By Kobold Staff Mar 26, 2020 | Articles, Con Report |
Gary Con is here! VIRTUALLY!!! Join us as we self-isolate together with virtual dice and so much cheer. Gary Con is this weekend, and you can find out more and a schedule of events here. And there are a handful of Kobold panels to check out: Kobold Guide to Gamemastering: Advice from GMs—March 29th from 11am to 12pm The Scariest Roar!: Designing Monsters with Kobold Press—March 29th from 12:30pm to 1:30pm Freelancing 101: Writing and...
By Kelly Pawlik Mar 25, 2020 | Articles, Warlock's Apprentice |
The Small Folk of Domovogrod The origins of the winterfolk are shrouded in mystery. Sightings of them are so rare in most parts of the world that some doubt they exist at all. Sages debate whether or not they were a distinct people prior to the Great Retreat or if they were once courtfolk or riverfolk halflings who broke away from their kin when the elves departed. It is assumed they were once loyal servants to the elves like the courtfolk, and...
By Kelly Pawlik Mar 23, 2020 | Articles, Inbar’s Guide to the Northlands |
Dearest Mother and Father, Circumstances in Gastropnir have become difficult to bear. New elements in the settlement have made it dangerous to be anything other than a giant. I am leaving today to journey to Thrymheim, another giant community. To do so though, I must brave a cold so vicious I cannot describe it. The Cold Road The road from Gastropnir to Thrymheim is an unnervingly wide packed-dirt track marred by ruts from carts and barrows of...
By Agartha Christie Mar 20, 2020 | Articles, The Amber Bazaar |
As civilization expands and the wilds are reclaimed, so too are the birthplaces and graves of humanity’s ancestors. One such site is the Willowkarst Hoard, and with the collection of these three items comes its strange tale. Some say there were triplets, sons of an ancient noble whose name is long lost, all with an equal claim to their father’s lands and property. While one was wise and another strong, it was the third who won the claim by...
By Lou Anders Mar 18, 2020 | Articles, From the Archives |
“The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep.” —Saruman, The Fellowship of the Ring While the Mines of Moria might fall outside the scope of our tabletop, in today’s From the Archives article, we’re nonetheless going to take a deep delve into the realm of the dwarves of Midgard, specifically those in the Iron Crags. And hopefully what we wake up therein won’t see our end come in shadow and flame. To begin our expedition, we’ll look at the very...
By Mike Welham Mar 16, 2020 | Articles, Expanding Codex |
Alternate Traits and Actions The following changes allow GMs to alter a pact drake without modifying its challenge rating: Appoint Notary. As an action, the pact drake designates a willing creature to witness a pact or agreement on the drake’s behalf. The designated creature gains the drake’s Binding Witness trait and Punish Transgressor action for the pact or agreement it witnesses. It also gains the ability to cast scrying three times per...
By Nick Landry Mar 13, 2020 | Articles, Midgard |
We’ve enjoyed playing spellcasters in our favorite fantasy roleplaying game for decades. Clerics receive powers as favors from the gods while warlocks literally sell their souls to fiendish (and other) patrons, but what about arcane casters like wizards and sorcerers? Schools of magic like illusion or abjuration dictate the nature of specific spells and effects, but their underlying source remains an unanswered question. Midgard stands apart...
By Jerry LeNeave Mar 11, 2020 | Articles, The 4th Pillar |
In our last installment, we talked about spicing up your encounters with some actionable dungeon flair, bits and pieces within your environments that players can use to even the odds and make things interesting. Today we’re going to be talking about a few other aspects of imbalanced encounter building, and those are what I like to refer to as banes and gambits. These are quite the opposite of what we discussed last time in that they will...
By Kobold Staff Mar 9, 2020 | Articles, Midgard |
Chief among the Shadow Realm natives, the shadow fey were once elves like any other on the face of Midgard or the Fair Lands. The shadow fey made a dreadful choice when the power of elves waned. Instead of fading in decline, they chose to give themselves over to the powers of Shadow. Better to rule in the shadows, they said, than wither in the light. Among the oldest of the Shadow-corrupted, they are now reborn as a separate race of elves...
By Kobold Staff Mar 6, 2020 | Articles, Wallpapers |
It’s March, and everyone’s gaming! So here’s a subterranean set of wallpapers for your computer, your smartphone, or whatever electronic device you’ve got. This month, we’ve got a piece from Empire of the Ghouls (artist William O’Brien). Let’s unleash the dead (or destroy, either one), adventurers! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Please, click on the image you want to download to expand it into a downloadable...
By Zeb Cook Mar 4, 2020 | Articles, Warlock's Apprentice |
“Where is Smoketown? Gods blessings, that I cannot say. I don’t think anyone really knows where it is, but I can tell you how to find it. Just take the northeast road from here, and when you get to a big bend with a standing rock, look for a trail going more north. You follow that over the ridge, and once it goes into the mist, Smoketown will find you. “But I must ask, why? Only the lost and fools go to Smoketown.” —Deacon Tunburga Swinhall Of...
By Celeste Conowitch Mar 2, 2020 | Articles, Beyond the Audience |
Over the last few articles, we’ve chatted a lot about strategies to shape your show for mass appeal. This time, I want to talk about content creation that supports your show. There are a lot of elements to consider that don’t appear on screen or behind a mic. Let’s discuss a couple! So you’ve done it—you’ve recorded some episodes for your show. You publish the episodes online, and people seem to like them… so...
By Basheer Ghouse Feb 28, 2020 | Articles, Tools of War |
You’re playing a necromancer, and you’ve finally got animate dead. Your last battle leaves you with a small hoard of corpses, and careful spell selection and treasure hoarding has given you the resources to raise, equip, and transport all of them. You reach the dungeon, a team of bandits riding out to meet you. You command your minions to charge alongside the barbarian and— Oh no. You have to roll initiative for all of these guys…...
By Wade Rockett Feb 26, 2020 | 13th Age, Articles |
Now, let’s look in more detail at the second of the 13 Midgard icons: Lucan I, the Blood King! There’s an overview of the 13 Midgard icons here, along with icon relationship mechanics you can use to connect player characters with their world more powerfully in D&D, Pathfinder, and many other RPGs. Blood King Lucan is a powerful vampire who rules a kingdom where the undead reign, and humans serve in fear—a terror that the entire Crossroads...
By Kobold Staff Feb 24, 2020 | Articles, Monsters |
This strange-looking humanoid combines the features of an old crone and some manner of bird. A shawl covers her head but cannot contain her prominent beak and clawed hands. Her skirt reveals bird-like feet. Filthy Illusions. Kikimoras are devious house spirits who torment those they live with unless they are catered to and cajoled. They delight in harassing homeowners with their illusions, making a house look much filthier than it actually is....
By Robert Fairbanks Feb 21, 2020 | Articles, Out of the Frying Pan |
The land ages and withers, desiccating with every mile. Unbidden thoughts and images of ancient atrocities arise, and you imagine the drifting residue of forgotten holocausts, swirling in the blowing dust. The wind picks up, and the clouds darken with each hurried stride, drawing you farther into the Goblin Wastes. Soon you’ll close within striking distance of your quarry and, unfortunately, the notorious Flensing Gulch. Art thief and...
