Lodestar is the book that neglected fans of Spelljammer and Treasure Planet have been waiting for

A shining oak galleon glides through the vast blackness of The Beyond, drifting along the eddies of a Siltstream as cosmic winds catch in its majestic solar sails. The captain holds a looking glass with a single tentacle, searching for any potential threats on their path to a nearby trading planet. It’s been a long journey - one that’s about to get a lot longer, as an enemy pirate vessel suddenly reveals itself off the ship’s port bow.

Lodestar: A Spacefarer's Manual is an upcoming RPG book designed to be used with both D&D 5E and D&D 2024. This brand-new book takes heavy inspiration from one of the most beloved Dungeons & Dragons settings ever created, Spelljammer. The original Spelljammer has remained a favourite amongst long-time D&D players, who yearn to return to a spacefaring fantasy universe with a release that doesn’t skimp on lore or ship battles.

Like Spelljammer, Lodestar combines both fantasy and science fiction together into a single setting. However, what makes Lodestar unique is how it borrows certain elements from the Golden Age of piracy to form its own spacefaring civilization: imagine galleons, pirates, treasure maps, grog, the whole lot…but in space.

This is where Lodestar’s other major source of inspiration comes in: 2002’s Treasure Planet. Now considered a cult classic, Disney’s sci-fi twist on the Robert Louis Stevenson book echoes across Lodestar’s vast and colourful universe. This is especially apparent in Lodestar’s artwork, which sports a familiar blue and gold colour palette, and embodies the same feeling of wistful wanderlust as the iconic film.

A few Lodestar illustrations are even being created by artists who have worked on some of the classic Spelljammer books, namely Paul Abrams (Skull & Crossbows, 1990) and David O’ Miller (Crystal Spheres, 1990).

Lodestar will feature 250+ pages of rich and fascinating lore about the universe of The Beyond - a vast galaxy marked by glittering Siltstreams that sailors use to power their ships on the long journeys between planets.

The upcoming book also includes a collection of 5 unique playable species for players to choose from when creating their characters. These species include The Dregs - symbiotic beings who are helplessly weak without a host, and incredibly capable with one - as well as the Chitans, cephalopod creatures contained in mechanical suits made from crab-shell-like armour.

Players in Lodestar will also have the option to select from 10 entirely new subclasses during character creation. Lodestar’s subclasses include the Spellpowder Wizard (a spellcaster who wields a magical firearm), the Solar Sorcerer - who can harness the power of the very stars themselves - and the Coven of the Spheres Witch, a seer with the ability to read the future via the cosmos.

On top of this, Lodestar will contain an expansive gameplay system enabling players to pilot and run their own ship. This system will feature rules for hiring a crew, upgrading a vessel - including switching weapons and even adding entirely new cabins - and engaging in ship-versus-ship combat.

Lodestar was created by The Dragon’s Vault - a publisher founded by game designer and artist Conor Adams, whose previous RPG releases include Tempest: A Seafarer’s Sourcebook and Faerie: A Realm Wanderer’s Guide.

A crowdfunding campaign for Lodestar: A Spacefarer's Manual was launched on Backerkit on October 21st and will be live until November 21st, wherein backers can get their own copy of the book in either physical (£40/$53.50) or digital (£20/$26.75) form.

Absolutely no AI has been - or will be - used in the creation of the content or the artwork for Lodestar: A Spacefarer's Manual.