By Robert Fairbanks Jul 24, 2017 | Articles, Backgrounds |
Khazzak Vagabond A nomad among wanderers, an outsider among exiles, yours is a storm-touched tale. The open sky and wind-brushed tundra were blanket and bed to you, the thunder of hoof beats, a lullaby. To you, “civilization” was wind-snapped yurts and healthy herds; words like city meant tents and wagons and carnivals, leather and wheels and rope. Among the mixed tribes, horse clans, and khanates that form the Khazzaki nation, anyone who...
By Richard Pett Jul 21, 2017 | Articles, Your Whispering Homunculus |
Unusual Attire “Interesting attire you’ve chosen for this evening’s ball, master.” “I see nothing unusual about it. Noteworthy definitely; unusual no.” Well, my thinking is—if he’s going dressed as an evil apocalyptic duck, I wonder what the other guests will come as? Nothing is more important than making a first impression, they say. Well tonight’s YWH certainly aims for that. Dress your NPCs up in some of these costumes, and the questions are...
By Jon Sawatsky Jul 19, 2017 | Articles, Of Godly Might |
Clerics of Boreas (for 5E) The cold and the gods care not for the system in which you play. But you might. Here’s 5E details for you cleric of Boreas. Frost Domain Clerics of Boreas, Mara, and other icy deities can imbue their attacks with biting cold, create weapons of ice, and send forth blasts of razor sharp ice to damage their foes. 1st Divine favor (ice dmg) 3rd Spiritual weapon (ice dmg) 5th Sleet storm 7th Glacial cold* 9th Ice...
By Lillian Cohen-Moore Jul 17, 2017 | Articles, Writing a Better Homebrew Campaign |
So you want to create your own campaign for your players? You want to craft adventures with thrilling action, compelling characters, and rich plot hooks? With cliffhangers and twists, treachery and redemption, complexity and surprises around every corner? A living, breathing world to explore with your friends? We want to help you do just that. Part 3, Linear and Nonlinear Worlds An understanding of linear narrative structure is something many...
By Michael Allen Jul 14, 2017 | Articles, Trapmaster |
The Empty Shelf Setting the heavy tome in place, Mira thought to herself, “These sages need to get out more. I am bored just looking at these books. I would rather eat sawdust than read them. They are probably drier…” Indeed, the bookshelves mask the seams in the pivoting section of wall ahead, but the tiny scrape marks in the floor give it away. Opening the panel is another issue. Attempts to manipulate the pivot seem...
By James Thomas Jul 12, 2017 | Articles, Sidetreks |
The Egg Thief: The Purloining Pernicious Platypus While visiting a provincial festival, an eccentrically dressed man wearing a leather helmet and goggles approaches the PCs. His name is Halm Hogarth, and he takes the PCs aside, saying he needs their help with an investigation. A large number of chicken eggs have disappeared from several farms east of town. Worse, he is also missing two hippogriff eggs. When the PCs arrive at the hamlet, they...
By James J. Haeck Jul 10, 2017 | Articles, Terrors of the Dragon Empire |
The Mharoti Dragon Empire is the scourge of Midgard and the Southlands alike. The vast armies of the Dragon Empire march relentlessly across the known world in their endless wars of conquest, spreading fear and chaos wherever they go. The creatures that make up the Mharoti forces are powerful and frightful, ranging from deadly kobold ambushers mounted atop camouflaged drakes to elite companies of the finest dragonborn warriors Midgard has ever...
By Jacob Huebsch Jul 7, 2017 | Articles, The Far Side of the Table |
The Frying Pan or the Fire? Welcome back to the table. In this session, the adventurers accidentally found their way into a nest of 6 vampire spawn that I had prepared for later in the story. The adventurers were all level 3, each vampire was level 5. My players were destined to lose. What do you do when an encounter is too hard? What adjustments can you make in the middle of combat to scale the scene down to more reasonable odds? Wednesday...
By Kobold Staff Jul 5, 2017 | Articles, Con Report |
Going to Gen Con? UPDATE—We’ve got 6 more tables of Pathfinder games: RPG17123860 Midgard: Reality & Other Lies Thu @ 7:00 PM RPG17123861 Midgard: Reality & Other Lies Fri @ 7:00 PM RPG17123791 Midgard: Madman at the Bridge Thu @ 1:00 PM RPG17123792 Midgard: Madman at the Bridge Thu @ 5:00 PM RPG17123793 Midgard: Madman at the Bridge Fri @ 1:00 PM RPG17123794 Midgard: Madman at the Bridge Sat @ 1:00 SIGN UP! Join in at some Kobold...
By Kobold Staff Jul 3, 2017 | Articles, Wallpapers |
2017 New Paths Compendium This month, we’re featuring the cover for the newly expanded, updated, full-color hardcover version of the New Paths Compendium (on Kickstarter now) with artwork by Claudio Pozas. The New Paths Compendium has almost everything from the original book and much more, including new classes, archetypes, feats, and spells. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Please, click on the image you want to download to expand it into a...
By Stephen Rowe Jun 30, 2017 | Articles, Memoirs of a Lich |
Dear Osvaud, This is Osvaud. As you read this, you are hopefully safely ensconced within the comfortable confines of your unassailable fortress. You are probably leisurely floating randomly through the Negative Energy Plane. Take a second to appreciate that vaguely soothing feeling living creatures equate with having their soul maimed. Now, admire the fine hand-crafted force effect construction. There’s a good reason most of your valuable...
By Marc Radle Jun 28, 2017 | Announcements, Articles |
New Paths Compendium Kickstarter An updated, reorganized, much expanded, full color, hardcover version of the New Paths Compendium has been a long time coming. Brand new classes, archetypes, feats, and spells. And here’s the Kickstarter for it! It started from humble enough beginnings. Way back in 2009, the spell-less ranger appeared in Kobold Quarterly #11, and to my surprise and delight, the class was well received. This was followed by...
By Konstantinos Dimopoulos Jun 28, 2017 | Articles, Medieval Urbanism |
The Labyrinthine Realities of the Medieval City City planner and historian Lewis Mumford famously recognized the essence of medieval urbanism in “the secrecy and the surprise, the sudden opening and the lift upwards, the richness of the carved detail.” It is that very essence, along with the mysteries fantasy tradition has constructed within it, that makes the medieval city a great environment to roleplay in, and a constant source of...
By Robert Fairbanks Jun 26, 2017 | Articles, Backgrounds |
Lumeran River Scout Some of the “pirates” approach folkloric status (those with necks as still unstretched, at any rate), local legends along the many meandering miles of the great Lumera River (see Midgard Expanded for more on this region). Headsman Uhlzhar One-Arm, Yllinia the River Witch, Beornath the Blue Bowman, and others, but whether famous or foul, flamboyant or fearsome, to you they were all prey. Let the nomads and the...
By Kobold Staff Jun 23, 2017 | Articles, interview |
Wolfgang drops in with the Wizards crew at Dragon Talk to chat about Tome of Beasts. Go listen to your favorite Kobold-in-Chief talk about your favorite topic (monsters) in the latest podcast. The creative team is hard at work on Tome of Beasts 2: Electric Beastaloo, including Dan Dillon, James Introcaso, Shawn Merwin, Steve Winter, Chris Harris, Jeremy Hochhalter, and Wolfgang himself. Kickstarter to come “this fall.” Why...
