Someone was whistling, and it was a tune Scarred Marshant knew well, but it was no shanty. It was a haunted bit of a tune—the sort of thing you hear in the lower churches what teach the worship of demons. He’d never heard the tune, strict to truth. He only half-remembered it, the song that […]
Most adventurers know the sound of a wild boar rustling through the underbrush. But when the boar turn out to be the underbrush, very few are prepared for the surprise. Swine Tree A swine tree, also known as susero to the fey, attacks anything it perceives as a threat and usually attacks without mercy. Most
Boarticulture: Brutes of the Swine (Part 1 of 3) Read More »
Dragons are huge, powerful creatures feared by one and all, but just as the mightiest human warrior can be laid low by the flu, so too can dragons contract, be weakened by, and even die from various diseases. What follows is a description of some, but by no means all, of the maladies and draco-disorders
Dragon Maladies (Part 4 of 5) Read More »
Beyond the overlooked polearms and famous straight, thrusting, and curved swords lies a major category of weapons that just as importantly deserves some mention—ranged projectile weapons. From the nameless men-at-arms shooting crossbows from castle crenellations to green-suited, do-gooding outlaws with their longbows to the swashbuckling musketeer, each has their unique place in the annals of
Historical Steel: Dialing in the Range Read More »
Refill your flagons! Jarrod Camiré continues to bring you new material to use with Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill. The second of four parts, this week we learn a little more about Thor. [previously] __ Thor is certainly one of the most well known gods from Norse mythology. He is mostly associated with thunder, lightning,
Thor, God of Thunder and Lightning Read More »
Your breath catches as they emerge from the shadows, each a gore-splattered marionette with black hollows where their eyes should be. Only the jagged, sharpened teeth protruding from their cold porcelain smiles mar their faces. They move like nightmares, limbs held falsely and jerking from motion to motion. Tiny fingers end in wicked steel blades,
We’ve had a couple of big releases here recently! There’s Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill, a Pathfinder-compatible sourcebook for adventures in Midgard’s temperate and subarctic north; and Kobold Quarterly #17, an issue dedicated to villainy with articles for Pathfinder RPG, 4th Edition D&D, and Dragon Age RPG. What are reviewers saying about them? Let’s start
Northlands and KQ #17 Review Roundup Read More »
Melchior huffed and puffed around the last corner. Even though he’d be dressed down for loafing, he felt a genuine affection for his employers. He skidded to a stop. The dragon, who was devouring Fargrim the Chaste, raised his head to gaze at him. Melchior pushed his helm (a well-seasoned dinner pot) higher on his
Lackeys, Hirelings, and Henchmen Read More »
How can a god be mad? Some sages claim all the gods are mad, and we are but the figments of their raving intellects. Yet madness does not just mean a disordered mind caught up in its own delusions and faux-reality. If madness is one man’s illusion, perhaps sanity is also an illusion, but one
Gibbering Oracles (Part 3 of 4) Read More »
In Norse mythology, valkyries are servants of Odin. These female figures choose the most valorous of those that die on the battlefield to bring to Valhalla to become einherjar—or the warriors who’ll fight during Ragnarök. This is far from Valkyries’ only function, however. The incomparable valkyries appear throughout the poetry of the skalds as lovers
Valkyries: Shieldmaidens of the North Read More »
The creature scampers down its web toward you, far more nimble than a thing the size of a cow has any right to be. As it moves, however, it becomes clear that this isn’t a spider—spiders don’t have venom-dripping stingers on their back. Duergar bear responsibility for the creation of this ill-tempered amalgam. More specifically,
To celebrate the release of Open Design’s Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill, Chris Harris and Dan Voyce bring you new wondrous items. Banner of Power Aura faint transmutation; CL 5th Slot —; Price 5,400 gp; Weight 15 lb. DESCRIPTION The maw on this howling standard is empowered to swallow a spell of 3rd level or lower
Wondrous Items from the Northlands Read More »
To celebrate the release of Open Design’s Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill, Chris Harris and Dan Voyce bring you the sea wolf. __ “I saw no more terrible beast on all my journeys north than the sea wolf. The white bears had their aloof majesty, the lindwurm serpentine grace, but the monster that gnawed away the
To celebrate the release of Open Design’s Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill, Chris Harris and Dan Voyce bring you the frostveil. __ They took the sled dogs first, one by one, and later the seal-skinner set to guard them. We’d hear a confused, muffled cry in the wind and then we’d find them—a raven harvest cold
To celebrate yesterday release of Open Design’s Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill, Dan Voyce brings you the lindwurm. __ Coiling like a living corkscrew, moving with a scraping hiss, a serpentine form skates nimbly across the ice on long curving claws, maw agape and stinking of a hundred graves. Ensnaring snakes, glima worms, skittering tongue
Let the pillaging begin! All through the winter they’ve been sharpening their axes and readying their spells: Donneren barbarians, Skraeling rangers, Kazzakh horsemen, reaver dwarves and Hyperborean sorcerers. Impatient for battle, and a chance to win treasure and glory; to join the ranks of heroes whose deeds are sung by skalds in the mead-halls. Now
Northlands Sourcebook for Pathfinder Is Here Read More »
Stay informed with the newest Kobold Press news and updates delivered to your inbox weekly. Join now and receive a PDF copy of Shards of the Spellforge
