Heliana & Ryoko’s Guide to Mythozoology Goes Big On Kickstarter

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Publisher Loot Tavern is once again joining forces with YouTuber William Earl (better known as DnD Shorts) to unleash a brand new expansion for D&D 5E. Entitled Heliana & Ryoko’s Guide to Mythozoology, the collaboration is set of 10 books that contain new character options, rules, spells, magic items and monsters.

It’s also unique cross-promotion of two established 5E brands: Heliana (from the popular Heliana’s Guide to Monster Hunting series) and Ryoko (from the Kickstarter smash hit Ryoko’s Guide to the Yokai Realm). The vibes of both books are very much present in a brand new Kickstarter that’s already raised over $1 million USD in just the first day (putting it easily in the running for one of the biggest TTRPG crowdfunders of 2026).

Below, we take a closer at what to expect when two of 5E’s biggest monster hunting bad asses join forces.

What is Heliana & Ryoko’s Guide to Mythozoology?

The Kickstarter contains 10 separate books, with much of the content shared between them. All of it is designed to work with the base D&D 5E rules (both the 2014 and new 5.5E rules from 2024). Collectively, among the books this means we’re looking at:

• 1 new class: This is the Maker, a kind of non-magical Artificer who uses blue prints to create a variety of gear from steamtech, plants and even flesh itself without using any spells.
• 24 subclasses: Including the Magizoologist Wizard (who can turn spells into animated companions), the Circle of the Blade Druid (who can use weapons while wildshaped) and the Path of Calamity Barbarian (who taps into the power of natural disasters).
• 16 new species, including the canine-themed Inukin, water yokai inspired Kappa and the living crystal humanoid Crystolith.
• 100 monsters, including 2 new kaiju and 12 dragons (each of which is associated with one of the Zodiac symbols)
• 30 new spells, including “Spellhancements” that allow you to augment a spell using harvested monster parts
• 40 new character Feats, many of which tie in to the new subclasses and species.

The 10 books themselves are as follows:

• Heliana’s Forgotten Monsters: A 400-pages sourcebook that includes , 12 new subclasses, 8 species, 8 monster hunting adventure, 8 famliars, 15 spells and 50 new monsters. It also includes new rules that link harvesting monster parts to spells and potion crafting.
• Ryoko’s Forbidden Myths: A 400-page sourcebook that includes the new, 12 new subclasses, 8 species, 8 monster hunting adventure, 8 famliars, 15 spells and 50 new monsters, plus new rules for Kaiju summoning, a new Armour Mastery system.
• Mushy’s Scrapbook of Scholarly Secrets: A 60-page guide that includes all of the player-facing content from Heliana’s Forgotten Monsters, along with “lite” rules for harvesting and crafting.
• OniMushy’s Scrapbook of Stolen Stories: A 60-page guide that includes all of the player-facing content from Ryoko’s Forbidden Myths.
• Monster Hunter’s Codex: A 120-page bestiary that includes 40 new monsters (all themed around Monster Hunting)
• Yokai Slayer’s Codex: A 120-page bestiary that includes 40 new monsters (themed around Yokai and mythology)
• The Companion Compendium: A 100-page sourcebook that contains 20+ bespoke familiars that are not featured in any other materials.
• The Mech Manual: A 100-page sourcebook that contains rules for building, upgrading and battling giant mechs.
• Art of Heliana’s Forgotten Monsters: A 240-page art book showcasing illustrations from Heliana’s Forgotten Monsters.
• Art of Ryoko’s Forbidden Myths: A 240-page art book showcasing illustrations from Heliana’s Forgotten Monsters.

What are the backer options for the Heliana & Ryoko’s Guide to Mythozoology?

This is actually one of the bigger TTRPG Kickstarters in recent months given the sheer number of books and add-on accessories (including dice, cards, a board game, a GM screen, miniature STL files and plushies). The backer options are as follows:

• PDFs ($45): Includes the digital versions of both Heliana’s Forgotten Monsters and Ryoko’s Forbidden Myths.
• Dual Book ($99): Includes physical copies of both core books and their respective PDFs.
• Quad Book ($149): Includes both core books plus the two Bestiary Codices: The Monster Hunter’s Codex and The Yokai Slayer’s Codex.
• Digital Deluxe Bundle ($199): A fully digital bundle featuring all 10 PDFs, digital cards, handouts, and VTT assets for Roll20, Foundry or Alchemy.
• Dual Core Bundle ($299): Includes all core books and bestiaries, plus the One More Bounty board game, dice sets, a GM screen, and a physical plushie.
• Limited Edition Deluxe ($495): A massive collector’s set including all books with limited edition foil-trimmed covers, art books, sharp-edged resin dice and multiple plushies.
• All In Tier ($799): The ultimate pledge including every physical and digital product, all VTT bundles, and the complete STL miniature collection.

Why we’re excited about Mythozoology

• Two huge D&D 5E brands: Both Heliana’s and Ryoko’s have become incredibly popular among third-party 5E fans, so having them collaborate like this feels like a blockbuster in the making.
• New rules: There’s a ton of new mechanics here to unpack, with everything from using your Giant Mech, summoning kaiju, harvesting/crafting, and enhancing spells – all of which sound amazing.
• New subclasses and species: With Wizards of the Coast often going back to the same sources and updating existing subclasses and species, it’s refreshing to see content that actually includes a ton of new options for use with D&D 5.5E.
• Incredible artwork: While we won’t know what the books look like until they’re out, the art that’s been show so far looks absolutely stunning, which isn’t a surprise given what we’ve seen with past Loot Tavern products.

Final Thoughts

Given the pedigree of the two brands, it’s not surprising that their Kickstarter has already smashed the $1 million USD mark in crowdfunding (Loot Tavern and DnD Short’s its Kickstarter generated over $3.3 million in funding). It shows just how popular and far reaching D&D 5E content has become and chances are this won’t be the last we see of either Heliana or Ryoko.

The campaign runs from now until April 16th, 2026 and you can back it now on Kickstarter.