Once, there was a long drought. All the creeks and springs dried up. The leaves on the trees turned brown and brittle. The animals were very thirsty. Faced with a common problem, all the animals gathered to figure out a solution. After much discussion, they decided that what they needed was a well. All the […]
Monday Monster: Tar Baby Read More »
Cowardice has a devastating effect not only on a character’s personal reputation but, also, on group morale. Successfully using a cowardly feat or skill imposes a -2 circumstance penalty to all Intimidate, Bluff, and Diplomacy checks made by you and your allies against any enemy who witnessed your cowardly action. The enemy, on the other
Friday Funny: A Coward’s Life (Part 2) Read More »
With a mighty creak, the doors swing inward, and you find yourself at the castle’s topmost level, its roof open to the stormy sky. In a moment, you take in the scene: shelf after shelf of severed limbs and bottled organs, four great posts of steel and brass crackling with unnatural power, a hulking body
It’s a Trap: the Baron’s Laboratory (Paragon Tier) Read More »
Knockers try to be benevolent, but sometimes, things just don’t go their way, and they need to take action. Not blessed with great strength, the knockers have, like their kobold cousins, turned to defense, and they have an astonishing array of traps and techniques handed down from generation to generation. Some clans and individual families
It’s a Trap: This is Knocker Style Read More »
Water is essential to life. It nourishes plants, it slakes thirst… But it also smothers with its icy embrace and boils flesh from bones. Never underestimate water. One of the first water themed traps you’ll come across is the classic water-filled room. Water-Filled Room Trap (CR 4) Type mechanical; Search DC 17; Disable Device DC
It’s a Trap: the Water Bath Read More »
This is the story of how Vaszi outran Death. Owing to the magic boots that he had stolen from a witch and to his steel-trap memory, Vaszi acquired the job of messenger. He ran from town to town, and at each stop, he repeated all the news he heard in his travels. One day, Vaszi
Monday Monster: Pernicious Plague Cart Read More »
By sweet Chautauqua’s flow’ry banks We love to sing and play, But should we spy a foeman’s ranks, We’d proudly run away! —H. P. Lovecraft, “Pacifist War Song—1917” There comes a time in all heroes’ lives when they must make the ultimate sacrifice and perish while saving their adventuring companions, their true loves, and sometimes
Friday Funny: A Coward’s Life (Part 1) Read More »
What are reviewers saying about Iron Gazetteer, Open Design’s source for the dwarves of Zobeck in 4th Edition? … the authors clearly made sure that the majority of the material can be used in almost any 4e campaign world. … really eye-catching was one of the ten paragon paths… the gearforged… in which the once
Review of Iron Gazetteer Read More »
This haggard-looking book bears a nondescript jacket of sturdy leather, the pages between filled with austerely elegant elven script. It appears to be a combat manual passed from a powerful elven mage-warrior to her much younger niece, an aspiring sorceress. Among the strict and detailed mandates that concern diet and training regime, there are several
Maegriel’s Manual: Combining Spell & Blade Read More »
What are reviewers saying about the latest issue of Kobold Quarterly? … Not only does it have great art to capture your attention, but the content covers everything from vampires to the myth of the Philosopher’s Stone and far beyond. … The issue starts off with “A Broken Mind“… I love the idea of merging
Even More Reviews of Kobold Quarterly #11 Read More »
Notable for the soft humming it emits, a magnet stone is a polarized black mineral that has been handy to alchemists, invaluable to city defense planners, and lethal to countless adventurers. While it occurs naturally in veins beneath the mountains of the realm, magnet stones are most often encountered as jagged, obelisk-shaped stalagmites that form
Hump Day Hazard: Magnet Stone Read More »
Behold the King of the Monsters Contest, the greatest and most glorious contest Kobold Quarterly has ever offered. It’s easy to become King of the Monsters: you design a monster and submit it for fame and prizes. Here’s how it works: To enter the contest, your monster submission must…
The Arena: King of the Monsters Contest Read More »
Where’s the love for NPCs? Well, Ennie-award-winning designer Ben McFarland decided to offer his help with his article on incorporating John Wick’s new take on halflings from Kobold Quarterly #10, “Haffuns: Seeming Servants.” He presents several ideas for incorporating them into your own campaign. Dismissed as unimportant, as if that’s what the “N” and “P”
What to Do with Haffuns? Read More »
The hunter carried his prize, a clutch of tiny eggs, through the woods. The wind picked up around him as he walked, and he noted it had a particular bite. Wondering how the temperature could have dropped so quickly, the hunter absently felt his neck. His hand came away slick with blood. Then he felt
Monday Monsters: Quick Drake Read More »
As the third project in a series of public updates on Open Design’s current batch of patronage projects, KQ.com presents Courts of the Shadow Fey, Open Design’s 4th Edition project. Duelists and Team Players Back in the days when I was working at TSR in Lake Geneva, I played a wide range of lunchtime board games
Courts of the Shadow Fey: a Public Report Read More »
As the second project in a series of public updates on Open Design’s current batch of patronage projects, KQ.com presents The Red Eye of Azathoth, Open Design’s first Call of Cthulhu project. The Harbinger Star Nears The Red Eye of Azathoth project is now in full swing. The first adventure (of five) in this anthology
The Red Eye of Azathoth: a Public Report Read More »
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