Heliana & Ryoko's Guide to Mythozoology

Zodiac Dragons & Draconic Domains!
29 days ago – Sun, Jul 19, 2026 at 12:33:59 PM

Mini Update!

Hey everyone! The Zodiac Dragons and their domains will be rampaging on Backerkit within the next week, so be sure to head over there to download the PDF and unleash them on your players ! The domains give each dragon stat block different abilities depending on the real world cycle of the zodiac (we're in the year of the Fire Horse right now) letting our world influence your epic boss battles!

Ryoko's Guide Nominated For The ENNIES!

Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms recieved THREE ennie nomations, and we need your help! Voting takes just 10 seconds and makes a HUGE impact!

Vote for Ryoko's Best Setting here! https://shorturl.at/UzzKz

Vote for Wrath of the Kaiju Best Monsters here! https://shorturl.at/Unkoi

Vote for Ryoko's Best Aid / Accessory here! https://shorturl.at/ZaWbf 
 

Thanks so much! Enjoy the zodiac dragons, and we'll hit you up again next month when Mythozoology playtest wave 2 is ready to start rolling out! 🥳🥳

• Will and the Team

Get Ready to Game - Mythozoology Playtest Wave 1 Is Live!
about 1 month ago – Mon, Jul 06, 2026 at 10:52:12 AM

It's Here!

Hey everyone! Mythozoology Playtest Wave 1 is now LIVE! It's like a much more beautiful Unearthed Arcana. That means, if you've filled out your Backerkit survey, you'll be able to download the playtest material from your purchased books that forms Playtest Wave 1! There's a ton of player material from Ryoko's Forbidden Myths, and 6 adventures from Heliana's Forgotten Monsters up right now.

More playtest material is also dropping within the next week or so, including the Zodiac Dragons and their Domain Expansion, so remember to check Backerkit every now and then to catch the latest version of the playtest, and any new stuff we drop! 

Your Feedback

Mythozoology is YOUR project! Your support has brought it to life, and you dictate the path we take when finalising the material across all books. The playtest PDFs all include a link to feedback survey where you can leave your thoughts and ideas; everything from spelling errors, formatting mistakes, balance tweaks, and positive comments on things you really love. We read all feedback and implement changes before the final release to ensure every book is the best it can be!

Survey Reminder

Remember, you won't be able to access your playtest material until your Backerkit survey is completed and your order has been locked (which we do every Monday night). If you need help with your survey, this update explains how to access your survey and fill everything out. We're always here to support if you need us, too, either at [email protected] or on the Loot Tavern Discord server.

Projects We Love - Free Stuff + 1,500 More Pages of D&D Expansions!

If you're enjoying Mythozoology and Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms, you can grab 1,500 MORE pages of D&D Expansions I've created over on the DnD Shorts Patreon right now! By joining at the Red Dragon Tier, you get INSTANT access to over 25 full expansions, complete with Subclasses, Species, Feats, Rules Expansions, Maps, Spells, Ready-to-Play Adventures, and more, with stunning original art. 

That's like 6 entire D&D books for £10, and I release a full additional expansion every month on there too. There's even three FREE expansions for you to check out on the Patreon right away. If you're a fan of the content I create for Ryoko's and Mythozoology, check it out for tons more awesome material for your games as well.

Hope y'all Americans had a wonderful July 4th, and we'll ping you with another update when the next wave of playtest material is finalised!

• Will and the Team

Mini Update: Locking Orders!
about 2 months ago – Fri, Jun 26, 2026 at 07:43:29 AM

Hey everyone, just dropping by with a mini-update to remind y'all that orders are being locked today for folks who have completed their Mythozoology Backerkit survey! This is in advance of Mythozoology Playtest Wave 1, which is dropping just after the July 4th long weekend. When it arrives, you'll receive playtest material for anything you have in your locked basket! 

Been Busy? If you have yet to complete your survey on Backerkit, you can do so anytime - moving forward we will be locking orders every Monday night. After your order is locked (upon completing the survey, picking up your add ons, and confirming any free bonuses on Backerkit) you can access any playtest content for any of the material you have purchased!

Unlocking & Changing Orders. We lock orders so that we can give the right playtest material to the right backers. If you want to change anything in your order after it is locked, you can do so - it's possible to amend your order all the way until we start shipping. To make changes to your order you'll need to contact us directly (see the Need Help section below).

Playtest Wave 1

As a reminder, here's the material coming in Playtest Wave 1 early next month!

Material from Ryoko's Forbidden Myths

• Half of the playable species from Forbidden Myths, including the Hakkai, Tantakon, Kappa, and Konomin
• Half of the core subclasses from Forbidden Myths, including the Yokai Knight Fighter, Ceramicist Bard, Nexus Rogue, and Demon Soul Monk
• Various monsters from the Ryoko's bestiary, including all 12 Zodiac Dragons and the Zodiac Domains
• Kaiju Summoning mechanics

Heliana's Forgotten Monsters

• 6 full monster hunt adventures
• 50+ craftable items
• 20+ spells
• 6 bespoke familiars (trainable by the Tamer!)
• 60 + monsters

Projects We Love

SoManyRobots is part of the Mythozoology team, helping out with species balance testing, and they've also got an awesome campaign live right now: Machines of Bone & Blood! The book details the terrors of the Necroindustrial Revolution — a massive upheaval as reanimation magic advances to the point of remaking society.

It includes two new terrifying classes, dozens of subclasses, plus species, monsters, items, spells, and more! Machines of Bone & Blood transforms your game with horror rooted in real history, whether you're playing 5E (2014) or 5.5E (2024)! 

Need Help?

As always, we're here to support and help out if you need anything at all. Simply hit us up at [email protected] or on the Loot Tavern Discord server.

We'll drop another update when the playtest goes live. See you soon for the first wave of content after the July 4th celebrations!

• Will and the Loot Tavern Team

Locking Orders and Road to the Playtest!!
2 months ago – Fri, Jun 12, 2026 at 09:55:58 AM

Playtest Round 1 is Coming!!

Hey everyone, hope you're doing well! I'm happy to confirm we're 100% on track for the playtest to kick off with a massive drop in about 3 weeks! As mentioned previously, due to the scale of this project and the multiple books it's split across, we'll be doing playtests in waves; I'll leave a list below of anticipated content in the Heliana's Forgotten Monsters and Ryoko's Forbidden Myths beta PDFs coming soon at the bottom of this update. As we prepare for your feedback on that material, there's a few things to dive into...

Backerkit Orders Are Locked And Charged on June 26th

If you've yet to complete your survey, you should do so as soon as you can. Backerkit is where we put the playtest content to download and review and you can only download playtest material if your order is locked and paid.

Lock Date. We're aiming to lock in Backerkit orders and collect payment on June 26th; you  can expect to be charged on or shortly after June 26th for any add ons you grabbed as part of your survey. Note that you've already paid on Kickstarter for your Kickstarter pledge - this is only a charge for those extra add ons you might have grabbed. Playtest material will be available a few days after orders are locked.

Monday is Ongoing Lock Day. Moving forward, we will be locking and charging orders every Monday after June 26th. If you place your order or complete payment after that time, you should get your Beta PDFs on the following Monday night. If you need your order locked and charged earlier please reach out to us! See the Need Help section below for the best way to get into touch.

Unlocking & Changing Orders. We lock orders so that we can give the right playtest material to the right backers. If you want to change anything in your order after it is locked, you can do so - it's possible to ammend your order all the way until we start shipping. To unlock an order you'll need to contact us directly (see the Need Help section below).

Shameless Add-on Plug. We've put together packs of our dice d6s for all you wizards that like to cast Fireball and Meteor Swarm (or you war gamers who only use cube clicky clacks.) You can find them at the bottom of the addon page!

Pay Over Time Backers Get Survey's Soon!

For those who used Kickstarters pay-over-time service, your final payment will occur on June 16th. You will receive your Backerkit survey soon thereafter where you can confirm your address, upgrade covers, and add add-ons. Any additions you make will be charged on the 26th of June, as explained above! You'll then get access to the Beta test PDFs through Backekrit, the same as everyone else.

Playtest Material Round 1

As mentioned before, due to the scale of Mythozoology, we're releasing playtest material in waves. We're also trying to diversify content between each book as we release playtest content, so you'll receive mostly player content from Ryoko's in the first wave, and mostly adventure content from Heliana's. That way you can use Ryoko's material to playtest the Heliana adventures if you have both books, and as we progress through the playtest, the inverse will become possible too! Material from other books like the Mech Manual and Companion Compendium will be released in later waves; we're prioritizing the content from the core books in this first wave.

Here's what we anticipate from the first wave of playtest material:

Material from Ryoko's Forbidden Myths

One PDF, Ryoko's Forbidden Myths Beta 1, with:

• Half of the playable species from Forbidden Myths, including the Hakkai, Tantakon, Kappa, and Konomin.
• Half of the core subclasses from Forbidden Myths, including the Yokai Knight Fighter, Ceramicist Bard, Nexus Rogue, and Demon Soul Monk.
• Various monsters from the bestiary, including all 12 Zodiac Dragons.
• The Kaiju Summoning Lite mechanics.

Heliana's Forgotten Monsters

One PDF, Heliana's Forgotten Monsters Beta 1, with:

• 6 full monster hunt adventures.
• 50+ craftable items.
• 20+ spells.
• 6 bespoke familiars (trainable by the Tamer!).
• 60 + monsters. 

I'd hoped to release this update last week, but came down with a charmingly named (and utterly horrible) illness called Labyrinthitis. I'm on the mend, and although it typically lasts a few weeks, the worst symptoms are behind me - I'm able to walk again and work for at least a few hours each day! We were way ahead on content for Ryoko's Forbidden Myths, so the illness hasn't caused any delay to the playtest process. 

Need Help?

As always, we're here to support and help out if you need anything at all. Simply hit us up at [email protected] or on the Loot Tavern Discord server.

We'll drop another update when the playtest goes live. See you soon for the first wave on content - can't wait to see what y'all build and your feedback on finalising the material!

• Will and the Loot Tavern Team

Mythozoology Survey's Incoming!!
3 months ago – Wed, May 06, 2026 at 09:59:16 AM

Finalising Orders

BEWARE! For your Backerkit survey is coming very soon (most likely next week). That survey is the place where you can enter your shipping information, upgrade book covers, choose your VTT platform (if you got one), add on any other things you may have missed, and confirm if you want to receive any eligible bonus rewards (like early backer dice)! 

For example, many people who purchased the Dual Book and Octo Book Tiers were interested in upgrading their book covers to the Deluxe versions. There's also books from previous campagins and dice bundles—like Fireball bundles of d6s—that weren't available during the KS campaign.

Missing Payments. If your payment didn't go through on Kickstarter, don't worry! You’ll be able to update payment information and confirm the products in your basket on Backerkit.

Pay Over Time. If you select the pay over time option on Kickstarter, you will receive your surveys once the final payment is made!

Smoke Test. In order to make sure everything is working, we'll run a "smoke test" this week or early next week. That's where we take a very small number of backers at random and send them the survey early just to make sure everything is working. When we hear back from those random users that everything is running smoothly, we’ll send the survey out to everybody!

Missing Rewards? If you think you should have been eligible for one of the free rewards (like early or returning backer), please reach out to Chef on the Loot Tavern Discord server.

Deluxe Cover Upgrades & Slipcases

When you get to the pledge manager on Backerkit, you’ll be able to upgrade things. You can get the fancy foil-embossed Deluxe book covers as shown above, or even upgrade to the Slipcase as shown below!

Slipcase. Here's how this works: The slipcase will be packaged by the manufacturer with the four books inside of it: Deluxe Heliana's Forgotten Monsters, Deluxe Ryoko's Forbidden Myths, The Art of Forgotten Monsters, and The Art of Forbidden Myths. They are all packed as a single unit (which prevents damage in transit and lowers your shipping costs). The slipcase appears as a single line item in your basket—don’t worry if you don’t see the books individually listed.

Upgrading to Include the Slipcase. If you're in the Dual Book, Quad Book, Octo Book, Heliana's Core, Ryoko's Core or Dual Core tiers, you can upgrade your order to include the slipcase, deluxe cover upgrades, AND the two Art books if you'd like to.

Already Added Either of the Art Books? If you already added either of the Art Books as an addon in Kickstarter and choose to get the slipcase bundle, let us know by immediately contacting Backerkit Support and ask them to "remove both of The Art of Forgotten Monsters or The Art of Forbidden Myth  Kickstarter addon because you have selected the slipcase addon". They'll remove the extra Art Books so that you don't get too many of them, and ensure you're not charged for additional books.

Deluxe and All-in. These tiers already gets the slipcase for free, and include the Art books and deluxe cover books as standard.

Looking to Switch your Pledge Level?

If you'd like to change your pledge tier all together you can do so in Backerkit! Simply click 'Switch your Pledge Level' and choose the tier you would like to upgrade to! See the graphic below. NOTE: it is advisable to only move up pledge levels as your payment on Kickstarter will be more than the amount for lower tiers pledges and you may have unallocated funds left over.

Shipping and Addresses 

Shipping and Taxes. Shipping and taxes will be charged once the project is close to fulfilling in around 18-24 months. For a breakdown of estimated shipping charges, you can check out this graphic. For taxes and duties, you can check your government's information on imports.

Address Changes. Thinking you might move? Mythozoology is expected to fulfill in Q4 of 2027. Closer to that time, we'll send out reminders asking you to update your address if you have moved. Don't sweat it until then, there's plenty of time to update if your address changes!

Require assistance?

If you have any questions you can reach us through our email, where the Loot Tavern Team will get back to you in no later than two business days. An even better way to reach us is the #mythozoology-questions channel of the Loot Tavern Discord Server, where answers are usually less than a day away.

Project We Love: Neon Odyssey!

Our friends over at Legends of Avantris have just launched Neon Odyssey! It's a 1,400+ page trilogy that brings Space Opera to D&D 5.5e, drawing inspiration from legendary Sci-Fi Films, retro Video Games, classic Animation, pop-culture Nostalgia, and more! Launch into a space adventure with galactic GM Tools in a colorfully cosmic Campaign Setting, or suit up with an astral arsenal of Player Options to soar among the stars. They're storming off big time; check it out here!! 

We're not salty that they beat our record on their first day. Nope. Not at all. But FR, they might wanna watch their backs... No-one can hear you scream in space...

JUST KIDDING, we love Avantris, go check out their page, they have an amazing video with a beautiful soundtrack that is worth the watch alone!

Support

The surveys will be out in the next few weeks, and playtests in the next few months. We'll keep you informed along the way! Remember you can always reach out to us on the Loot Tavern Discord server.

Thanks,

Will & the LT Team