FEVER DREAM NEXUS

Suzum, the Bestiary, and Artefacts!
8 months ago – Tue, Aug 26, 2025 at 08:21:15 PM

Greetings Sleepwalkers, its Sophia this time, Holly has recently been taken out due to a major surgery (she's fine) so I'm here to share some progress.

As touched on in the last update, I had to take some time off from the book this summer to focus on both my day job and personal life. I've not made as much headway in filling out some of the remaining art and content for the book as I'd like these past few months, so this update will be a little slim. 

Coming back to the book, Holly and I have opted to cut a lot of what we call "fat" from the second draft. Around 10~ messy, first draft Region/City pages in the DM's section have been either condensed, cut, or had their encounters moved to more appropriate locations. We're hoping a tighter, more focused vision can help us finalize this thing.

Besides that, the usual fight to mechanically balance content and table-filling continues. As I was away from the book these last couple of months I don't have as much art to share, instead I offer two Regions from the yet unrevealed plate of Suzum:

Suzum is a strange plate. Wrecked with Fever birthed from hosting the site at which Ziggy died, the mix of tropics and arid Regions has been turned upside down and twisted into oddities.

You may have noticed that beasts no longer have their individual stats or HP listed, instead they've been turned into entries in a collected reference section for each plate- or as most people traditionally would called it, a Bestiary.  

Giving beasts a separate page detailing their stats and descriptions has helped us a lot content wise, we're no longer wasting space on the Region page to detail the same entities over and over. This allows us to make each encounter much more interesting. Anything from rats to thugs to Pink-Belly Kings can have unique abilities, loot, or even tracks; along with more in-depth lore linking it to the world. 

Additionally, we've talked in the past about Mythical Blades and Treasure tables, but we have yet to reveal the Artefacts referenced so frequently in the Nexus. Heres a smorgasbord of 12 Artefacts from the table in the back of the book:

Artefacts are strange anomalous equipment encountered across the nexus - whether that's relics of by-gone plates and eras, prosthetics for missing limbs, mundane real world items described oddly by the POV of the PCs, or sacred idols from a past long forgotten. These items serve to reward players with something less combaty than Mythical Blades but more valuable than mundane Treasure. They're also just plain fun.

That's all I wanted to show off today - it's a smaller update for sure but a necessary one to keep you all in the loop with our progress. I know it's been a journey as of late with constant deadline and date pushing, I really appreciate all of your kind messages and comments you guys drop on each post. We hope that come update time this December the burden that is the DM-side of content will be complete and we can finish up Backer content, with printing following as early as possible next year.

Until then, goodnight, don't let the Rustjaws bite (go get a tetanus shot)!

 

Mythological Blades, Rival Sleepwalkers, and a Culture of Devils!
12 months ago – Wed, Apr 30, 2025 at 10:11:38 PM

Greetings Sleepwalkers, unsheathe your legendary swords and prepare for the arrival of your wretched Rivals, the time for battle is nigh!

Holly again! I'm excited to take a moment and share some of the new stuff we've made :)

Progress has been a bit slower than desired lately as Sophia's day job has been affected by the economic ongoings in the world and she's been focusing on stabilizing her personal life first and foremost while still taking time to get art done for the book. This slight delay will hopefully be short and help both of us recover from burn out after hacking away at this thing for the better part of two years. 

Despite that, we're continuing to work hard on delivering the best project possible to you all. We are shooting for a release in 2025 and we will of course keep you updated going forward like we have with future time estimates. This behemoth of a book will be in your hands and we are committed to finishing it up and won't stop grinding away until this thing's done.

Since last update we've both been working to finish up some of the stretch goals promised. Beyond that I've continued to clean up and refine older pages and Sophia has finalized some new cultures along with a bunch of DM content like wilds, towns, etc. There's still lots to do and lots of art to make but without further ado we're excited to show you our first stretch goal, Mythological blades!

This is the stretch goal we were most excited to hit while funding this book as it gives the party some new side goals to work towards and expands the ancient lore of the Nexus.

Mythical blades are initially mundane, dull pieces of metal with a fancy shape and title. To earn the ability to wield the legendary blades of yore one must 'bond' with it first. Bonding with a weapon involves completing a small quest or requirement and thereby unlocking its special power within. As only one PC can truly become the next would-be Prince, we hope this system offers more endgame options outside Prince parts, giving more power to other members of the party against some of the stronger foes they might run into... like Rival Sleepwalkers!

Initially our thought was to copy the Judas table from kingdoms with only 6 total Rival-Sleepwalkers however we later decided on rolling them. Rival Sleepwalkers each come with their own unique backgrounds, shadows, and equipment much like players. They are annoying, antagonistic assholes who are wildly unpredictable and chaotic in their pursuit to undermine the players in their goals.

Next up we're excited to show off a recently finished Culture created by one of our Daimyo backers! the devilish Elirian:

From the depths of Eliria come the half-devil-half-human Elirian. Hiding an invisible third arm, these oft unknown ghosts blend into our cities and seem to worm their way to positions of power. You can never really tell what an Elirian is thinking, but they are very well aware of what you are. Their stone walled and glassy stare echo back with a nigh supernatural intensity.

That about does it, yet still there's tons of more content we're working on and we can't wait to show it off in the future! 

Before we go, we just wanted to say thanks for your support in this journey. We've thrown around many release dates and time windows and we understand a blank time-frame of "2025" might be annoying - we will continue doing our quarterly updates and grinding away to give you the best possible product we can deliver. Expect to see us again around late July with more cool content.

Until then, don't let your consciousness go quietly into this sunset... the future of a bright new day lies in wait to those who walk when they should sleep.

A Buncha Cultures and Equipment!
over 1 year ago – Fri, Jan 24, 2025 at 10:51:51 AM

Greetings Sleepwalkers, Holly here! 

Me and Sophia have both been recovering from the Flu for the last couple of weeks, and with Sophia still under the weather, I thought I’d take time to write the update and show y'all some content.

We’re continuing on pace as set forward in the previous update. I’ve been doing a lot of editing on the DM side of the book, proofing old pages, and adjusting layouts and colors for print. 

Sophia has been absolutely killing it on art for the remaining cultures and once we're done we’ll be reaching out to our Daimyo backers. In the meantime consider referring to some of the previous cultures shown to think about who, what, and where your culture might be or look like - almost anything goes so have fun.

Now, content! This update we've been working on the plate of Harrow and many of the cultures that reside there, starting with the prettiest Culture of the Nexus, ( or so they would tell you... ) the Toma: 

Toma view the world through smells rather than sight, similar to a Butterfly and have since learned to alter these pheromones to affect another's disposition towards them. Such abilities have made them skilled in the ways of subterfuge and intrigue alike, catapulting them from their simple gardens and into some of the mightiest and most prolific kingdoms and courts alike. Their sabotage inside the Dark Prince's court helped both Peka and Tashin end his tyranny.

Speaking of Peka, let's explore their history through their long-lost ancestors, the kin who refused to bow in the face of Ziggy's betrayal, Aki-Peka:

The Aki-Peka spent a century in isolation, far removed from the cultures and niceties of a modern Nexus under Ziggy's rule, they endured some of the harshest conditions of Harrow. It is only recently they've broken their isolation in hopes they may band together once-more with their Peka cousins and right the wrongs of the past.

Lastly, here's the recently finished Equipment page. This page serves as a blanket of example goods you might find offered across various cities of the Nexus.

Cities are individually tagged with the respective services offered, like the Market or Smith, so players and DM alike can quickly reference what is available to the party. Most cities previously shown in other updates implement this tag system.

That about wraps it up, thank you for your patience with us on this update. Moving forward I’ve been given official access to the Kickstarter, so you can expect to see me writing some of these updates in the future.

Oh and... to those who have read to the very end, here is some art for a Culture of nomadic Sun-worshipping merchants we haven’t landed a fitting name for yet. If you have any ideas feel free to throw them in the comments below! 

Plates Overview, Highs, Tracks and the Taidari!
over 1 year ago – Sat, Oct 05, 2024 at 06:40:47 PM

Well met Sleepwalker, remove your helm and relax for today as we weave tales from the desert, a dive into the world of illicit goods, and a look at the honorably evil culture of Peak...

To start, I just wanted to apologize for the longer than average wait between updates. I try to get an update out about every three months or so but I've pushed this one a little too far out as I've been swamped between writing, drawing, and organizing the playtesting for FDN - and of course my day job too. 

I've decided to bring on Holly Estelle as a co-writer to help split up some of the workload with filling out tables, locations, etc... She was a major credit to thank for Kingdoms success, so I'm super excited to have her on the team to finish this up.

Anyways, progress report:

Much of the last few months has been playtesting, balancing, and combing over old writing and art to better clean it up for release. Lots of cultures' abilities and lore have needed to be caught up to newer material, so a '2nd draft' rewrite to bring them in line with the world has been vital to polishing and tying everything together. Additionally, a ton of pages have found new art as I find more time to draw rather than filling in tables. 

On the playtesting side, we have ran into some things that don't feel right and have been tweaking, testing, balancing, and so on to convey the exact vibe we want from the core systems interactions. This has taken up a lot of time, but will be well worth it for the final book.

Giving an estimate for when it will be through the throws of editing and churned out by printers, I would expect it Spring next year. I'm sorry for all the delays, but the book is being worked on by more hands, and at a faster speed than ever. I foolishly thought I could handle an almost 300 page book - three times the size of Kingdoms - alone. But with an extra co-writer and dedicated play testers this book is quickly approaching release.

With the rambling about the paper itself out of the way, lets discuss what's INSIDE the book. This update I'd like to showcase the opening spread for my favorite plate in the Nexus, the one I often use for examples, Ful. Here is what the chapter begins with in the DM section:

Each plate's chapter starts with an overview spread showcasing the simple point-crawl-like travel routes around the plate, a glimpse into each society, and a guide to running the plate as a DM. Rumors serve as plot hooks, and a lore-revealing treasure table helps give unique and contextually-apparent importance to that plate. This spread exemplifies my goals when writing the DM section- to make a colorful explosion of content to inspire, while also sprinkling in intriguing lore and worldbuilding throughout.

You might notice near the bottom of the Treasure table there are strange items called Aromatics, Fragrants, and Repugnants; these each classify the substances that can be found across the Nexus via a scale of how dangerous and illegal they are. Here's some I've picked to share:

The Fever Dream tries its best to keep order in the Nexus, to keep reality believable and tangible to the dreamers inside- substances are one of the various ways Sleepwalkers can disrupt that. 

Substances are broken up into three classifications, with each literally stinking more intensely (think aged cheeses). These tiers convey how dangerous it might be to the user and those around them, mechanically hinting at its power and terrible cost in side effects. Its been a blast writing these, a nice break from being knee-deep in airy culture writing.

For today's player-side content, here's a sampler of Tracks from the many that have been added. Lets see if you can recognize any songs:

Then finally, around fall last year I showed off Peak and their tyrannical society of Taidari lords. I recently cleaned up their art and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite pieces in the book, so I'm elated to share their spread with you:

The Taidari are easily the most 'Fighter' culture in the Nexus yet they double as artists and poets alike. Most bear masks of shame, only gaining beauty in the eyes of their people by spilling blood. Then, they use their beauty to make art, perform haikus, and hopefully execute the evil in the world. 

That about wraps up what I wanted to share today! There's been countless other cultures, tables, and lore entries that have been cleaned up and balanced the past few months and I'm really looking forward to getting it into your hands and seeing what you guys do with them. 

Thanks again for all of the support, patience, and love you guys have sent my way! It's been a ride seeing this take shape and I've never been more proud of a piece of work I've made :)

Anyways, don't let the fumes get to your head, stay safe out there in the desert, avoid the cannibals, and make sure you pack your rations! I'll see you soon (probably January) with news on this goddamn goliath of a world. Sleep tight~

Wild Locations, Dark Shadows and Dream!
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Jun 14, 2024 at 07:32:04 PM

Welcome Sleepwalker, come now, descend into the chasm below and listen to a tale of power in the dark, devils of the sands, and even of your own Shadow...

The past few months have been spent playtesting and cementing a lot of the core systems of Fever Dream Nexus. With my eyes still set on getting this thing out sometime around fall, I've been dedicating some time to run sessions with my playtesters to make sure that both the main mechanics are balanced properly, and to explore and tweak some of the individual towns, quests, and encounters. 

Much of the Nexus is designed around the PCs growing horizontally with new abilities, Tracks, and items to act as tools in their journey, rather than progressive vertical growth through mundane numbers going up. As such, it's vital to make sure the plates provide unique challenges and stories to the variety of experience levels at play.

To show off some of this work, here's a location few travel through due to the sheer danger of both its crazed inhabitants and the heat itself, Sunburst!

Dripping with blood and fire, Sunburst pushes the party to the edge of breaking as every encounter works to test their bodies and souls. 

But not everything can be solved with blades! The next area I want to share today is the Yadake Thicket. Often spoken of in hushed whispers and shrouded in folktales, it exemplifies some of the more eccentric roadblocks that Sleepwalkers may encounter on their journey across the Nexus.

While there is still plenty of physical action to be had, the Yadake Thicket leans more on the player's Dream Stat as they carve their way through some of the more supernatural ongoings the thicket will throw at you - things a sword and raw brawn couldn't touch. 

To further expand on the supernatural, spiritual mechanics of the book I'm excited to give you a look at the Dream Stat:

Mechanics wise, Dream is the 'Intellect' or 'Wisdom' stat of Fever Dream Nexus. It represents anything to do with the faculties of the mind and, sometimes, the soul! It provides plentiful shortcuts through or around checks in the world by way of Tracks, substances, or fixing plain bad luck via spending Ego to reroll.

But be wary Sleepwalker, pushing your Ego too far can reveal that ever suffocating grasp clutching deep around your psyche, your greatest nemesis, your Shadow...

The overall philosophy behind Shadows has remained pretty consistent since I last shared a spread of them, they represent each PC's tragic past, hidden behind a dark beast whose weight alters their very being. This darkness comes out in a variety of ways, from a scar that never stops growing to a straw scarecrow that can only be human when alone.

On the topic of the dark, today I offer up the brick-headed, body-regenerating, anarcho-primitive gym-bros of the Nexus, the Primeval. 

Unkillable, unyielding, and uneducated... by choice? Primeval present a simple question: How much comfort would you sacrifice in pursuit of immortality? They can most often be found in the scattered caves that dot the mountain-heavy plate of Ogre. It's here their tribes stage grand excursions across the Nexus to supply their ever growing population of converts and servants alike.

And that's about it! I just wanted to say thanks again for your continued support and patience as I make this tome of oddities the bestest it can be. It makes my day to see some of the sweet messages and comments sent my way! Additionally, its been a blast seeing some of the awesome things my Poet-tier backers have come up with the past few months.

I can't wait to get this epic into your hands, but for now I must return to the Yadake Thicket, this baboon is absolutely killing my back...