By Peter von Bleichert Sep 19, 2018 | Articles |
Non-magical transportation in our fantasy RPGs is most likely by horse or horse-drawn cart. This makes it difficult to cover more than 30 miles in a day. Such a limitation may slow an adventuring party seeking far-off destinations, hinder industrial operations like mining or lumber harvest, or present a strategic weakness for a kingdom. There are ample reasons for a world to include a mode of transportation beyond traditional tamped earth or...
By Kobold Staff Sep 17, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
You can speak with machines and magical or mechanical constructs, and control constructs. Ultimately, you will become metal-graced by your deity. Welcome, friend, to the world of Midgard. Maybe you’re brand new to this world. Or maybe you’ve been around since the beginning. Either way, stay—all are welcome! Please, sit and listen to the tales. You see, the world has been changing, and oh, the sights to see. It’s a living, evolving realm where...
By Stephen Rowe Sep 14, 2018 | Articles, Memoirs of a Lich |
Dear Osvaud, This is Osvaud. I think it’s time we started sharing our magical secrets. Well, as we’ll get to here in a second, one wizard’s awe-inspiring power is another’s migraine waiting to happen. I’ll tackle each school of magic separately in coming pages, but first, let’s explain our general approach to spellcasting. In my vast experience, while there are eight schools of magic, there are roughly three types of people with arcane power....
By Kobold Staff Sep 12, 2018 | Articles, Wallpapers |
It’s September! So here’s a set of wallpapers for your computer, your smartphone, or whatever electronic device you’ve got. This month celebrates monsters with the cover from Creature Codex, by artist Craig Spearing. Bring the monsters! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Please, click on the image you want to download to expand it into a downloadable...
By Kobold Staff Sep 10, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Despite the fact, or perhaps because of the fact, that their land has been ruled by a singular leader for 400 years, the major families of Dornig are always looking for new blood. A hero who has a reputation for valor and is willing to swear fealty has a good shot of getting his or her own piece of land, a deed to a castle or country house, and a baronial title. This is a situation tailor-made for adventurers. Welcome, friend, to the world of...
By Jacob Huebsch Sep 7, 2018 | Articles, The Far Side of the Table |
Strass was lost. Surrounded on three sides by towering stone walls, he groaned in frustration and looked to his two companions. Val and Azreal stood nearby, arguing over a crudely drawn map. Taking out his axe, Strass felt the comforting weight in his hands. He smiled as he imagined using it on Faldren the deceiver. Welcome to the table. This week, the adventurers followed their nemesis through a labyrinthine ruin. During their hunt, I planned...
By GM Lent Sep 5, 2018 | Articles, Cult Activity |
The core rules provide options for cultists and cult leaders but few options for other members of an occult organization. In particular, those who have sworn pacts to gain magical power are sorely underrepresented. Warlock NPCs This article presents two new NPCs to help develop and fill out the membership and leadership of a profane sect. Cabalists are the newest recruits in a cult, inexperienced and disposable. Heralds are an organization’s...
By Kobold Staff Sep 3, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
The terrible outline of something noxiously thin and bat-winged descends silently from above—a faceless black being with smooth, whale-like skin and horns that curve toward each other. Its barbed tail lashes needlessly as it clutches the air with ugly prehensile paws. Nightgaunt Silent Malevolence. Nightgaunts never speak or smile, having only a suggestive blankness where a face ought to be. The beating of a nightgaunt’s membranous wings makes...
By Jon Sawatsky Aug 31, 2018 | Articles, Warlock's Apprentice |
Yes, it’s true! I have travelled far up the rivers that flow through the Arbonesse—all the way to the River Court. There I was taken on a tour of the place before being seated for dinner with the king himself, that secret keeper, Ulorian the First! Here, sit, I will recall my time there for you so that you might decide if such a trip is in your interest. —Nenmaas Goodloaf (halfling of House Aunun) Members of the Court The River Court is the...
By Thomas Knauss Aug 29, 2018 | Articles, On the Road |
A journey facilitator such as myself puts faith in his senses but never fully trusts them. Reality isn’t always what you see and hear. Often times, feelings convey a truer understanding of the world around us than our tangible perceptions. An inexplicable hunch, an unnerving tingling, or a stray hair standing on end can sometimes tell me more than the most intrusive tactile examination. Fortunately for me, my instincts came to my rescue on more...
By Kobold Staff Aug 27, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
Bemmea perches on an isolated granite base connected to the mainland at low tide by a long sliver of land. The mages of Bemmea don’t reveal when the tide changes, since their mastery of the elements is complete and entry into the city by land controlled by their whims. By the standards of most Midgard cities, Bemmea is tiny in circumference but towers from ancient foundations to rise to nearimpossible heights. The peninsula is all that remains...
By Troy Taylor Aug 24, 2018 | Articles, Midgard Maps |
For 4th-level characters All the children are tucked away in their dormitories as Headmistress Galentha Kavezhen makes her final rounds about the quiet castle of Academiae Caustiz. The blood sister of the Order of Rosy Salvation pauses outside the doorway of the chapel to Marena—formerly the castle’s sanctuary to Wotan—and tries to shed the unease swirling within herself. Her task was straightforward, maintain this boarding school on the...
By Daniel Colby Aug 22, 2018 | Articles, Races of Midgard |
Every once in a while, an unexpected hero rises from obscurity—the burrowling. These furry folk hail from a region known as the Wasted West. Should you find yourself in their land, be watchful. They detest violent encounters and hate goblins. However, a pleasant meeting may lead to intriguing friendships. These small and unlikely heroes rarely find themselves in harm’s way, but sometimes, one of them leaves their home to explore the world...
By Kobold Staff Aug 20, 2018 | Articles, Midgard |
The peerless Edjet is the backbone of the mighty Dragon Empire’s military. These brutal warriors are trained to fight in deadly formations. Hardy and resolute, the Edjet are most commonly dragonkin, but lesser races sometimes surprise their scaled masters by aspiring to draconic perfection. Welcome, friend, to the world of Midgard. Maybe you’re brand new to this world. Or maybe you’ve been around since the beginning. Either way, stay—all are...
By Richard Pett Aug 17, 2018 | Articles, Your Whispering Homunculus |
“Ah, slug, I want you to go into the upper east cellar and fetch Nadger for me.” “Upper east cellar, master. I’ve never been there before, but I happily perform any task you wish however dangerous or menial. Might it be impertinent to ask—since I’ve yet to meet the gent—who Nadger is?” “It is impertinent, but I’ll answer anyway. Nadger is my kobold ferret keeper. He often performs little tasks for me in the Undercity.” We love kobolds. Everyone...
