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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:

Inside the Vault: From Idea to Table - Update 3
about 2 months ago – Thu, Apr 16, 2026 at 10:46:28 AM

Hey Adventurers,

Back again with another look behind the curtain, and this time we’re firmly back in “this is going to go badly” territory.

Not everything in Vault of Monsters is subtle. Some things are very clear about what they want, and unfortunately for your party, that usually involves bones.

This is one of those.


The Original Brief: Cryptcrawler (Working Title)

Cryptcrawler is a hulking figure made entirely of bones, pulled from creatures of all shapes and sizes and forced together by dark, stubborn magic. It doesn’t move smoothly. It lurches. Joints grind where they shouldn’t exist. Its glowing green eyes don’t blink. They just fix on you.
It is driven by a single, very clear purpose. Collect bones.
Not for decoration. Not for ritual. For maintenance. It is fiercely territorial.

It tears apart anything that wanders into its territory, adding useful pieces to itself, repairing damage, reinforcing weak points, and occasionally building unpleasant little surprises around its lair.

Allegedly created by a necromancer to guard a crypt from grave robbers, it has outlived its master by a considerable margin. With no one left to give it orders, it has simplified its directive in the worst possible way.
Everything is either part of the collection or about to be.

Inspiration & Direction

For this one, we weren’t aiming for speed or spectacle. We wanted something that feels wrong to look at. A creature that shouldn’t hold together, but does anyway, purely out of spite and magic.

There’s also a practical angle. The idea that damage doesn’t stick in the usual way. The longer the fight goes on, the more the creature adapts, shifts, and rebuilds itself using whatever is nearby.

It turns the encounter into a question of control. Not just “can we kill it,” but “can we stop it getting worse.”


Working With Nick 

Nick had a field day with this one. We gave him the brief of a creature made from mismatched bones, something that looks assembled rather than designed. 

He came back with a shape that feels unstable in all the right ways. Different bone types layered together, proportions slightly off, posture just awkward enough to feel unnatural.

It’s one of those designs where the longer you look at it, the more details you notice… and the less comfortable you get.
Exactly what we wanted.

We’ll be back soon with something… 
Hopefully less interested in your skeleton.

Cheers,
James


Inside the Vault: From Idea to Table - Update 2
about 2 months ago – Thu, Apr 09, 2026 at 12:19:37 PM

Hey Adventurers,

We’re back with another look behind the curtain, this time with something a little smaller… significantly more damp... and maybe a bit sticky. 

Not everything in Vault of Monsters is built to crush your party into the floor or guard ancient ruins. Some of them are just here to cause problems in a much more… inconvenient way.

This is one of those.


The Original Brief: Puddlejumper
(We knew exactly what this one was called straight away, which is rare)

Puddlejumper is a small, mischievous creature, barely a foot tall, with blue translucent skin and eyes that are far too expressive for something that absolutely cannot be trusted. It is constantly dripping, leaving a trail of water behind it like a mobile trip hazard.

It doesn’t attack. It doesn’t threaten. It just… interferes.
Puddlejumper delights in startling travellers. A quiet path suddenly becomes a splash. A still puddle erupts into a fountain. Boots fill with water. Dignity is lost. It considers all of this a great success.

It’s harmless, technically. But after ten minutes, most adventurers start reconsidering their stance on that.

They’re said to be spirits of water, born from the laughter of children playing in the rain. In dry regions, spotting one is considered good luck.
In the moment, however, it mostly feels like a personal attack.

Inspiration & Direction

We wanted something that could break the rhythm of a session. A creature that doesn’t threaten the party’s health, but absolutely threatens their patience. There’s something very satisfying about watching a heavily armoured fighter slowly lose control of a situation to something the size of a loaf of bread.

Visually, we wanted it to sit somewhere between an axolotl and two Pokémon (Can you guess which ones?) It needed big eyes, soft shape, just enough charm that you hesitate for a second… right before it ruins your day.

Working With Nick!

Nick had a lot of fun with this one. We sent over the idea of a small, waterlogged nuisance with far too much personality, and he leaned straight into it. Big eyes, slightly smug expression, and just enough detail in the translucent skin to make it feel like it’s never quite solid.


There are a few creatures in the Vault that sit in this space. Not hostile, not friendly, just… unhelpful. They tend to cause more chaos than anything with claws.

We’ll be back soon with something a bit less playful.
Cheers,
James
 

Inside the Vault: From Idea to Table - Update 1
2 months ago – Sat, Mar 28, 2026 at 02:22:37 AM


Hey Adventurers,

We thought we’d start pulling back the curtain a bit and showing how some of the creatures in Vault of Monsters actually came together. One monster at a time, from rough idea to something you can drop into your game.

This project has been in the works since 2024, and it didn’t always look like this. Early on, around the same time we were building The Catalogue of Chaos, we had a separate idea for a monster manual. 

Over time, that idea grew. Then it got out of hand. What started as a monster book has now become something much bigger. Not just monsters, but a full adventure framework, with playable species and subclasses woven into it.

This is one of the first creatures we worked on.



The Original Brief: Stoneheart Guardian 
(Probably needs a better name) 

The Guardian is a towering construct of interlocking stone plates, each one etched with ancient runes that still glow with a quiet, stubborn sort of magic. It doesn’t move quickly. It doesn’t need to. Every step lands with enough weight to remind you the ground beneath you is optional.

It is bound to a place. A ruined dwarven city. A sacred cavern. Somewhere important enough that someone, long ago, decided this thing should never leave. It doesn’t patrol. It doesn’t chase. It simply waits… and takes a very dim view of unexpected visitors.

Allegedly forged by dwarven rune mages and stone shapers as a last line of defence, it carries out its duty long after they’re gone. No maintenance. No instructions. Just a very old, very clear purpose.

Step into its domain and you’ll understand quickly.
Some doors were meant to stay closed.

Inspiration & Direction

This one came from a very specific place. If you’ve ever played Breath of the Wild, you’ll know the feeling. That moment where something ancient wakes up and suddenly you’re very aware you’re not meant to be there.
That was the tone that we were aiming for! 

Working With the Artist

We’ve been working with Nick Ashton (Chicken Monster) for over three years now, and at this point there’s a kind of shorthand between us. We can send over something fairly rough and he just… gets it.

We sent the brief over, along with a few loose references, and Nick came back with a design that immediately felt right with just enough detail in the stonework to suggest the fact that it's an ancient, nasty bugger and you need to run! ...



We’ll be sharing more of these over the coming weeks, breaking down different monsters, where they came from, and how they ended up in the book.

Cheers,
James