Monsters

In Pathfinder, aging is addressed in game mechanics by a slow degradation of the physical attributes and an equally slow gain in mental attributes. I agree that for perhaps the majority of stories this makes perfect sense, but then I think of some of my favorite characters that are older and how they seem to

With their punishing climate and near-total lack of precious water, deserts are one of the most hostile environments in existence. Those who spend enough time among the desert sands know that some monsters can thrive even in these hellish wastes. Such creatures are feared and respected by wise adventurers, for they are invariably predatory and

With their punishing climate and near-total lack of precious water, deserts are one of the most hostile environments in existence. Those who spend enough time among the desert sands know that some monsters can thrive even in these hellish wastes. Such creatures are feared and respected by wise adventurers, for they are invariably predatory and

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” —Edgar Allan Poe About a year ago, I started a Kingmaker campaign for Pathfinder. Without spoiling much, there’s a location in that Adventure Path that begs for a homebrew dungeon themed around the Dark Tapestry. I drew up a map,

Author’s Note: Starting with this entry, I will be creating my monsters using the Pathfinder system rather than Dungeons & Dragons, 4th Edition. The Pathfinder stats for the first monster in the desert monsters series, the blood snake, can be found at the end of this article, and its story-oriented text is in the original

“They cannot scare me with their empty spaces Between stars—on stars where no human race is. I have it in me so much nearer home To scare myself with my own desert places.” –Robert Frost Last week, I tried to test the interest in an encounter using the two tapestry templates I presented. While the

“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.” —Aristotle Last week, I wrote a template for this site I wish I could redact or recant. For those fortunate enough to have missed it: Do not click on this link. I was wrong to discuss the “fiction” of H.P. Lovecraft or its impact

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” –Friedrich Nietzsche Inspiration can be drawn from many places. In fantasy, Tolkien gets all the press, but I’ve always had a thing

Last week, I had a survey that would pay off with this week’s article. Responses were consistent on wanting a CR 7–10 encounter, but there ended up being a tie between kobolds and bugbears for this week’s star! House rule: When there’s a tie between kobolds and something else, kobolds win. I can perhaps be

“My lands are where my dead lie buried.”—Crazy Horse Tribal cultures sometimes have a different leader in war then when in peace. The tribal chieftain template I discussed last week was for a chieftain who mostly leads primarily by speaking. The tribal hero, or war chief if you prefer, leads by action. You can represent