, it might just be possible. But we need your help.
Keep sharing the campaign, keep spreading the word, and let’s see how far we can go in the final day. And don’t forget, if you share the campaign and tell us where you shared it, we’ll add a Silver Jotnyr Coin to your pledge for free. The full rules for getting that coin can be found here: https://www.rollandplaypress.com/coin
Thank you so much for being part of this amazing 30-day journey, you’ve made this campaign unforgettable.
Let's go!!
Sam.
D&D Beyond Announcement!!!!
about 1 month ago
– Fri, Mar 13, 2026 at 07:04:51 AM
Everyone,
We have HUGE news... a Player Pack for D&D Beyond has officially become an add-on for the Altheya: The Dragon Empire Kickstarter campaign!!!!!
Yes, you read that right, with this add-on you'll be able to play as any of the awesome new subclasses and species, and use all the feats, spells and backgrounds that are being created for this book directly on D&D Beyond.
The add-on is £11 (around $14.99 at current exchange rates). If you're an EMPRESS BUNDLE backer, this add-on will be included in your pledge for free!
Arch-Dragon Warlock art by Linda Lithén
A big thank you to the team at D&D Beyond and Wizards of the Coast for making it possible. This Player Pack will be our third time working with the team on a D&D Beyond launch, and they are always such a pleasure to work with.
What’s inside the Player Pack?
⚔️ 10 subclasses(or 12 if we unlock the £625,000 stretch goal!) 🪲 2 species – Dynastians and Wildhearts 💪 4feats 🪄 10 spells 🧑🌾 4 backgrounds
These options will be fully integrated into D&D Beyond, meaning you’ll be able to add them directly to your character sheets and use them seamlessly with the platform’s tools.
How do I get the Player Pack?
To get access, follow these steps:
1. Head to the Kickstarter page on your phone or desktop 2. Click "Manage" on your pledge 3. Add "D&D Beyond Player Pack" as an add-on
OR
If you back at (or upgrade to) the EMPRESS BUNDLE: STANDARD or EMPRESS BUNDLE: CROWNSTEEL levels, you don't need to do anything, as we'll automatically add the D&D Beyond Player Pack to your pledge for free in the pledge manager after the campaign ends.
(Note: You will not lose your Clever Toad Coin early bird reward by upgrading or adding to your pledge, as the system will still know when you first backed. However, if you cancel your pledge and re-pledge, you will lose your early bird reward.)
When is the Player Pack released?
You will get access to the D&D Beyond Player Pack in February 2027 at the same time we fulfil the digital rewards from this campaign. If the add-on is one of your rewards, you will get a code that you can use to redeem it on D&D Beyond when it's live.
Wyrmguard art by Mat Wilma
Stretch Goal Unlocked
Yesterday we smashed through our £550,000 stretch goal! So, we're adding a brand-new subclass for Rogues and Wizards to the book. These are both in early development and Mark/Mara is working hard on them, but here's a taste of what to expect:
🔐 ROGUE: AGENT – Working for clandestine guilds, agencies, or even dragons, this subclass gives Rogues passive abilities or buffs depending on the assignment they take each day.
🪞 WIZARD: METALLURGIST – Trained in the ways of metal manipulation, Wizards using this subclass can enhance the weapons of their allies, create armour and influence the battlefield.
What's Next?
Next up is our £625,000 stretch goal, where we’ll unlock two final subclasses, Clerics and Rangers!
Keep sharing the campaign, and keep the hype train going, and let’s see if we can get to the next stretch goal together in under a week.
Don't forget about our Jotnyr Silver Coin reward for sharing the campaign! If you haven't already signed up and shared, check out the full details here: https://www.rollandplaypress.com/coin
Have a great week!
Sam.
Claim Your Silver Coin!
about 1 month ago
– Tue, Mar 10, 2026 at 01:03:07 PM
Hey everyone,
What a week it's been.
We’ve now crossed 4,250 backers and an incredible £545,000 raised with just over a week to go! The support for Altheya: The Dragon Empire has been incredible, and the energy around this campaign is unreal. Thank you all for being part of it.
Silver Coin Treasure Hunt
You might have spotted something popping up on social media recently. Rowan has hidden silver coins across Altheya. If you help spread the word about the campaign, you'll find one of these rare coins added to your pledge manager. Note: these are different to the Clever Toad Bronze Coin add-ons!
All you need to do is share the Kickstarter campaign, then tell us where you shared it using THIS FORM. The full rules are in the form.
And if you haven’t seen it yet, check out Trott’s announcement below:
It was a brand-new adventure set in Altheya, with a fresh cast of characters using new subclasses from the book… but there was also a little secret hiding in plain sight. Did you spot the brand-new species?
That’s right, the mysterious Dynastians are being added to the Altheya campaign setting book, meaning you’ll be able to play as one in your home games! These rare, horned insectoids hail from distant lands outside of Ilmera, they arrived in the Dragon Empire long ago in search of challenge and glory.
Here’s an early sketch of a Dynastian by the incredible Linda Lithén. We can’t wait to show you more of them soon.
Art by Linda Lithén, DRAFT NOT FINAL
Next Stretch Goal – £550,000
We’re also SO CLOSE to the next stretch goal. At £550,000 we’ll unlock two more subclasses for the book, one for the Rogue and one for the Wizard. If we hit it, that brings the total to an amazing 10 new subclasses included in Altheya: The Dragon Empire.
With just over a week left, it’s absolutely within reach. Let's go!!
Thank you again for helping bring Altheya to life. The final week of the campaign is going to be very exciting…
All the best,
Sam.
STRETCH GOAL UNLOCKED: Three One-Shot Adventures
about 2 months ago
– Wed, Feb 25, 2026 at 12:11:04 PM
Hey everyone!
I've got big news to share – we've unlocked the £475,000 stretch goal for Altheya: The Dragon Empire! That means we’re adding three brand new one-shot adventures to the book.
These will be perfect sessions to kick off your Altheya campaign, and they'll be levelled at level 1, level 3 and level 5 (with tips on how to make them easier or harder, giving you total flexibility). We’ll be sharing more about the plots and locations soon, so watch this space.
What's Next?
Next up is our £550,000 stretch goal, where we’ll unlock another two subclasses, this time for Rogues and Wizards. If we hit it, that takes us to an incredible 10 new subclasses in total! Let's gooo!
Keep sharing the campaign, and keep the hype train going, and let’s see if we can get to the next stretch goal together in the next 21 days.
Here's a message with the Kickstarter link you can share with your friends and DnD party on WhatsApp, Reddit, Facebook, Discord, or wherever you chat about RPGs:
