Surviving Strangehollow leans heavily into its art, drawing on the watercolor paintings and drawings of Emily Hare to dictate the aesthetic. Every page is lovingly designed to be fanciful and evocative, bringing the dangerous whimsy to life.

One major focus of Surviving Strangehollow is its bestiary of over 100 unique creatures. Each began as a stunning watercolor painting with bits of lore created by the artist. The designers took this art and lore and wove them into a complex web of dangerous beauty, encompassing challenge ratings from 0 to 30.

Ecologies, Not Just Encounters

The monsters presented in Surviving Strangehollow are designed to provide interesting encounter options beyond hit points and damage. Adventurers will have to deal with unique traits and actions, as well as robust resistances in some cases. Often, encounters will include multiple stat blocks indicative of the local ecosystem and the web of dependencies inside Strangehollow.

Strangehollow’s creatures form a cohesive ecosystem where the predators and prey are equally deadly to outsiders. Pinnacle entities such as the godlike Looking Tree and the horrifying Volghast often dominate the fears of adventurers, but lesser monsters like Ghorribles and Stinking Saalgs claim far more lives. Even the lowly Craggles and Wiffles, the larvae of certain fairies, have deadly defenses that can weaken and sometimes kill the unwary.

Monsters Designed for Interaction

Though Strangehollow is a vast wilderness, it has consumed regions and civilizations, co-opting the denizens. This, combined with the rapidity of adaptation that the environment and chaotic magic cause, makes for a truly strange melange of intelligent life.

Many of the monsters in Strangehollow are clever, conniving, and cruel. The colonies of various fairies are intelligent, chaotic, and cooperative. The malign spirits, like gangly whifflers and mist folk, are both fey and undead, making them both enchanting and nightmarish. Many of the unique dragon types are as interested in learning about the outside world as they are in killing invaders. And the mermaids and selkies, well, they like to play with their food.

Emily’s monster artwork may have been the guiding light for creating Surviving Strangehollow, but the new mechanisms, rules, and character options shine just as brightly. Players will be treated to numerous subclasses, feats, backgrounds, spells, and magic items, with the subclasses and backgrounds having distinct versions for 5E and 5.5E. All of the content can be used across both versions!

Subclasses with Style

Each of the 16 subclasses was designed with the ambiance and flair of Strangehollow at its core, but they are versatile and enjoyable, making them appropriate for any fantasy setting. From the Guardian, a fighter built for protecting people on the frontier of settled lands, to the White Witch, a warlock designed to be the spiritual lynchpin of a border village, each subclass is stylistic and powerful.

Backgrounds and Feats that Break the Mold

The borderlands surrounding the mystical and expanding wilderness of Strangehollow produce and attract many different kinds of people. They are hearty, bold, and often a bit unhinged. The Hollow Cult Escapee is a survivor from within Strangehollow who has recently come into more “civilized” lands after a life of toil and brainwashing. The Strangehollow Neighbor grew up on the borders of Strangehollow, and its chaotic magic has infused them to the core. Others, such as the Laborer, Oracle, and Witch, all hold roles of importance to the villages they occupy, and have their own reasons for venturing from those villages.

Each of these richly textured backgrounds has its own Origin Feat as well. From the Channeler to the Jack-of-All-Trades, every feat offers character depth and unique powers. General Feats like Poison Blooded and Composed can be gained through play as characters encounter the various dangers presented by Strangehollow and learn to overcome them.

Other Oddities on Offer

Surviving Strangehollow gives players access to several new spells, ranging from Inkling, a cantrip that offers a glimpse into the intentions of others, to Giant Form, a 4th-level spell that greatly improves on the benefits of Enlarge. These spells run the gamut of caster types and reinforce many of the themes from the source material.

Strangehollow tends to change those who dwell in or near it for too long. Perhaps the most extreme version of this is the supernatural transformation of mortals into undead Skulks, brought on by particularly foul mists that creep into villages and encampments. Though the metamorphosis bestows certain gifts, it also has drawbacks that change the lives of the affected forever.

Adventures in Strangehollow is an exciting and challenging adventure series meant for five players beginning at 1st level. It is written for use in any campaign setting that can use Strangehollow as a drop-in region. The story takes characters from the frontier villages all the way into the depths of the mystical wilderness, where they will encounter unique monsters, setting-specific hazards, and interesting NPCs. Throughout, characters will learn to survive in chaotic, enchanted forests and swamps, and against the bewildering mists and monsters that live there.