By Lou Anders Nov 20, 2019 | Articles, Preview |
If there is something that I think sets the world of Midgard apart from other campaign settings, it’s not the depth of the world building, deep though it is. After all, there have been quite a few very complex roleplaying game worlds in the past. (Glorantha, I’m looking at you.) What makes Midgard unique to me is how immanently playable its worldbuilding is. We’ve heard it said before how there are “powder kegs baked into the setting.” What...
By Jerry LeNeave Nov 18, 2019 | Articles, The 4th Pillar |
The most interesting stories, the ones we share the most over the years and that stick with us longer than any others, are those that defy the odds. That inherent unfairness is what can make for the most satisfying, beautiful, and rewarding experiences possible. If the stories of David and Goliath or Frodo Baggins and the Fellowship were “balanced,” they wouldn’t have nearly the same impact that they do. When it comes to...
By Robert Fairbanks Nov 15, 2019 | Articles, Out of the Frying Pan |
This is an unkind land, a cold, colossal place of treacherous glaciers, cloud-piercing mountain ranges, and scalding geysers. A domain of ice and stone and fire—and giants. The “Bones of Aurgelmir” they call it, and it’s been their home since time immemorial. To most on Midgard, it’s Jotunheim, where it’s said that even gods tread lightly and to breathe its air is to taste magic leftover from the forging of the world. Encounter 1: The Midway...
By Lou Anders Nov 13, 2019 | Articles, From the Archives |
The first adventure I ever bought from Kobold Press was Wolfgang Baur’s brilliant To the Edge of the World. Published in 2012 for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, it’s an adventure for 2nd- and 3rd-level PCs, motivated by the Head Kobold’s desire to provide low-level characters with “epic-level fun.” To the Edge of the World is intended to be a break from the narratives that often see beginning adventurers relegated to fighting giant rats,...
By Mike Welham Nov 11, 2019 | Articles, Expanding Codex |
The Expanding Codex series fleshes out monsters from the Creature Codex, giving GMs ways to modify the existing monsters to surprise well-prepared players or to introduce monsters to a campaign. Alternate Traits and Actions The following changes allow GMs to alter a void giant without modifying its challenge rating. Deep Void Casting (Recharge 4–6). As a bonus action, the void giant can infuse a spell with powerful void magic. One creature that...
By Hannah Rose Nov 8, 2019 | Articles, Mastering the Mechanics |
Initiative is a mechanic that you can customize as much as you want, even more so than with other parts of the 5th Edition ruleset. But if you want to learn how initiative is designed to work, whether for organized play or streaming, to have an authoritative rule for your own home game, or to understand the nuances of game design, this article is for you. Let’s examine the “rules as written” regarding initiative: “Initiative determines the...
By Kobold Staff Nov 6, 2019 | Announcements, Articles |
Are you going to PAX Unplugged? Do you want to meet the cast of Kobold Press’s “The Last Heir” actual play D&D5E show? Because those two can be one and the same! The GM and cast of “The Last Heir” will be at the Kobold Press booth (#4039) at 5 pm on Saturday (Dec 7). Guests include Dan Dillon, Jim David, TornPixie, Jesse Neon, Stonefly Ky, Gnome, and Vee Mus’e. In addition, Kobold Press will be running...
By Kobold Staff Nov 4, 2019 | Articles, Monsters |
A barefoot woman with long hair and almost transparent skin sits upon a willow branch. Her hair and clothing are wet, as if she has just returned from a swim. Her smile seems friendly enough. When a woman drowns, her dripping body may rise again as a rusalka. Some claim the drowning must be a suicide. Others say that the water itself must be tainted with murder or some great evil spirit. Near Water. Rusalkas dwell in the water where they died,...
By Kobold Staff Oct 31, 2019 | Articles, Contest |
Congratulations to John Burkett…! (AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!) This is the winning monster flavor in the My Monster contest: A shadow drifts gently over the castle walls, quietly sliding over its faded banners as though cast by an unseen cloud in the midday sun. A faint shimmer traces through the shade, probing its corners before settling beneath the skull of a great beast. The shadows draw inward, learning from the old bone to forge a body...
By Sarah Madsen Oct 30, 2019 | Articles, Warlock's Apprentice |
The Plane of Gears sprawled before her. The cog she stood on was a shining expanse of metal against a heat-shimmering sky, a blank ingot ready to be hammered, twisted, and formed. She smiled at the possibilities within such unmarred terrain. She hadn’t known before what this bare swath would be, but now, it could only ever have been set here for this purpose. Her work was never done, and that suited her just fine… there was so much left...
By Celeste Conowitch Oct 28, 2019 | Articles, Beyond the Audience |
Last article, we chatted about creating teams in the world of our games, but this time, we’re pulling the camera back to discuss the benefits of working with other content creators. So let’s get started! There are a lot of people creating RPG content these days. Seriously, it’s a lot. You can’t throw a rock without hitting someone launching an actual-play podcast or stream. Tabletop gaming has exploded in the last few years, and demand for...
By Jacob Huebsch Oct 25, 2019 | Articles, The Far Side of the Table |
Ozzy marched across the empty, grey landscape toward a towering stone keep. He shivered, feeling nervous jitters down his body. Coming to his master’s home was not what Ozzy had in mind, but looking at the determined faces of his friends, he hoped that they had made the right choice. Welcome to the table. During our latest session, the party sought a face-off with the warlock’s patron, putting the warlock in a difficult position:...
By Kobold Staff Oct 23, 2019 | Articles, Contest |
All of the My Monster entries are in and ranked, and the Kobolds have selected their favorites! Congrats to the authors of these monstrous flavors, our My Monster finalists: Robert Fairbanks, Adam Meredith, Jonathan McAnulty, and John Burkett And a huge thank you to Wolfgang Baur, Marc Radle, and Guest Kobold Extraordinaire Clinton Boomer for taking the time to judge the entries! Now’s your chance to pick your favorite of the four to be...
By Lou Anders Oct 21, 2019 | Articles, Midgard |
“Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch. I was there when it was written.” —C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe With apologies to Lewis, citing the Deep Magic is exactly what we’re going to do now. And not just cite it. We’re going to look deeply at Deep Magic, making suggestions for where, when, and how GMs can add these spells, domains, and traditions to their campaign. And there’s a lot of it! In addition to being made...
