By Ben McFarland Feb 20, 2019 | Articles, Warlock's Apprentice |
The departure of the elves and the resulting conflict shaped Central Midgard in fundamental ways. At its core, the Great Mage Wars rise out of the hubris of the Fulgurate Society and leave behind a monument to humanity’s capability for destructive spite. Legacy of the Fulgurate Society It began as a joke, a thumbing of their collective noses at the Elvish Empire of Valeran, the snide comments about humans being “all thunder and no lightning,”...
By Kobold Staff Feb 18, 2019 | Articles, Midgard |
This tattered skeletal humanoid resembles a monster from a nightmare. A dream eater’s natural form is mostly human in appearance, though with vestigial skeletal wings with a few feathers, small horns, sharp teeth, and cloven hooves. Most often they use magic to disguise themselves as attractive members of a humanoid race. Drawn to Sin. Dream eaters are dedicated to lust, gluttony, and greed, and they make their lairs in casinos, brothels,...
By Stephen Rowe Feb 15, 2019 | Articles, Memoirs of a Lich |
Dear Osvaud, This is Osvaud. We have spent eons attempting to ascertain the deepest rules of the cosmos. With our hard-won knowledge, we have ascended to the heights of arcane power, conquered death, and swindled countless adventurers who couldn’t cast the identify spell. Every now and then, we wake up, and… everything is a little bit different. The big stuff almost always stays the same. Magic is the best thing ever. Your soul is safely...
By GM Lent Feb 13, 2019 | Articles, The Sorcery Stop |
Magic is the lifeblood of fantasy. Arguably the dividing line between fantasy and other types of fiction, magic can be strange, mysterious, frightening, comical, or anything in between. And if you’re looking to explore the applications of magic in a fantasy roleplaying campaign, you want to visit the Sorcery Stop! A staple of fantasy fiction is the mysterious alchemical laboratory, a workshop where wizards, cultists, and mad scientists concoct...
By Kobold Staff Feb 11, 2019 | Articles, Midgard |
The Clanking Legion is a legendary mercenary company, composed of roughly half gearforged and half beings of flesh and blood. CLANKING MERCENARY (FIGHTER) Fighters who emulate the Clanking Mercenary archetype see the flexibility of flesh in steel and the strength of metal in their own bodies and minds. CLANKER’S CRAFT Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with your choice of blacksmith’s tools or tinker’s...
By Jacob Huebsch Feb 8, 2019 | Articles, The Far Side of the Table |
Azreal smiled grimly as his shield blocked the flying debris. The paladin surveyed the scene before him. The tower room was decimated, and the vicious battle between Azreal’s companions and the red wizard was looking dire. Squaring off in the center of the room was Strass and the red mage, a freshly launched fireball forcing a scream from the barbarian’s seared lungs. Slinking behind a stone column, Val prepared an ambush, and Kara...
By Sarah Madsen Feb 6, 2019 | Articles, Warlock's Apprentice |
All of the skalds from Skaldholm form a loose network of informants for the Master of Thyles, but there are whispers of a secret organization within the schools: skalds that are as proficient in the art of espionage as they are in poetry and song. Known as shadowsingers, they are artisans whose primary medium is information and secrets, but they are known to slip a dagger between ribs when necessary. They report to the Master of Thyles himself,...
By Kobold Staff Feb 4, 2019 | Articles, Midgard |
Midgard is surrounded by a god made flesh, the great World Serpent, a monstrous beast that defines the edge of the world and that contains—and some say, created—the entire world. This serpent, biting its own tail, creating the tides through his breathing and storms through his snorting and sneezes, is well known to the Northlanders and the Mharoti and less well known in other places. Hugely powerful, he is an indolent, even lazy, god who rarely...
By Kobold Staff Feb 1, 2019 | Articles, Wallpapers |
It’s February! So here’s a set of wallpapers for your computer, your smartphone, or whatever electronic device you’ve got. This month, we tease the upcoming Courts of the Shadow Fey, by artist Marcel Mercado. Let’s dance, mortal! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Please, click on the image you want to download to expand it into a downloadable...
By Lou Anders Jan 30, 2019 | Articles |
My players and I love using the 5E sourcebook’s downtime rules in our campaigns, and the downtime activity they seem to like the most is pit fighting. It seems to be the most profitable for them, and they like the idea of it a lot. But it’s only downtime, so it’s what the characters get up to between games. For one special adventure though—“The Scorpion’s Shadow” from Warlock Lairs 12, to be exact—I wanted to use a fighting pit during the...
By Kobold Staff Jan 28, 2019 | Articles, Midgard |
The water leaper is a frogheaded, legless creature with wide batlike wings and a gaping maw. Its shrieks resemble those of a hawk. Its long, sinuous tail tapers and ends in a venomous barb. Gliding Wings. The creature has no legs or arms, but sports a pair of wide, membranous wings. It uses the wings to glide beneath the water, as well as to soar through the air. Scourge of Waterways. Water leapers plague fresh lakes and rivers. The creatures...
By Richard Pett Jan 25, 2019 | Articles, Your Whispering Homunculus |
“I’m back from the Monster Mart, sluglet. Quickly! Get me the largest jar from the oozery!” “Did you say Monster Mart, master? I thought you said Monster Mart, and that would be just silly. Eurgh, what’s that bag got in it? They look like tiny, slithering violet worms. Hundreds of them.” “Purple worm young, grotlet. A whole bag of wormlets! And Vermis horribilis purpureus even! Their owner had no idea how rare a breed he has. They’ll...
By GM Lent Jan 23, 2019 | Articles, The Sorcery Stop |
Magic is the lifeblood of fantasy. Arguably the dividing line between fantasy and other types of fiction, magic can be strange, mysterious, frightening, comical, or anything in between. And if you’re looking to explore the applications of magic in a fantasy roleplaying campaign, you want to visit the Sorcery Stop! The Serpent Presence. It seems no Sword & Sorcery tale is complete without a pre-human race of serpent-folk and those who would...
By Kobold Staff Jan 21, 2019 | Articles |
Tell us about your characters to win BOOKS! Who doesn’t want to talk about their characters? We love new and interesting characters and can never get enough. And the My Hero flash character contest is your chance to show off yours! Share a 25-word description of your hero with us, and a panel of judges will pick out five finalists to post on the Kobold Press website. (Do you mostly GM? Not to worry! You can send us your favorite NPC description...
By Daniel Colby Jan 18, 2019 | Articles, Races of Midgard |
Beauty and Grace. Dau are small, agile, and beautiful creatures. Both male and female dau have dark, shoulder-length hair generally adorned with shining baubles. Dark brown eyes draw forth warmth and excitement. Their bright glittering wings vary in shades of green and blue, which they sometimes augment with contrasting jewelry. Dau are only slightly taller than gnomes and halflings and possess slender builds, allowing them to maneuver with a...
