Truly Sentient Items on Kickstarter: When Magic Items Find Their Voice - Interview

We sat down once again with Catilus, the beloved fantasy illustrator and game designer behind Cute Creatures Compendium and Book of Heroic Actions, to talk about her newest 5E project: Truly Sentient Items on Kickstarter. Known for her heartfelt storytelling, worldbuilding, and intricate designs, Catilus now turns her creative focus to the personalities of magic items themselves — giving them emotion, agency, and unforgettable narrative presence at the table.

The Origin of Truly Sentient Items on Kickstarter

What inspired you to focus an entire 5E supplement on sentient items—was there a specific game moment or player reaction that sparked the idea?

We’ve been making magic items for years now, and sentient items, though a small fraction of all the items, have always been a very strong storytelling tool and something everyone wants more of. So, instead of making another book with D&D items where sentient items are a fun highlight, we decided to give them the spotlight this time round and make non-sentient items the secondary focus instead.

As for what sparked the idea, it was not a single game moment, but rather the gradual buildup of fun and memorable events, like when my cleric got her Catstaff from a conclave of cat-mages, or when another party raided a voidship that was being controlled by a sentient core, or when we found a confused, sentient moonblade in the hoard of a demigod pretender. Too many fun stories to list, really!

Bringing Magical Companions to Life

You designed an optional “Magical Interactive Companion” system for each item. What technical or creative trade-offs did you face when bringing those personalities to life?

If there were any tradeoffs, either technical or creative, we would not have considered doing this feature. The Magical interactive companions are essentially a little experiment where we use all the content we make for each item to build a custom AI embodying that item in online environments. It’s an optional feature that’s 100% free and human-made.

In a market that’s gradually being flooded with AI-generated art, lore, and mechanics, we wanted to try something different. Instead of using generative AI to replace our creative work, we use our creative work to build original AI buddies. The result is fun and feels almost magical without diminishing the agency of the GM or the player, and without replacing human creativity with generic AI-generated stuff.

Balancing Item Personalities and Player Freedom

Many creators avoid giving magic items strong voices because they can overshadow player characters. How did you balance narrative depth with player agency?

One of the core design pillars of Truly Sentient Items is to make item buddies that give players more choices and GMs more storytelling opportunities, instead of just being NPCs you carry around. To achieve that, we’re giving each item special features such as their own (optional) quest lines, evolution paths, secrets, variant forms, non-sentient items that complement them, and hidden powers.

Additionally, the items themselves are not designed to act independently from the player, so any choices they might make is an extension or a consequence of the choices their wielder made.

Art, Systems, and the Challenges of Creation

From a production standpoint, what was most challenging—illustrating every item yourself, developing the approval system, or refining the interactive companions?

That’s an easy answer. For me, illustrating is the most challenging part, just because it is the most time-consuming for me. Designing the items is also a challenge, but this happens organically through playtesting as well, and Theo (our GM and editor) is exceptionally good at coming up with new concepts and tidying up any crazy ideas we might have during play so they can be usable in other tables.

What Awaits Backers Beyond the Campaign: Truly Sentient Items on Kickstarter

For backers, how will Truly Sentient Items expand long-term play at their tables, and what future projects or expansions do you already envision beyond this campaign?

Like our previous books, we want GMs and players who read through Truly Sentient Items to be excited enough to instantly introduce at least some of the things from the book in their games. The range of items is very broad in the book, and it meshes so well with many classes and character concepts, that we believe most parties will find several items to be just perfect for them.

Moreover, items are designed to behave in different ways depending on what character attunes to them thanks to the approval system, so the same item may play out differently from campaign to campaign. Moreover, many items, such as the Lost Moonblade and the sentient bags, have several possible backgrounds and origins, so the GM can essentially make them into completely different items each time they are introduced.

Speaking with Catilus always feels like stepping into a world of wonder, where creativity, storytelling, and artistry coexist seamlessly. With Truly Sentient Items on Kickstarter, she invites players to experience magic in a new way: through the voices, memories, and emotions of the items themselves. For those who love their adventures rich in lore and heart, this new campaign is one to watch.

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About Catilus, Creator of Truly Sentient Items on Kickstarter

Catilus is a fantasy illustrator, storyteller, and creator from Athens, Greece. Known for her intricate worldbuilding and heartfelt characters, she has brought countless fantasy worlds to life through projects like The Cute Creatures Compendium and Book of Heroic Actions.Her art blends imagination, humor, and depth — reflecting her lifelong passion for D&D, character-driven storytelling, and meaningful design.

You can find her work and updates on Patreon, ArtStation, and her official site, where she continues to turn creative dreams into tangible adventures for players everywhere.

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