Arcana of the Ancients Creatures and Cyphers FREE PREVIEW

This is a free preview of Arcana of the Ancients. You can get the full product here.

The metallic door opened with a strange hiss. Mereston prodded it carefully with the tip of his dagger, suspicious. But if those doors bore traps of some kind, would he even recognize them as such? If the crafters even were people at all. These doors weren't at the right width and height for humans, elves, or dwarves. Everything seemed so strange.

Laera stood behind him, still examining the crescent device. It was solid like metal, but smooth like leather. A circle of glass at the center of it showed strange runes made of light that shifted and moved. If anyone could figure out what it did, it would be her. Mereston took a step forward, through the doorway.

"Wait," Glaur hissed through gritted teeth. "Something's coming." He gripped his axe so tightly that Mereston could see his knuckles grow pale. His eyes grew wide. "No, something's here."

Rearing up before them with a shriek, the monstrous beast resembled an insect, like a centipede, except that it was made not just of flesh, but also somehow interwoven with both glistening metal and solidified light. And it was larger than the house Mereston grew up in. 

Laera exclaimed as her hand passed over a part of the device and an eruption of seething energy burst forth and enveloped the three of them. The creature lashed out with a whiplike tail but it was repelled by the energy around them and rebounded harmlessly away.

Laera grinned at the device. "Hmm. I like this thing."

In the misty recesses of time, before the kingdoms and lands you know existed—before the elder elves, the dwarven ancestral lords, and even the dragons—civilizations undreamt rose and fell. And with their passing, they left behind remnants of the powers they wielded. They built citadels of metal, glass, and light, now hidden away in the deepest recesses of the world, and crafted wonders and harnessed energies we can only guess at. These places, objects, and even creatures all can be called Arcana of the Ancients.

Arcana of the Ancients is a forthcoming sourcebook for 5th edition players and GMs to bring the wonders of mysterious technology and weird science-fantasy elements to their traditional fantasy campaigns. Designed by Monte Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, and Sean K. Reynolds, all of whom have years of professional design experience working on the world's most popular roleplaying game, this gorgeously illustrated hardcover sourcebook gives you everything you need to add a whole new element to your 5E game.

Download this free preview now for a selection of science-fantasy creatures and items you can use in your 5E campaign today. Arcana of the Ancients is on Kickstarter now.