Esper Genesis is fifth edition in space. Its lead designer, Rich Lescouflair, is a member of the DMs Guild Adepts and frequent contributor to the D&D Adventurers League. Likewise, this book’s editor, Shawn Merwin, has been renowned for his stellar adventures since the inception of the D&D Adventurer’s League—and is now overseeing the creation of Oracle of War, the upcoming Adventurer’s League campaign set in Eberron. 

Though Esper Genesis isn’t an official D&D product—and thus, isn’t likely to be available for purchase on D&D Beyond—you would be hard-pressed to find a group of designers more familiar with the systems and idiosyncrasies of fifth edition outside of the Wizards of the Coast offices. The latest Esper Genesis book, Threats Database, is the “Monster Manual” equivalent for this science fantasy re-genrefication of the fifth edition ruleset.

As someone who loves marrying science fiction with fantasy in my D&D games, Esper Genesis provides an interesting opportunity. Even though the system is based around the assumption that you’ll play entirely within its unique science fantasy setting, its compatibility with other fifth edition products makes it effortless to introduce weird, alien creatures, technology, and “esper powers”—this game’s take on magic—to an otherwise standard fifth edition game to create an Expedition to the Barrier Peaks-style genre-mixing adventure.

The Threats Database takes this idea of system-miscibility to a new extreme. Dungeon Masters thus armed with over 200 pages of new monsters, aliens, automatons, and even Star Trek-like energy lifeforms can fill their campaigns with all sorts of unique beings beyond the scope of a typical fantasy campaign. Of course, it’s your call as to whether or not including these creatures will provide a revitalizing shock to your campaign, or startle your players out of their immersion completely. Even if that’s the case, the line between fantasy monsters and sci-fi aliens is often merely a matter of presentation, such as with the horrifying and aberrant “seethespawn,” or the “void horrors” which lurk beyond the fabric of reality.  

The ENnie-nominated Esper Genesis Basic Rules are available for free on DriveThruRPG.

Have you played Esper Genesis, or mixed some sci-fi creatures into your fifth edition campaign? How did it go?  

James Haeck is the lead writer for D&D Beyond, the co-author of  Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and the Critical Role Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, a member of the Guild Adepts, and a freelance writer for Wizards of the Coast, the D&D Adventurers League, and other RPG companies. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his partner Hannah and their animal companions Mei and Marzipan. You can find him wasting time on Twitter at @jamesjhaeck.