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The gruesome, the ghastly, the horrific, the sick. How often have we come across monsters, traps, or adventure scenes and wondered just how morbidly dreadful they are? Sure, I’m both drawn and repelled by it, but how much? Is it more grisly than the last book I read? Less so than the last guest I […]
The katana is a bigger-than-life weapon with a long and colorful history. It is surrounded by so much legend and mystery that it is sometimes difficult to get to the truth. In the previous article we discussed tamahagane, the steel from which traditional katana are made, and before that we talked in some detail about
Real Steel: The Katana Read More »
Sigard the Woodsman was a doting father. Ever since his wife was taken by the Black Death, his children have been his whole world. But, of course, this was before the brain mold… He could hear them laughing inside their modest home, preparing for the evening meal. They took his wife. Faster and faster, he
Secret Lairs: The Haunted Hovel Read More »
Who can incite the noblest paladins to acts of brutality just as easily as break their hearts? A witch of course. Witches come in a myriad of types, from seductive spies to conniving hags, from insane hermits to helpful hedge mages. What all witches have in common is their use of hexes and familiars, as
Toil and Trouble: New Abilities for Witches Read More »
The oddly metallic red carpet shifts and rolls beneath the witch’s feet, carrying her forward amid the clattering of a thousand little legs. With gravity-defying precision, the beetles’ legs interlock and bend to form a crisply angled staircase. A living carpet is found under the feet of fey spellcasters, who use this unusual mount to
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] ___ “Tonight, mucoid thing, our brave heroes must venture into the wilds!” “You are so clever master, but
Your Whispering Homunculus: When You’re Alone, You’re Alone Read More »
Inspired by our article on barbarian totems, “All the Rage” [part 1][part 2] by Matthew Cicci, KoboldQuarterly.com fan and forum regular Simon the Overthinker celebrates the idea in a slightly different way. ___ Mathew Cicci did an excellent job of capturing the essence of the barbarian totems and their meaning to the tribes and clans
All the Rage: A Kinder, Gentler Barbarian Totem? Read More »
Welcome to Colin McComb’s Now, the Twist. A dangerous journey that will force him to take a long, hard look at game design. Join him, won’t you… in his ongoing struggle to pass Go. [previously] ___ Last time, we discussed playtests, so we won’t go over that ground again. Instead, we’ll talk about how you use
Now, the Twist: Unforeseen Consequences Read More »
Trap themes are templates that can be applied to existing traps to give them a distinct and shared flavor. Each theme introduces new powers—adding one does not affect a trap’s XP value, but upgrade a trap to an elite or solo if you apply two or more themes. [part 1][part 2] ___ Whether manifested in
Trap Themes (Part 3 of 5): Psionic Wards Read More »
The creature before you seems to be a gnomish child yet so immaculately groomed and outlandishly dressed as to resemble a living doll. Its grin is wide and wicked. A gnome pretender is a creature born of deep and hysterical fear—fear the likes of which only a child can know. Pretenders are fickle and powerful
Or 30 Things to find on a Villain’s Corpse. [See The Dead Adventurer’s Catalogue] ___ Wendell bent over the body of the goblin chieftain they had just slaughtered, his slender hands shifting through the goblin’s filthy goods until he encountered something shiny and hard. “Look here, Tarquilos my old friend. The goblin chief has a
The Dead Villain’s Catalogue Read More »
Of all the bladesmithing processes, the one surrounded by the most mystery, the process that has spawned the most legend and myth, is unquestionably forge folding. Forge folding, the process that yields folded steel, is a general term to describe several different processes that different cultures have used since steel was first made. The physics
Real Steel: The Mystery of Steel—Myth and Fact of Forge Folding Read More »
The Welcome to Fall edition of the Kobold Courier was sent out today. It’s packed with news on the just-released-to-patrons Tales of the Old Margreve and an interview with bladesmith Todd Gdula, author of the Real Steel column. Also a cartography contest, reviews of Advanced Feats: The Witch’s Brew, news on the Dragon Age RPG Beta,
Courier #9 Has Shipped Read More »
“Encounter Codex” presents individual encounters that can be quickly slotted into any adventure. They are system neutral and easily adapted to any edition (and other games for that matter) with little effort—just add stats. [Previous Encounter] ___ A narrow catacomb stretches toward a T-intersection roughly 20 paces ahead. The jaw and limbs of a four-armed gargoyle
Encounter Codex: The Gargoyle and the Gauntlet Read More »
The machinations of Hell are complex, interlocking yet independent, all aimed to achieve one goal: bringing about its ruler’s dominion. Careful examination of Hell’s exposed plots reveals that it nurtures its pawns: tomorrow’s tyrants train extensively in its ways before they are unleashed. Hellish Powers In their shadowy temples, Hell’s disciples learn to achieve dominance
Hell Bound: Today’s Tools for Tomorrow’s Tyrants Read More »
Halloween came early at KoboldQuarterly.com, when loyal reader Charles knocked on our door and asked for a treat. Specifically, he hoped we’d share one of the 30 new feats for the witch character class in Sigfried Trent’s Advanced Feats: The Witch’s Brew. No need to punish us with a trick, Charles—here, for your pleasure, is a
Sample Witch’s Feat: Familiar Concentration Read More »
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