When it comes to skill challenges, failure is not an option. “Of course,” you say. “No one wants to fail a skill challenge.” But this means something else entirely. Skill challenges are generally meant to represent situations or tasks which move the story forward—nonviolent encounters which carry just as much importance as those dealing with […]
If the gods and the mortals that worship them had their wish, each and every one of the deceased would receive a proper burial. None would be left to decompose, face down, in sloughing mud or shifting sands. None would have their naked limbs picked at by the myriad scavengers and ghouls that roam the
Hump Day Hazard: Cadaver Gas Read More »
What are reviewers saying about the recently released Sunken Empires (print/PDF)? If you’d like to drop your campaign into Atlantis or Mu you should get this book. You get new Pathfinder monsters like the Coral Drake and the Goblin Shark. New spells like Barnacle Armor and Sea Legs (which would have come in handy when
Sunken Empires: Better than the Big Dogs? Read More »
The hulking black creature, ever so vaguely humanoid in shape, rises from the tar pit. Its small eyes glow red, its body covered with all manner of items—tree limbs, leaves, carcasses of small animals, and even a few weapons. The incorrectly named tar fiend—for it is an elemental, not a fiend—lives in tar pits. It
“As a designer, your work enables new experiences in play for others. If you are doing it exceptionally well, you are inventing new game genres and new play styles; that is, entirely new methods, styles, and systems of play. You use technology, art, and your own vision of what it means to play to create
The Kobold Guide to Game Design Volume III is Here! Read More »
Frequent kobold contributor, Ben McFarland, is very busy. Aside from having a review of Hexographer up this morning right here at KoboldQuarterly.com, he has also decided to take a deeper look at the rules of torture introduced by Hank Woon in KQ#11. Check out Ben’s article “Torturing Player Characters” at the blog Dungeon Mastering.
How Badly Do I Want To Defeat My Enemy? Read More »
In summary: Hexographer creates a map with a more old-school feel, a format familiar to anyone who played TSR modules like Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun—those trying to produce a more illustrated map will find this tool inappropriate for that task. The price is lower than Campaign Cartographer, Dundjinni, or Fractal Mapper, and it includes a
Hexographer Software Review Read More »
PaizoCon 2010 is right around the corner. We’re going. Are you? Here’s our seminar schedule: Breaking Into Game Design Evergreen Room, Saturday 05:00 PM – 06:00 PM Speakers: Wolfgang Baur, Brandon Hodge, et al. Learn about the roads into the games field for aspiring game designers: organized play, blogs, small press, magazines, and patronage projects are
On the Road to PaizoCon 2010 Read More »
Mimics are among the most hazardous creatures an adventurer is likely to encounter. Surviving on trickery and cunning, instead of brute strength or raw magical power, the mimic inspires fear for its ability to fool and ensnare the unwary. Typically, you encounter a mimic on its own, proving little threat to an experienced adventuring group.
Bait & Switch: Mimics among Us Read More »
This terrible creature resembles an imposing knight wearing baroque full plate formed from some sort of calcified resin. Its helm is a blank gray oval without eye slots or mouthpiece, and it carries a glistening greatsword composed of dozens of slathering fanged mouths in its gauntleted hands. Eaters of dust—or yakat-shi as they are sometimes
Eater of Dust (Yakat-Shi) Read More »
“Master!” “Wait a moment, vile thing, I am engaged in describing the bowels of the Gorge of Misery and Flame.” “But master, I have something for your players, something that plays upon their superstitions…” “What use would such a chart be, least-thing?” “Why, to confuse them, master!” 30 Unsettling Moments, Asides for the Worrisome… Sometimes,
Your Whispering Homunculus: 30 Unsettling Moments Read More »
Kobolds love gadgets, even ones that don’t include hidden poisoned spikes or triggers that drop you into pits. So we’re happy to announce that we’ve gotten our claws into the newest shiny gadget on the market. Behold! Yep, you can now buy The Kobold’s Guide to Game Design, Vol. I, at the iPad’s iBookstore…
Kobold’s Guide to Game Design Comes to the iPad Read More »
What could be the harm? It’s only a book. If the Blind Idiot God has its way, you’ll be holding The Red Eye of Azathoth before you know it. This adventure anthology, guided by the superbly capable hands of Joshua Stevens, is Open Design’s very first Call of Cthulhu patron project, featuring a senses-shattering series
Behind the Curtain: The Red Eye of Azathoth Read More »
“Inspiring Terrains” looks at encounters—fundamental building blocks that bring together PCs, conflict, and environment. With a little inspiration and a few mechanical bits, it’s easy to make the terrain in an encounter just as memorable as the foes. [Part 1][Part 2] ___ Stagnant Water, Sucking Mud Fen, bog, marsh, swamp—whatever the name, standing water and
Inspiring Terrains: Soggy Fens (Part 3 of 5) Read More »
As you turn a corner, the corridor you are following widens dramatically to a width of 40 ft. Ahead 200 ft., four continual flames, placed evenly apart on both sides of the corridor, form a 40-ft square section. Beyond this lit area, the corridor connects to a roughly circular cavern. A huge statue, aglow in
Trapsmith: Epic Damage Read More »
(Art by Eli Arndt) From the darkest depths of forgotten seas, an ancient evil has been pulled into the light. The venerable sailing bark The Lusty Elf has made an unexpected catch while weighing anchor off a nameless isle. The four hale and hearty sailors who manned the anchor windlass, struggling mightily to reel in
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