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Vault of Monsters

Created by Driftforge Games

Funded in under 24 hours… now the Vault is growing. Missed the opening rush? There’s still time to step into Vault of Monsters, our 5e compatible folklore bestiary inspired by British and Irish legends, strange local tales, and the sort of places sensible people avoid after sunset. Inside you’ll find original creatures, ready-to-run encounters, playable species, subclasses, and a linked campaign set across the Lockshore Marches, where old seals are weakening and local problems have started becoming everybody’s problem. Some creatures stalk ruined roads. Some wait beneath barrows. Some seem oddly friendly right up until the situation becomes dramatically more complicated. With stretch goals approaching, the Vault is still expanding. More monsters, more player options, and more strange corners of the Marches are waiting to be unlocked. Enter the Vault while the doors are still open.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Dev Update 2: Something’s Escaped!
3 days ago – Thu, Jul 23, 2026 at 02:20:05 AM

Hey Adventurers,

A quick development update from the Lockshore Marches.

We’re still deep in the writing, pulling together new sections, shaping encounters, and gathering artwork as the Vault continues to take form.

There has, however, been a slight complication.

Something appears to have escaped.

Witnesses describe leathery scales, wide wings, and a deeply unhelpful amount of speed. It was last seen heading north.

We have dispatched our finest researchers and hunters to investigate, gather information, and ideally persuade it to stop doing whatever it has decided to do.

More news will follow as soon as we hear from them.

Until then, keep one eye on the skies.

Cheers,

James 
Driftforge Games

Dev Update 1: We Funded, Front Cover and Bonus Game!
28 days ago – Sun, Jun 28, 2026 at 11:43:39 PM

Hey Adventurers,

A quick update from the Lockshore Marches.

Firstly, thank you once again to everyone who backed Vault of Monsters. Seeing so many people get behind this folklore project has been genuinely brilliant, and we're making good progress behind the scenes.

Nick Ashton is continuing work on the monster artwork, we've signed off the front cover, and we're diving into another big writing week as we continue building out the Lockshore Marches. 

The battlemaps are now being planned too, and it's exciting seeing all the different pieces coming together.

If you missed the campaign but would still like to join us, the pre-order store is now open, so there's still time to pick up a copy!

Finally, a quick note for everyone who backed three or more projects in the Tabletop Tavern banner. Your free digital one-shot adventure will be heading out very soon, so keep an eye on your inbox. We hope you enjoy it, and we'd love to hear how your table gets on with it.

As always, thank you for supporting the Vault and we can't wait to share more with you soon.

More soon.
Cheers 
James 

Around 12 Hours Remain!
about 2 months ago – Wed, May 27, 2026 at 11:56:19 PM

Hey Adventurers,

There are now around 12 hours left before the doors to Vault of Monsters close.

The campaign has grown massively over the past few weeks, and we can't wait to bring you folklore-fuelled chaos. Thanks for all your support.


If you’ve been meaning to back the campaign, upgrade a pledge, or drag a friend towards the suspicious glowing doorway labelled “ancient containment archive”, now’s the time.

If you haven’t had a chance to grab a copy just yet, don’t panic, the pre-order store will be open after the campaign ends, so there’ll still be a chance to step into the Marches a little later on.

Thank you again for all the support throughout the campaign. It genuinely means a lot. Also if you are at the UK Games Expo come see us at Stand 2-894. 

Cheers,
James 
Driftforge Games

Inside the Vault: From Idea to Table - Update 4
3 months ago – Sat, May 09, 2026 at 06:22:03 AM

Hey Adventurers,

This time, we’re stepping away from graveyards, ancient constructs, and things that actively want to dismantle your party. Instead, we’ve got something a little more curious. 

A little more… papery.
Still a problem, just in a very different way.


The Original Brief: Scribbleknott
(Name locked in immediately. No notes.)

Scribbleknott resembles a cat-sized dragon made entirely of paper. Layers of folded sheets form its body, its wings covered in intricate runes and half-legible scribbles that seem to shift if you stare too long.

It doesn’t move in the usual way. It folds. Refolds. Reshapes itself. One moment it’s a small, perched creature. The next it’s something flatter, wider, or… less helpful to describe.

Each form comes with its own little tricks.
Scribbleknott is endlessly curious. It seeks out libraries, archives, and anywhere knowledge is stored, and makes itself at home. Books don’t stay books for long around it. It wraps itself around them, absorbing their contents directly.

It guards its collection fiercely. Fire and water are, understandably, not welcome.

Some say It is said to have been born from a spellbook that absorbed far too much magical energy. The result is a creature that is equal parts knowledge and chaos… watch out when you’re in the Latchford archives! 




Inspiration & Direction

This one came from a slightly different angle. We wanted something that felt magical in a quieter way. Not destructive, not aggressive by default, but still capable of causing a lot of problems if handled badly.

There’s also a bit of a “curiosity gone too far” theme here. A creature that wants to learn everything, but doesn’t really understand boundaries. Or ownership. Or the concept of “please don’t absorb that, we were using it.”

Working With Nick! 

Nick leaned straight into the texture on this one.
We asked for something that felt delicate at first glance. He brought in layered folds, overlapping sheets, and just enough irregularity in the lines to make it feel alive rather than constructed.

The runes and markings are deliberately messy. Not clean spellwork, but accumulated knowledge. Notes on top of notes, ideas layered over each other. It looks clever. It also looks like it hasn’t quite finished thinking.

We’ll be back soon with something less interested in your books… and more interested in you.
Cheers,
James

The Vault Has Been Funded
3 months ago – Fri, May 08, 2026 at 03:24:09 PM

Hey Adventurers,

We funded, thank you so much! 

We’ve already started pushing towards stretch goals, which means more monsters are now creeping closer to becoming reality. After that come additional playable species, subclasses, and a few larger things we’ve still got hidden away for later.

There’s still plenty of time left in the campaign, and every share, comment, follow, and recommendation genuinely helps more than people realise.

For now though, we just wanted to say thank you properly.
Now we get to make the Vault even bigger. Which historically has never caused any problems whatsoever.

Cheers, James
Driftforge Games