Parlez-vous français? Oui, mais très peu. Feats are abilities characters either have or don’t have. By contrast, skills are abilities characters build up over time, slowly adding points to improve their expertise. At least, that’s how it works for all the skills except Speak Language (or Linguistics). This particular skill has rules more like a […]
(Illustration by Cory Trego-Erdner) As large as it was, it hardly made a sound. We saw the great beast lumbering toward us from a distance, and if it saw us as we scampered for cover, it didn’t acknowledge it. The thing just stared right past us with dead eyes, toward the gigantic disturbed grave we’d
A Land as Haunted as Its People Read More »
The kwaiken is like a dagger. It’s a type of small tanto, historically carried by both men and women of the samurai class. As with the tetsu no bo (kanabo), I’m having a hard time finding a reliable translation. Kwaiken literally translates to “chest knife” or “bosom knife,” but whether or not the literal translation
Real Steel: The Kwaiken Read More »
When Ed Healy sent us a link to the latest episode of his RPG Countdown podcast with the cryptic note, “Thought you’d like to have a listen…” we were most intrigued. We soon discovered that Kobold Quarterly occupies two spots on the countdown of top-selling game products! The Kobold Guide to Game Design comes in
Kobolds Overrun RPG Countdown Read More »
The pursuit of power. The quest for immortality. There are many paths to power, and some are well trodden while some are not. The fellhazen and the runecarved are two lesser-travelled roads for the heroic tier. Each offers a distinct path to the paragon tier and beyond. The Fellhazan “Allow me to share the dark
Paths to Power (Part 1 of 2) Read More »
This mechanical framework combines plates of iron and dull brass. Interlocking screws vibrate and tubes full of arcane fluids pump as this metal beast takes a heavy step forward. The clockwork suit is a mechanical body with oversized arms and hands used mainly for heavy labor. Wire, tubing, and sprockets line a cast-iron frame plated
Clockwork Suit, Mark One Read More »
Master Pett’s Your Whispering Homunculus presents only the finest in British gaming. Indeed, you are not likely to find a more comprehensive assortment of miscellany anywhere. (So much more than just another bloke in a dress.) [previously] __ In this version of the template, things have taken a darker turn with an entire dungeon complex infested
Your Whispering Homunculus: For One Night Only—Troll-Touched (Part 2 of 2) Read More »
The towering spires of Bourgund gleamed on the horizon, but the city’s promised relief from the waste’s horrors seemed distant indeed with the rotting bulk of Zhergthoth—the Fallen One—between our party and the city. The once-writhing tentacles of the slain Old One lying desiccated in the dry desert wind, we picked our way maze-like between
The White Knights of Bourgund 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 2 of 4) Read More »
Wizards, sorcerers, and witches can all have familiars. While familiars continue to grow more powerful along with their masters, some arcane casters want something more… [previously] __ Altered Familiar Feat This feat changes the nature of your familiar but not its type. For example, you can have a clockwork toad familiar or an undead rat.
Un-Familiar Companions (Part 2 of 2) Read More »
Kobold Quarterly issue #17 is out, and the kobolds are feeling wicked. This issue celebrates the villains, getting right into the meat of things with an article of special arch-nemesis abilities for recurring villains and the PCs who hate them. As they clash again and again, these abilities gain more potent – ultimately legendary –
Kobold Quarterly #17 Now Available Read More »
As the halfling stepped from the shadows, the ground covering snapped shut, engulfing him in a thick, green pod. The struggle ended in seconds, for the paralytic secretions acted quickly and his body proved unresponsive. However, he quickly learned that he could still feel everything. The green trap is a large carnivorous plant that grows
Now, most April foolishness is, well, sort of annoying. To counter that trend, Kobold Quarterly is offering something rather more use-fool than most. Because we love you, all subscribers to Kobold Quarterly and all current Open Design patrons get a free — and somewhat silly — but totally playable adventure: the glorious Tyman’s Taunting Tower
You Have Been Taunted a Third Time Read More »
While the origins of the sword are clear, the history of single-edged blades is a bit murkier. Some such blades, however, have become iconic in Western history in their own right: the pirate’s cutlass, the scimitar of the Middle East, and the cavalryman’s saber. Others have failed to catch the limelight of history. Back to
Historical Steel: Back to the Power Curve Read More »
Templates give you an easy way to update a creature from a normal version to an elite version. Each template is assigned one or more roles, and—although it isn’t necessary—a creature is best served by using a template that matches its original role. See the 4E Dungeon Master’s Guide for more on templates. [previously] __
Mythic Templates (Part 3 of 3) Read More »
Elder Frankston was obviously one of the most respected men in town. When he walked down the street, people always nodded their heads in greeting. When he entered the tavern, people always cleared a stool at the bar. He seemed like a trustworthy source of information and a useful merchant contact. We had no idea
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