In a previous Trapsmith entry, we explored the merits of fear and how a trapsmith uses it in his designs. “Arrows of the Arbonesse” in Kobold Quarterly #20 introduces several new arrows that you can use to breathe life into the old arrow trap design, transforming it from the ubiquitous dungeon feature to something approaching dangerous. […]
Trapsmith: Fear the Arrow—The Return of Pain Read More »
Is there a roleplayer or a DM who doesn’t love maps? My dad once told me a story about a man who was investigated by the FBI during WW2, on suspicion of being a spy. Neighbors grew suspicious because he had boxes filled with maps in his house. It turned that he was a longtime
Howling Tower: Here Be Dragons Read More »
Back in the fall of 2009, Chris Dinkins and I interviewed a host of game designers and novelists who were also experienced game masters. We sent around too many questions to too many GMs and received far too much material for one article to hold. As a result, a lot of great material got scrapped.
The Lost GM Scrolls: Will Hindmarch and the Ship of Fools Read More »
(Also Titled: The Ongoing Diary of Thppgrg, Goblin Minion) As ever, readers who are new to the diary, please scroll down a bit to where you see the Thppgrg tag. Click on it. Yeah, that’s right. Otherwise, if you missed part thirteen, you can just click here. (Art by Chris McFann.) DAY FORTY-ONE Can’t write. Hung
Oh, I’m Going to Get Killed Any Minute Now (Part 14) Read More »
Slavish followers of Kobold! It is I, the Whispering Homunculus. You may recall the time I seized control of Wolfgang Baur’s mind, took over Kobold World Headquarters, and published my own book. How the kobolds wailed and gnashed their teeth in rage when they learned what I’d done! Too late! Too late! Hee-hee-heeee!* But my
Your Whispering Homunculus Outsells AD&D Read More »
A character who favors ranged attacks has many ways to master the bow, and the schools presented in this article series give you some interesting options to round out your player character. This week, we present another school of archery styles by Rich Redman. The first, second, third and fourth parts are available, too. Dungeon Archers The least
Archery Styles (Part 5) Read More »
In this golden age when we have dozens of well-designed, polished FRPGs to choose from, gamer arguments tend to be about whether game A is “better” in some indefinable fashion than games B through Z. There was a time long ago when only a handful of FRPGs existed, and most roleplayers had tried all of
Howling Tower: Black Powder—Friend or Foe? Read More »
Back in the fall of 2009, Chris Dinkins and I interviewed a host of game designers and novelists who were also experienced game masters. We sent around too many questions to too many GMs and received far too much material for one article to hold. As a result, a lot of great material got scrapped.
The Lost GM Scrolls: Mike Mearls on Encounters with More at Stake Read More »
Aragorn didn’t cast spells. Just because some designer thought rangers should be spell-slingers doesn’t make it right! With the Expanded Spell-Less Ranger, you can now play an authentic ranger without spells, but with great new abilities. The Expanded Spell-Less Ranger is a base class for the Pathfinder RPG first presented in Kobold Quarterly #11 and
Expanded Spell-less Ranger Now Available Read More »
(Also Titled: The Ongoing Diary of Thppgrg, Goblin Minion) As ever, readers who are new to the diary, please scroll down a bit to where you see the Thppgrg tag. Click on it. Yeah, that’s right. Otherwise, if you missed part twelve, you can just click here. (Art by Chris McFann.) DAY FORTY Several interesting developments
Oh, I’m Going to Get Killed Any Minute Now (Part 13) Read More »
This year at TotalCon 2012, winners of the Iron GM Regional Semi-Final earned some awesome prizes from Open Design. Take a look at their reactions in the video posted beyond the jump! If you want to find out about more opportunities for fun gaming experiences, you can learn more about Iron GM (the competition) and
Iron GM, TotalCon 2012, and Open Design Read More »
It’s all the oracle’s fault. I’ve been playing a half-orc oracle of stone in one of our bi-weekly campaigns, and I’m having a blast. He is great fun to play. His various class features make him useful in lots of situations, and I’ve found I really like playing a spontaneous caster. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve
Kobold Quarterly #21: Designing the Shaman Read More »
The Mithral Dragon has its origins in Kobold Quarterly issue #4 and first appeared for D&D 3.5 back in 2007, designed by Mike McArtor. The Pathfinder RPG version presented here is a bonus age category that we couldn’t quite fit into the book, but it’s just as stunning and impressive as the version in the
Midgard Bestiary: Mithral Dragon Read More »
In our return to Monster Island, we find that the dangerous environment has left us with a need for a new ruler. Perhaps you can be that ruler? But, this time around, the monsters must come from Midgard, which provides you with an added challenge! Behold the King of the Monsters Contest, the greatest and most
King of the Monsters 3: A New Menagerie Read More »
Dragons are the most iconic creatures in fantasy RPGs, for obvious reasons. They ought to be among the most impressive and frightening, too, but that isn’t always the case. It’s not because dragons don’t have the chops; on a stat-by-stat basis, your average dragon is terrifying. Yet player characters bring them down with shocking regularity.
Howling Tower: Dragons—A Soar Spot Read More »
Druids vs. Aliens: Fight! The third rules-light solo adventure in our Party of One series is available for download at the Kobold Store! BB3: Alosar Emanli and the Creatures from the Fallen Star puts you in the role of a young apprentice druid who finds himself on his own as evil creatures from the stars
New Solo Play Adventure: Alosar Emanli and the Creatures from the Fallen Star Read More »
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