Wizards of the Coast didn’t have an official Portuguese translation of the rules for Dungeons & Dragons until 2022, eight years after the release of 5th edition. CapyCat Games creative director Pedro Coimbra had been a playtester for 5e and began teaching the new rules in Portuguese on his YouTube channel. He developed a custom setting for an actual play of the game — and a version of that book, updated for the 2024 ruleset, will be available in English for the first time through a Kickstarter launching today.
Coimbra describes Skyfall as “tragic aetherpunk.” The continent of Opath has been shattered by islands falling out of the sky, bringing with them a mysterious power source called Aetherium. Nations fund adventurers’ guilds to explore the wreckage and bring back the resource, which is used to fuel magitech. While the disaster has powered innovation, people live in fear that the next Skyfall will destroy everything.
“We wanted to give players the feeling that you have to do something because if you don’t, then nothing will happen and the world will just end by itself,” Coimbra said. “Skyfall is about taking arms against a sea of troubles and overcoming personal tragedy.”
In order to further bring home that theme, Skyfall replaces 5e’s heroic inspiration mechanic with a Catharsis system, where players can gain a d6 used to enhance a future roll if their characters’ flaws come up. These are tied to the game’s new and re-flavored species. Elves must consume beautiful things, while the froglike Anuri value history over money, making them more likely to cling to old gear than upgrade to newer, more valuable items.
“It’s very good for new people trying to get into the game because they just have to worry about roleplaying their character and then they get cool mechanics,” Coimbra said.
The Kickstarter will raise funds to translate the 500-page hardcover book. Skyfall features four new species, including tiny dragonkin and vampiric aristocrats, plus subclasses that merge magic and engineering. The world is divided into 10 regions with their own themes, from the sun temples of the Mirmir Desert, where blood alchemy is practiced, to the swamps of Blurgh’ta, which are populated by bug-riding duelists.
Because much of the work has already been done, Coimbra expects to be able to deliver the book by the end of the year, along with an adventure for levels 1-11. Stretch goals will allow CapyCat Games to introduce additional species, maps and props. Backers will also receive access to one-shots throughout the book’s development, which CapyCat will use to solicit feedback on the mechanics and shape how the adventure progresses based on their choices.
“We believe that community should come first and we want people to playtest as much as they can,” Coimbra said.
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