Eren's Arcane Compendium of Characters - The Deck of TTRPG Characters

Eren's Arcane Compendium of Characters - The Deck of TTRPG Characters

The ultimate system-agnostic deck of characters for TTRPGs: an indispensable resource for both Game Masters & players!
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Eren's Arcane Compendium of Characters is the ultimate card deck of fantasy characters for TTRPGs: an indispensable resource for both Game Masters and players!

The Compendium features 100+ high quality and diverse characters to be used in fantasy TTRPGs, either as player characters, NPCs or anything else TTRPG enthusiasts might need.
The deck is the perfect resource to help Game Masters plan NPCs for the a new campaign, or to give players a solid but flexible base to create their new character, or even a fun way to select random ideas for a crazy one-shot!

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The Compendium helps Game Masters and players alike to build characters and stories in a variety of scenarios. Here are just a few ways to implement the deck in your stories:

FOR THE GAME MASTER:
  • Campaign preparation: are you planning your new campaign and want to fill it with interesting characters for your party to meet or fight? The goals and secrets of each character will help you build plots and subplots, connect storylines and give your players hundreds of awesome allies, opponents, loved ones and arch-nemesis!
  • DM, who do I find at the tavern’s counter? suddenly need to populate the tavern with NPCs? Need a merchant for an unexpected shopping session? No problem, the deck has got you covered! With plenty of options for artisans, villagers and experts to give life to any location.
  • Let your players choose! Sometimes it's fun to go with the flow and see where your players take you. Show your players the portraits of the people who surround them and see which one they choose to interact with, without revealing any of the juicy background info!
  • Let fate guide you! Feeling wild for tonight's session? With the deck you're in good hands! You -or your players- can select a random encounter, while also having the safety net of a flexible set of options to help incorporate the mysterious figure in your game!


FOR THE PLAYER:
  • Fast player character creation: need a quick idea for a new character? Fish a random card from the deck or choose the one that visually appeals to you the most! The background will provide enough information to jumpstart the character creation process and help drive the character forwards in both long-term or short-term format games.
  • Oh brother where art thou?! Want to deepen your background, but don't have any ideas at the top of your head? Extract a random card from the deck or select a character that speaks to you, or your character, and use the background hooks at the back to tie them into your backstory. Or maybe have your GM do that for you, while keeping it a secret!
  • Surprise! Here’s your character: spice things up and organise a one-shot with randomly selected characters! A fun way to push you and your party to try new things, without the pressure of having to build everything on your own.
  • Choose your path! testing out a new solo game? Choose a character for the deck that fits your vibe or needs. So you can fully focus on the gaming experience, without worrying about first creating a solid base... you already have one at your disposal!

Any way YOU want! Integrate the characters in your world building, solo gaming or character ideation process in the way that best suits your needs and desires! Have fun, that's the most important part after all!!
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The deck features 135 character cards, divided in three main categories: Adventurers & Heroes, Merchants & Experts and Miscellaneous.


The front of the cards only features the portrait, without any information on the character. This is to ensure that the GM, or the player, has full control on what type of information they want to share about the character they're introducing. No spoilers here! ;D

The back of the cards displays a set of flexible background details, providing useful inputs and plot hooks to seamlessly integrate the figure in any game, without limiting the GM’s or player’s creativity.

The information provided include:
  • Character’s name and suggested pronouns: including nicknames or titles, when applicable.
  • Profession and specialisation: a more targeted and a more generic option are provided for each character, to make them as versatile as possible.
  • Background: a brief description of the character, their origin or any other relevant information for a first encounter.
  • Personality: attitude, approachability or the way in which the character is usually perceived or how they present themselves.
  • Flaw: everyone has a weakness, a fear or an unpleasant trait to avoid or exploit.
  • Goal: the thing that the character is openly working towards, be it an adventurous mission, a career or life aspiration or a short-term objective.
  • Secret: a personal piece of information kept hidden by the character: could be about a dark past, a lost love or the true objective of their mission.
  • Fun Fact: from a favourite dish, to the reason why they chose their career and much more! These facts are meant to give more dimension to the character, without being necessarily connected to their plot.


The card format will be similar to that of a tarot card (or exactly the same as the Dixit cards, for those who know the game): 80 x 120 mm (approximately 3.1 x 4.7 inches), and will be printed on high quality paper stock (300 gsm).
Which also means that folks who prefer using sleeves to protect their cards will be able to find a wide range of options.

The frames on the back of the cards have specific colours to quickly differentiate the character categories, but without making the graphics too cluttered or less readable.

The Compendium is fully system agnostic, so it can be used with any fantasy setting or ruleset of your choice. With no mention of specific races or classes, each character can be personalised, expanded and connected within an existing IP or can merge seamlessly with your homebrew creations!
Creative freedom is at the core of this project and making sure GMs and players can adapt each portrait to their own needs and interpretations is one of the main principles of the deck.

Please keep in mind that the packaging shown in this page is just temporary: the final designs will be created once the campaign is closed and pledgers will be able to see the actual prototypes and samples once they've been created withe the manufacturing plant.
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If all of this seems interesting to you, but you're still not quite sure or maybe you'd like a more in-depth look at the cards and characters, I have the perfect solution! Check out this free sample I put together: it features 8 characters from the Arcane Compendium deck, both in booklet form (temporary design) and in card form.
The cards in this pdf are in smaller format than the ones which will be produced for the deck, but at least like this you can have a feel for what the product will look like and also print them at home, if you'd like!

Click HERE to download 8 FREE characters and printable cards!
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The Digital Compendium includes only the digital version of the Arcane Compendium deck (no expansions), as well as a PDF Booklet with all the characters.
  • Digital Deck 
  • PDF Booklet 

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.

The Token Bundle includes only the character tokens (of all the characters in the deck and unlocked expansions), with and without border.
  • Character Tokens 

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.

The Arcane Compendium includes both a physical Arcane Compendium deck, as well as the Digital Compendium.
  • Digital Deck
  • PDF Booklet 
  • Physical Arcane Compendium Deck

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.

The Digital Compendium includes only the digital version of the Arcane Compendium deck, the PDF Booklet with all the characters, as well as the digital versions of all unlocked expansions.
  • Digital Deck 
  • PDF Booklet (with all unlocked expansions)
  • Digital Magical Companions Expansion
  • Digital Spooky & Haunted Expansion
     
    UNLOCKABLE STRETCH GOALS
  • Additional Unlockable Digital Expansions.
  • Additional Unlocked Exclusive BackerKit Campaign Rewards

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.


The VTT Bundle includes the character tokens (of all the characters in the deck and unlocked expansions), with and without border, and assets/module for the VTT platform Foundry and Alchemy (both).
  • Character Tokens 
  • VTT Assets for both Foundry, Alchemy and Shard

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.

The Digital Legendary tier includes the digital version of the Arcane Compendium deck, the PDF Booklet with all the characters, as well as the digital versions of all unlocked expansions, plus the Token & VTT Bundle.
  • Digital Deck 
  • PDF Booklet (with all unlocked expansions)
  • Digital Magical Companions Expansion
  • Digital Spooky & Haunted Expansion
  • VTT Bundle (Foundry, Alchemy and Shard)
  • Token Bundle
     
    UNLOCKABLE STRETCH GOALS
  • Additional Unlockable Digital Expansions.
  • Additional Unlocked Exclusive BackerKit Campaign Rewards

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.



The Collector's Edition includes the physical version of the Arcane Compendium deck, the PDF Booklet with all the characters, as well as the physical and digital versions of the Magical Companions Expansion and the Spooky & Haunted Expansionall and of all additional unlocked expansions.
  • Digital Deck 
  • PDF Booklet (with all unlocked expansions)
  • Physical Arcane Compendium Deck 
  • Physical Magical Companions Expansion
  • Physical Spooky & Haunted Expansion
  • Digital Magical Companions Expansion
  • Digital Spooky & Haunted Expansion

UNLOCKABLE STRETCH GOALS
  • Additional Unlocked Expansions in both Physical and Digital Versions
  • Additional Unlocked Exclusive BackerKit Campaign Rewards

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.

The Legendary Edition includes the physical version of the Arcane Compendium deck, the PDF Booklet with all the characters, as well as the physical and digital versions of the Magical Companions Expansion and the Spooky & Haunted Expansion and of all additional unlocked expansions, plus the Token & VTT Bundle.
  • Digital Deck 
  • PDF Booklet (with all unlocked expansions)
  • Physical Arcane Compendium Deck 
  • Physical Magical Companions Expansion
  • Physical Spooky & Haunted Expansion
  • Digital Magical Companions Expansion
  • Digital Spooky & Haunted Expansion
  • VTT Bundle (Foundry, Alchemy and Shard)
  • Token Bundle

UNLOCKABLE STRETCH GOALS
  • Additional Unlocked Expansions in both Physical and Digital Versions
  • Additional Unlocked Exclusive BackerKit Campaign Rewards

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.

The Scroll is a limited number commission tier (see below for more information). This pledge tier includes ONLY a commissioned portrait.
  • Commission Portrait (digital file)

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.


The Artifact Edition is a limited number commission tier (see below for more information). This pledge tier includes the commission and the inclusion of the commissioned character in the deck, plus all the rewards included in the Collector's Edition and the Token and VTT Bundles.
  • Commission Portrait (digital file)
  • Commissioned Character included in the Deck
  • Digital Deck 
  • PDF Booklet (with all unlocked expansions)
  • Physical Arcane Compendium Deck 
  • Physical Magical Companions Expansion
  • Physical Spooky & Haunted Expansion
  • Digital Magical Companions Expansion
  • Digital Spooky & Haunted Expansion
  • VTT Bundle (Foundry, Alchemy and Shard)
  • Token Bundle

UNLOCKABLE STRETCH GOALS
  • Additional Unlocked Expansions in both Physical and Digital Versions
  • Exclusive BackerKit Campaign Rewards

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.



The digital Expansion Package of your choice  ("Magical Companions" or "Spooky & Haunted" or both). Each digital Expansion package contains 15 cards. If you want more than one, you'll have to add them individually to your pledge or select a tier that already includes them, like the Digital Deluxe.
If more expansions are unlocked through stretch goals, those will be available to purchase in the Digital Deluxe tier.
  • Digital version of  the Expansion of choice (15 cards)
(these expansions are included in the Collectors Edition and Artifact Edition, in both digital and physical form)

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.

The physical Expansion Package of your choice ("Magical Companions" or "Spooky & Haunted" or both). Each physical Expansion package contains 15 cards. If you want more than one, you'll have to add them individually to your pledge or select a tier that already includes them, like the Collector's Edition or the Artifact Edition.
If more expansions are unlocked through stretch goals, those will be available in the Collector's Edition or the Artifact Edition tiers.
  • Physical version of the Expansion of choice (15 cards)
(these expansions are included in the Collectors Edition and Artifact Edition, in both digital and physical form)

-📦 Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included.



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Local game shops are the pillars of the tabletop gaming community, so I'd like to do everything I can to support them!
If you're a retailer and you're interested in my deck, please get in contact with me and let's chat about it!

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A professional Cultural Consultant, James Mendez Hodes, has been hired to check both the artworks and the character bios and make sure the contents of the deck are respectful and appropriate.
The design (still in the works) is also being created consulting dyslexic and neurodivergent folks, to make sure the cards are as accessible as possible. From the font, to the text spacing, to the colour choices, everything has been decided after consulting dyslexic and neurodivergent people.

A note from the creator: When it came to representation and accessibility, it was of the utmost importance to me to make sure that the deck and its content included a wide array of characters and identities, which I believe deserve a voice in the TTRPG space.
The community has given me a lot during the last few years, so I want to give back, being mindful of the needs of those who are often left out.
I am grateful to all the wonderful people who have allowed me some of their time to review the cards and give feedback on the designs.

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80% of the character portraits are already finished and a few more just need some final tweaks to be complete. The commissioned characters for Artifact Edition tier, will be completed once the necessary information is received after the pledges are collected (see below for info).
When it comes to the writing, 1/3 of the character bios have been reviewed and approved by the cultural consultant and the rest are being worked on, and all of them need to then be sent to the cultural consultant and editor for approval.

  • August 2023: Campaign Ends & Pledge Manager opens
  • September 2023: Pledge Manager closes, 
    • Deadline for the Artifact Edition commission tiers
  • October-December 2023: completion of all the artwork, character bios and formatting
  • January 2024: Cultural Consultant & Editor passes and approvals on the deck
  • February 2024: Samples will be requested from the manufacturer
  • March 2024: Final edits and approvals to the deck
  • April 2024: Production Starts
  • May 2024: Digital rewards sent
  • June 2024: Freight shipping from the manufacturer to the fullfillment company (takes around 40 days)
  • July 2024: Shipping to customers starts

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Please be aware that
- Shipping, taxes, customs and duties are not included in the pledge levels.
- Shipping will be calculated and charged in the pledge manager once the campaign is completed.
- Shipping charges vary based on your country and region.
- The shipping rates you see above are estimates. Actual shipping costs will be calculated when shipping is charged, based on current market rates.
- VAT are GST not included in pledge levels: they will be calculated and charged in the pledge manager once the campaign is completed.
- Customs and duties are not included in pledge levels, they are the responsibility of the recipient: should they apply to you and your region, they will be your responsibility on receipt of the package.


Unfortunately, we cannot ship to Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine (Crimea/Sevastopol). Thank you for understanding.

The fulfillment company will be shipping from the US. 

After the campaign, your order and add-ons will be managed by BackerKit's pledge manager, which will calculate your shipping costs, taxes and VAT, and add it to your card on check out.
Production will be handled by AdMagic and Fulfillment and shipping will be handled by Blackbox.
BackerKit, AdMagic and Blackbox are extremely professional companies and together with them the creator will do their best to deliver everything as quickly and smoothly as possible, but there is always an inherent risk of delays, especially with the lingering effects of COVID-19.
We will be sure to keep backers well informed of any progress and speedbumps we may hit along the way and are committed to delivering a quality product as quickly as possible. 
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A special thank you goes to:
- Cal (See Wut) who created the video trailer for this project!
- BackerKit's Chandler Copenhaver for helping the creator of the project putting it together and navigating this first crowdfunding experience.
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Would you like to be immortalised in the deck as a wise mage? Or maybe add you beloved pet to the ranks of the royal guards? All of that (and much more) is possible with the Artifact Edition of the Arcane Compendium of Characters!

Once the commission process is complete, the commissioner will receive:
-A high resolution drawing of the requested character in JPG, in square format on grey neutral background, like the samples displayed in The Scroll section below.
-A high resolution card file in JPG (one file for the front, one for the back, with the bio of the character), like the card samples below.
-If the commissioner requested to have the character included in the deck, the card will indeed be present in the deck and the commissioner will receive it with the rest of the physical rewards.
-If the commissioner requested not to have the character included in he deck, they will only received the commission as a digital file, and then the rest of the physical rewards as described.

THE COMMISSION PROCESS
  1. Once the campaign is successfully funded and finished, the people who selected this pledge will be asked to provide a couple of photos of themselves or of a pet, and to fill in a short form with the necessary information to describe the type of character they want to be turned into. 
  2. The creator will then produce a sketch of the portraits and send it for approval to the commissioner. Once the sketch is approved by the commissioner, no changes can be made to pose, clothing or major features.
  3. The creator will then send the clean lineart and base colours for approval too. Once those are approved, no major changes can be made either.
  4. The final stage will see the artwork fully painted and finished, and sent to the commissioner as a digital file.

Depending on the creator's workload, it might take from 1-4 months to complete a commission. This is also affected by the order in which the entirety of the required information and approvals are provided.

It is possible to request the creator not to include the character commission in the deck. Commissioners will be able to specify their preference in this regard in the above mentioned commission form.

WHAT IS ALLOWED AND WHAT ISN'T
  • The creator will only draw 1 character. No companions or additional figures.
  • The photo reference is mandatory. The creator will not draw a subject from another drawing or sketch.
  • No fanart allowed (for legal reasons). The character MUST be fully based on the commissioner or their pet.
  • The portraits will all be mid-torso/shoulders up. Arms/hands will most likely not be included. (see samples below)
  • Weapons and special equipment might be partially visible on the side or behind the character's back, but can't be the main focus.
  • No obscene, gory or NSFW content is allowed.
  • No mecha, no sci-fi, no creatures, no monsters.
  • The portraits will be painted in the semi-realistic style you see in the samples: not cartoony or photorealistic or anime.
  • The creator reserves the right to reject commission requests that don't suit their style or the deck or that don't follow these rules.
  • The creator reserves the right to interrupt the commission process and fully or partially refund any commissioner that is rude, abusive or that does not communicate promptly.
  • Commissioners that don't provide all the necessary information (photos and filled commission form) within 3 weeks from the time in which the creator reaches out to them, will lose their commission slot and be refunded. Which means they will not get any of the physical rewards either.

If you're interested in this pledge tier, but aren't sure if your idea fits the requirements, please feel free to reach out to the creator via email by clicking here.

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The Scroll is a commission tier only. It does NOT include the deck or any of the expansions.
If you'd like to grab a commission and a copy of the deck, you can either add the Arcane Compendium deck and the Expansions as add-ons or get the Artifact Edition, which includes the physical and digital versions of the deck and all unlocked expansions.

The commissioner will receive a high resolution drawing of the requested character in JPG, in square format on grey neutral background, like the samples displayed below.

THE COMMISSION PROCESS
  1. Once the campaign is successfully funded and finished, the people who selected this pledge will be asked to fill in a short form with the necessary information to describe the commissioned character.
  2. The creator will then produce a sketch of the portraits and send it for approval to the commissioner. Once the sketch is approved by the commissioner, no changes can be made to pose, clothing or major features.
  3. The creator will then send the clean lineart and base colours for approval too. Once those are approved, no major changes can be made either.
  4. The final stage will see the artwork fully painted and finished, and sent to the commissioner as a digital file.

Depending on the creator's workload, it might take from 1-4 months to complete a commission. This is also affected by the order in which the entirety of the required information and approvals are provided.

The characters commissioned with this pledge tier will NOT be included in the deck.

WHAT IS ALLOWED AND WHAT ISN'T
  • The creator will only draw 1 character. No companions or additional figures.
  • The portraits will all be mid-torso/shoulders up. Arms/hands will most likely not be included. (see samples below)
  • Weapons and special equipment might be partially visible on the side or behind the character's back, but can't be the main focus.
  • No obscene, gory or NSFW content is allowed.
  • No mecha, no creatures, no monsters.
  • The portraits will be painted in the semi-realistic style you see in the samples: not cartoony or photorealistic or anime.
  • The creator reserves the right to reject commission requests that don't suit their style or that don't follow these rules.
  • The creator reserves the right to interrupt the commission process and fully or partially refund any commissioner that is rude, abusive or that does not communicate promptly.
  • Commissioners that don't provide all the necessary information (photos and filled commission form) within 4 weeks from the time in which the creator reaches out to them, will lose their commission slot and be refunded. 

If you're interested in this pledge tier, but aren't sure if your idea fits the requirements, please feel free to reach out to the creator via email by clicking here.
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This is the creator's first crowdfunding and there are a lot of parts to juggle in a similar endeavour.
The creator has surrounded themselves with professional and experiences people for this project and thoroughly researched everything before launch.
As mentioned in the "Next Steps & Timeline" section, a huge chunk of the material is already complete and the rest is being worked on. The companies for manufacturing and fulfillment have already been chosen and are in direct communication with the creator.

COVID 19 and the paper shortages of the last years still has lingering effects on production and shipping, which is why the creator has taken into account delays and price fluctuations in their calculations.
There's always risks with big projects, when it comes to delays and shipping, which is why the creator will make sure to keep backers updated throughout the entire process.
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Hello everyone, this is Eren speaking!
As the creator of the Arcane Compendium, I wanted to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being here and showing interest and support for this project. This has been a dream of mine for several years now, and finally having a chance to bring it to life is something I feel extremely grateful for!
I hope you like the project and that you will love the deck once it arrives in your hands! I sure can't wait to see it! :D

In the meanwhile, if you'd like to support me on other platforms, here's how you can do so!

And if you like my artwork and would love to start including my TTRPG portraits in your games, you can check out my ArtVenturing Guild!
The ArtVenturing Guild is Eren's Patreon project for all the TTRPG enthusiasts who like beautiful, high quality art, but don’t have the skills or the time to draw, or the money to invest into commissioned pieces. It is not only a place to find art resources for TTRPGs, but also a vibrant community of people who exchange ideas and have fun creating together.
The character art from the Guild can be used for PCs, NPCs or anything else players and DMs might need, for home games and even streamed games.
It's where this all started and I wouldn't have been able to support and complete this project without the Guild Members! <3



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