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Article Summary
- The Deathbringer TTRPG from YouTuber Professor DM and publisher Roll For Combat closed its BackerKit campaign at nearly $1.3 million.
- Set in a grim dark fantasy world, the rules are meant to be fast, lethal and fully compatible with Shadowdark and other OSR games.
- The mechanics include eight classes, Death Dice, zone-based combat and a D6 pool that is refreshed each session.
- Despite its massive success, the project has faced some online criticism, with claims of imagery that is sexist and racist.
- The campaign ended Aug. 13th, 2026 but late pledges can still be made as of this writing.
Popular YouTuber Professor DM and publisher Roll for Combat have officially joined the ranks of some of the biggest tabletop RPG crowdfunders of the past year, with their new Deathbringer TTRPG wrapping up its campaign with over $1.3 million USD in funding on BackerKit.
The game takes place in a dark fantasy world ravaged by endless war, with characters struggling for survival in the face of monstrous creatures and bloodthirsty warriors. The mechanics are meant to be fast, relatively light and compatible with both Shadowdark and other OSR systems. The aesthetic is also described as being influenced by 1980s heavy metal, comic books and old school RPGs and has faced some criticism for its use of imagery which has been labeled by detractors as sexist and racist. Notably, it was selected as the Most Anticipated TTRPG of 2026 in a fan-led poll on EN World.
Below, we take a closer look at this controversial, blood-drenched blend of old school RPG gaming and gore.
What is the Deathbringer TTRPG about?
Deathbringer is a brutal, fast-paced dark fantasy TTRPG created by Dan DeFazio (aka Professor DM) in partnership with publisher Roll For Combat, with further design work from Brandon Gillam, founder of RUNEHAMMER Games and creator of the popular Index Card RPG and EZD6.
Originally launched by Professor DM as a homebrew system that was designed to be a more lethal version of D&D 5E and other OSR games, it eventually evolved into a complete standalone ruleset compatible with Shadowdark.
The game is set in the Shattered Empire, a realm of eternal war stitched together by the Bone Road, a crumbling highway connecting cities no one remembers building. The gods are indifferent to prayer, its heroes are gritty and morally ambiguous, and magic is dangerous and unpredictable, even to the wizards who wield it. Every character starts as an unremarkable survivor who relies on their brains, brawn and sheer luck to survive, and will most likely wind up dead in the end.
Other key features include:
- One D20 core mechanic: You roll, add your stat and beat the number, with escalating levels of danger and difficulty layered on top.
- Death Dice: Players get access to a pool of d6s they can spend each session to boost rolls, add damage or cheat death.
- Death has three stages: If you get dropped to 0 HP, you walk away scarred, maimed and more powerful for it. The third time this happens, however, is final (although you do get one last automatic critical hit to go out in a blaze of glory).
- Ultimate Dungeon Terrain (UDT): This is a zone-based battle system using an 18-inch circle split into three zones instead of a measured grid to speed up combat. Notably, Professor DM is also releasing a physical rotating circular board for the system.
- Eight classes: This includes the Battle Nun, Bounty Hunter, Deathbringer, Doomscribe, Fighter, Plague Doctor, Thief and Witch Hunter.
- A corrupted bestiary: A full monster roster shaped by a magic system called Corruption.
- A stacked adventure lineup: This features guest-written adventures from big names in the OSR space, including Shadowdark creator Kelsey Dionne, Pirate Borg’s Luke Stratton, Ben Milton of Knave, Maze Rats and Questing Beast fame, and Justin Alexander of The Alexandrian blog.
Who is Professor DM?
Professor DM, whose real name is Dan DeFazio, is a YouTuber and retired high school English teacher best known for his Dungeon Craft channel, which started out almost a decade ago by providing DIY advice on how to craft your own miniature terrain. Since then the channel has developed a massive following thanks to his videos covering GM advice, industry news and reviews of products in the indie and OSR space.
Notably, in 2024, Professor DM publicly revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer, producing several videos discussing his medical journey. More recently he was selected as the host for the 2026 ENNIE Awards ceremony which was held in person at Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana.
What are the BackerKit options?
The primary focus of the BackerKit campaign was the Deathbringer TTRPG sourcebook, but as with other major crowdfunders it also featured a wide range of accessories, including dice, playmats, posters, a DM screen, pins, apparel, patches and even a vinyl album.
- PDF ($35): Digital core rules plus the dungeon and grass UDT maps.
- Digital Core ($65): Adds pre-generated characters, a digital GM screen and monster tokens for VTT play.
- Book ($60): The standard hardcover plus PDF and two UDT maps.
- Digital Deluxe ($145): Every PDF in the campaign, including all 16 UDT maps and every adventure.
- Book Basic ($125): Hardcover plus PDF, one UDT playmat, 10+ printed adventures, character sheets, a GM screen and six Death Dice.
- Core Box ($250): The full boxed set, including a hardcover book, four double-sided UDT playmats, adventures, character sheets, GM screen, 12 Death Dice, a dice bag, cardboard pawns and a t-shirt.
- Deluxe Box ($495): A signed special edition hardcover, eight double-sided UDT playmats, playtest access, 18 Death Dice, posters and the pin set on top of everything in the Core Box.
- Everything But Your Soul ($999): The full collector’s haul, which includes a signed denim jacket, the Deluxe Box contents, the Songs of the Shattered Empire vinyl and its exclusive adventure, 36 Death Dice, six “worn” TPK dice sets, patches and an embroidered back patch.
What are some of the criticisms of the Deathbringer TTRPG?
While the BackerKit has become a massive success among the tabletop RPG community, the project also hasn’t been without its detractors, with critics accusing Professor DM of promoting misogyny and racism. TTRPG writer and designer Lizzie Magnolia, for example, outlined her many issues in a post on her blog Magnolia Keep entitled “The Thoughtlessness of Deathbringer’s Marketing.”
On EN World, publisher Russ Morrissey was also forced to shut down a Deathbringer TTRPG thread after discussions became toxic, which resulted in him later being threatened by multiple users (something which he outlined in a Bluesky post).
Final Thoughts
Despite its controversies, the Deathbringer TTRPG’s runaway success on BackerKit is a reminder of the massive reach of YouTubers on the hobby and their ability to mobilize fans. And while this might be the first officially published crowdfunding project from Professor DM, chances are it won’t be the last.
The campaign officially ended on August 13th, 2026 but you can still make a late pledge now on BackerKit.