P.T. Lamark’s Cryptid Codex: A Bestiary for 5e

100k Goal Reached!
9 months ago – Sat, Nov 08, 2025 at 07:09:08 AM

Hey everyone!

We’ve officially crossed $100,000 what an incredible milestone! Your support has helped us unlock one of our biggest stretch goals yet: the Devil of the Pines Adventure Module (PDF).

The Devil of the Pines Has Been Unleashed

Every backer at the PDF tier or higher will now receive this new one-shot adventure for free.

In this 5e module, players will hunt the Jersey Devil through the mist-shrouded Pine Barrens, guided by P.T. LaMarck himself. You’ll uncover the creature’s dark origins, explore its cursed forest, and decide how your table chooses to take on the iconic cryptid.

Another free upgrade added to the pile! The list of bonuses keeps growing with every milestone.

What’s Next?

The hunt continues! With The Devil of the Pines unlocked, we’re setting our sights on the next two goals; both expanding the world of the Codex in exciting new ways.

• $125,000 - International Cryptids Expansion
  Unlocks five new monsters drawn from global folklore and legend, expanding the Cryptid Codex beyond the borders of the United States. (And we'll open up some more guest designer spots!)
• $150,000 - Cryptid Quest Deck (PDF)
  Adds a 50-card Quest Deck PDF filled with cryptid-themed hooks and story prompts. Each card offers a quick side quest that can drop right into your campaign. If you aren't familiar with our Quest Decks line, these are perfect for notice boards, quick downtime quest, or jumpstarting a new adventure.

We’ve also got a few more things in the works behind the scenes, including new add-ons and some surprises we’ll be revealing soon. The community around this project has been amazing to see grow, and we can’t thank you enough for sharing, commenting, and helping us bring these legends to life.

Stay tuned we’re not done yet!!

• John & Jarrett

A Wild Weekend and a New Stretch Goal
10 months ago – Mon, Nov 03, 2025 at 11:07:48 AM

Hey everyone!

Hope you all had a great Halloween weekend! Since our last update, we’ve had a huge surge of support. We blew past the $65,000 stretch goal, officially unlocking Versatile Lairs, and quickly climbed past 1,000 backers. And we are now sitting at over $80,000 raised!

Thank you all for keeping this momentum going. Every new backer helps us expand what P.T. LaMarck’s Cryptid Codex can become.

Versatile Lairs Unlocked

With this goal unlocked, the Codex will now include a full section of Versatile Lairs. These are modular monster lairs that can pair with any cryptid. Each lair is designed to heighten a creature’s presence, turning an encounter into something memorable and deeply atmospheric. 

We are excited to include many recognizable U.S. locations, including the misty Pine Barrens, Northwest forests, and endless underground caverns. Adding a lair to a creature typically increases its threat. A cryptid in its place of power may become significantly more dangerous depending on which lair actions you choose to use!

Next Up: Free Bonus Adventure! The Devil of the Pines (PDF)

Our next stretch goal is a big one! At $100,000, EVERY backer with a PDF pledge or higher will receive a FREE bonus adventure: The Devil of the Pines.

In this 5e module, made exclusively for backers of Cryptid Codex, your players will investigate the legendary Jersey Devil through the mist-shrouded Pine Barrens, guided by P.T. LaMarck himself. Discover the origins of one of America’s most famous cryptids, uncover the secrets of its cursed forest, and face off against one of the most iconic creatures in our book!

Community Picks: New Art Reveals

Our last update saw an incredible number of comments as everyone voted on which cryptid art they wanted to see revealed next. The results are in, and your top three picks were:

• Slide-Rock Bolter
• Fresno Nightcrawlers
• Dover Demon

Here’s your first look at the winners:

Projects to Follow!

We always like to spotlight other amazing creators in the tabletop space, and this a great one to check out: 

Ancient beasts, primal gods, and untamed magic. Lords of the Jungle is your all-in-one 5E+ toolkit for brutal survival, lost temples, and dinosaur-riding warfare. Create characters of the wild jungle with new races and subraces, unique and ferocious Aztec inspired classes, primal subclasses, subraces, spells, and cured magic items drawn from lost empires, serpent cults, and primeval terror. 

What’s Next

We’re still rolling strong and have some exciting new add-ons to announce soon... things we’ve been quietly working on behind the scenes that we can’t wait to share.

Thank you all again for keeping this campaign growing and for being such an active, supportive community. The hunt continues!

•  The Dice Dungeons Team

Happy Halloween, Cryptid Hunters! 🎃
10 months ago – Fri, Oct 31, 2025 at 09:51:33 AM

Hey everyone!

It’s Halloween, and the timing couldn’t be better! We’re just shy of the $65,000 stretch goal, and that means Versatile Lairs is about to unlock! With only a little more ground to cover, we’ll soon be adding a whole new section to the book of modular lairs you can attach to any cryptid.

Who's That Cryptid!

For our next update, we’re going to reveal three new pieces of art straight from the Codex. But this time, we want you to help decide which ones appear first.

Comment on this update and tell us which creature you want to see revealed:

• Slide-Rock Bolter
• Dover Demon
• Fresno Nightcrawlers
• Ozark Howler
• Boggy Creek Monster

We’ll tally the comments and feature the top three in our next update.

Thank you all again for the enthusiasm, stories, and support. Keep the votes coming, and maybe share which cryptid you’d least want to meet on a foggy Halloween night.

 John and Jarrett 

= The Dice Dungeons Team

Setting Primer Unlocked! And More to Come!
10 months ago – Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 12:16:41 PM

It's incredible that we are less than a week into the campaign and we have officially crossed $50,000, unlocking the American Wilds Setting Primer for all backers!

This PDF supplement will expand on the world of P.T. LaMarck’s Cryptid Codex, introducing new regions, story hooks, and encounter ideas to help GMs build full cryptid-themed adventures. It is all about bringing the folklore to life and giving you tools to weave these creatures into your campaigns.

Because of your support, every backer at the book tier or higher is now getting a ton of extra content completely free.

You’ve already unlocked:

• New Player Backgrounds including cryptid hunters, folklore researchers, and investigators.
• Artifacts of the Unknown, a collection of rare and powerful magic items tied to the creatures of the Codex.
• And now, the American Wilds Setting Primer, a guide filled with world building information, encounters ideas, and story hooks.

We’re so thankful for how much energy everyone has brought to this project. The comments, shares, and support have been incredible!

Up Next: Versatile Lairs

Our next stretch goal is Versatile Lairs, a new collection of modular encounter locations designed to pair with any cryptid in the Codex.

These lairs draw inspiration from the American wilderness, from the misty Pine Barrens to the deep Northwest forests and the endless underground caverns beneath them. Each one includes unique hazards, narrative hooks, and scalable challenges to make your encounters even more memorable.

With your help, we can bring these dangerous locations to life and give every creature a place to call home.

Thanks again and have a great weekend! Next week we plan to have some more art previews ready for you!!

- John & Jarrett

Artifacts of the Unknown Unlocked!
10 months ago – Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 05:43:01 PM

What a start. In just three days, P.T. Lamark's Cryptid Codex has already grown beyond what we hoped for. More than 650 backers have joined the expedition, rocketing us past $37,500 and keeping the campaign on track for an incredible month ahead.

From day one, you’ve turned this project into a community. Seeing your excitement in the comments, the state cryptid guesses, and all the shares across social media has been awesome. Thank you for helping this project reach even more cryptid hunters!

Goal Unlocked: Artifacts of the Unknown

We’ve reached over $37,500, unlocking Artifacts of the Unknown. This goal introduces a collection of magical relics drawn from cryptid legends, each with its own story and mystery. Every artifact ties back to a real piece of folklore, designed to weave cryptid myth into your world. 

Up Next: American Wilds Setting Primer

Our next goal is already closing in! At $50,000 we will unlock the American Wilds Setting Primer, a digital guide for all backers.

This PDF expands the world around P.T. Lamark’s Cryptid Codex, offering towns, regions, and encounters designed for running your own cryptid-themed adventures. It’s a way to turn the book’s legends into a living, playable setting. And it becomes a FREE download to all backers once we hit 50k.

The Adventure Continues

If you haven’t already, come hang out with us on Discord. We’ve set up a dedicated Cryptid Codex channel where backers are sharing favorite creatures, encounter ideas, and theories about what P.T. Lamark might have found next. 

Now, we’re heading into the weekend with new stretch goals ahead and fresh art to share. Thank you again for making this launch such a success!

Jarrett and John 

• The Dice Dungeons Team