Todd Gdula, who makes wonderful items and shares information about the process and more in his Real Steel blog posts, has crafted an item to serve as inspiration for a contest. Here’s the fun part for all of you: We would love to see people stat up this item as a magic item in 5th Edition!
Using rules for 5th edition D&D, design a magic item based on the images we’ve provided in the Real Steel blog post titled “Cthulhu Cutlass—A Work in Progress,” and send it to us for judging. The maximum length for entries is 300 words, and entries must be submitted on or before April 25, 2016, to be eligible. You’ll find the full details in the rules below.
A panel of judges will pick out five finalists to post on the Kobold Press website. Then we’ll ask the public to vote on the entry they think should win the grand prize! The winner of the grand prize will receive some really cool stuff, including Todd’s Kiridashi Micro Cutter (seen below in the rules).
Prizes
Finalists: a PDF copy of Southlands Bestiary for 5th Edition, Southlands Heroes for 5th Edition, and a PDF copy of the Kobold Guide to Magic (total retail value approximately $35).
Grand prize: a Kiridashi Micro Cutter in W1 tool Steel with a Skull Bead handforged by our Real Steel bladesmith Todd Gdula, a signed copy of Tyranny of Dragons: Hoard of the Dragon Queen, print and PDF copies of Southlands Heroes for 5th Edition, Prepared: A Dozen Adventures for 5th Edition, the Kobold Guide to Magic, and a Kobold unit patch (total retail value approximately $155).
Who Is Judging?
Our talented and experienced panel of judges are as follows: Dan Dillon, Chris Harris, and Christina Stiles.
Now What?
Read the contest rules below—they include very important information about making an eligible submission.
We cannot wait to see what you design for this contest!
OFFICIAL RULES
By submitting an entry to Kobold Press, you are entering the Kobold Press (the “Sponsor” or “Kobold Press”) Real Steel Magic Item Contest (the “Contest”).
As an entrant, you (“you” or “entrant”) represent and warrant that you meet the eligibility requirements set forth in these Official Rules, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and any other requirements designated by Sponsor. The Contest is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. If entrant is a minor in entrant’s place of residence, entrant’s parent or legal guardian must agree, on entrant’s behalf and on his or her own behalf, to follow and be bound by these Official Rules and all decisions of Sponsor relating to the Contest.
1. Who is Eligible: The Contest is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least thirteen (13) years old at the time of entry. Employees of Kobold Press and each of their immediate family members (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and members of their same households (related or not) are not eligible to participate in the Contest. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, AND WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.
2. How to Enter: To enter, follow these instructions:
Send an email with your submission to the “Real Steel Magic Item” contest at miranda(at)koboldpress(dot)com no later than April 25, 2016.
The submission must take the form of an .rtf, .doc, or .docx attachment. Please remove your name from the submission document.
The email subject line should read Real Steel Magic Item [insert item name] in the email’s subject line. Your full name and contact information should be in the body of the email (not in your attachment).
The submission should be no longer than 300 words.
LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. Multiple entries received in violation of this entry limitation, or false or deceptive acts or entries, or entries generated by script, macro or other automated means or by any other means that subvert the entry process will be void and will render an entrant ineligible. By entering the Contest, each entrant (and his/her parent or legal guardian) fully and unconditionally agrees to and accepts these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor. All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.
3. Dates and Deadlines: Eligible entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 25, 2016. Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Contest.
4. Who Will Win: On or about May 12, 2016, five (5) finalists will be selected by the Sponsor from all eligible entries received. All decisions made by Sponsor on all matters relating to the Contest are final and binding. The finalists will be notified on or around May 12, 2016, via the email address provided by entrant at the time of entry. If a winner does not respond to the notification sent to the email address he or she provided after two (2) notifications have been sent by Sponsor, such winner will be disqualified and will forfeit the finalist position. In such event, the finalist position will be awarded to another eligible entrant chosen from the remaining pool of entries in accordance with the terms set forth herein. Finalist prizes will be fulfilled approximately one (1) month after the conclusion of the Contest. The finalists will be announced on the Kobold Press website, and then the voting public will choose an entry from among these five (5) to be the sole winner of the contest’s grand prize. Voting for the grand prize winner will close on or around May 19, 2016.
5. Prize Information and Approximate Retail Value: Five (5) finalists will be awarded a prize pack consisting of the following:
- 1 PDF copy of Southlands Heroes for 5th Edition
- 1 PDF copy of Southlands Bestiary for 5th Edition
- 1 PDF copy of the Kobold Guide to Magic
The total finalist prize pack has an estimated value of $35.00
One grand prize winner will be awarded a prize pack consisting of the following:
- 1 Kiridashi Micro Cutter in W1 tool Steel with a Skull Bead
- 1 signed copy of Tyranny of Dragons: Hoard of the Dragon Queen
- 1 Kobold unit patch
- 1 print copy of Prepared: A Dozen Mini-Adventures for 5th Edition
- 1 print copy of Kobold Guide to Magic
- 1 print copy of Southlands Heroes for 5th Edition
The total grand winner prize pack has an estimated value of $155.00
Pictures of the Kiridashi Micro Cutter
If winner (finalist or grand prize) is a minor in his/her place of residence, the prize will be awarded to winner’s parent/legal guardian. Each winner (his/her parent or legal guardian in the case of a prize awarded to such parent or guardian) must provide his/her mailing address to Sponsor and must execute and return an affidavit of eligibility, a liability release/publicity release (except where prohibited) and any other legal documents that Sponsor may require, within five (5) business days from notification in order to receive the prize, which will be provided by Sponsor to the address provided. Prizes are not transferable, assignable, or redeemable for cash. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may substitute a prize of equal or greater value than the prize identified herein. If any winner or winner’s parent/legal guardian either fails to timely provide his/her mailing address or declines a prize or fails to comply with any of the Official Rules as outlined herein, or if any prize is returned as undeliverable, such winner will be disqualified and an alternate finalist or winner may be selected at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Winners (winner’s parent or guardian in the case of a prize awarded to such parent or guardian) are solely responsible for paying all applicable federal, state and local taxes, and all other expenses associated with any prize.
6. Disqualification: Failure to comply with these Official Rules will result in disqualification. Further, an entrant’s entry will be disqualified, at the sole discretion of Sponsor, if he or she attempts (a) to enter the Contest through any means other than described in these Official Rules; or (b) to disrupt the Contest, circumvent the terms and conditions of these Official Rules, or in any way tampers with any component of the Contest. If any of the above occurs, Sponsor has the right to remedy any such action, disruption, or circumvention, and to seek damages from the participant to the fullest extent permitted by law.
7. Limitations of Liability: Sponsor and its agencies are not responsible for any claims, damages, lawsuits, causes of action, proceedings, or liability due to any injuries, theft, damages, expenses, costs, or losses to any person (including death) or property of any kind resulting from, arising from, or in connection with: (i) any error, typographical or otherwise, in the printing of the Official Rules, offering or announcement of any prize; (ii) any lost, late, stolen, misdirected, damaged, incomplete or garbled entries; (iii) any error in the collection or retention of entry information, including but not limited to incorrect or inaccurate transcription, receipt or transmission of any part of the entry due to human error; (iv) any wrongful, negligent, or unauthorized act or omission on the part of the Sponsor or its agencies or any of their agents or employees; (v) the Contest and any elements thereof, and the participation or inability to participate in the Contest, including, but not limited to, any damage to an entrant’s (or any third person’s) telephone system and/or its contents or computer equipment and/or its contents or smartphone device and/or its contents, related to or resulting from any part of the Contest; (vi) any malfunction of the telephone system or internet servers, whether technical or due to human error, lost/delayed data transmission, omissions, interruptions, deletion, defect, line failures, postponement, cancellation, or modification of the Contest, including, but not limited to, interruption or inability to access the Contest due to hardware or software compatibility problems of any telephone network (TSP), computer online systems (ISP), servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website or any combination thereof, including injury or damage to entrant’s or to any other person’s telephone or computer or smartphone system related to or resulting from participating; (vii) acceptance, receipt, possession, attendance at, travel related to, defects in, misuse, inability to use, or use of any prize element contained in any prize including, but not limited to, lost, stolen, damaged, delayed, or misdirected or destroyed prize (or any element thereof); or (viii) any change in the prizing (or any components thereof) due to unavailability due to reasons beyond Sponsor’s control, including, but not limited to, by reason of any acts of God, any action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) by any governmental or quasi-governmental entity (whether or not such action(s), regulation(s), order(s) or request(s) prove(s) to be invalid), equipment failure including, but not limited to, overloading of the Contest site due to excessive use, threatened or actual terrorist acts, air raid(s), blackout(s), act(s) of public enemy, earthquake, war (declared or undeclared), fire, flood, epidemic(s), explosion, unusually severe weather, hurricane, embargo, labor dispute or strike (whether legal or illegal), labor or material shortage, transportation interruption of any kind, work slow-down, civil disturbance, insurrection, riot, or any other cause beyond the Sponsor’s sole and reasonable control. In the event of sabotage, acts of God, terrorism, computer virus, worm, bug or other events or causes which corrupt the integrity, administration, security or proper operation of the Contest, Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. In the event of termination, Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to award the prizes from among all non-suspect eligible entries received up to the time of such action. In no event will more than six (6) prizes be awarded.
8. Liability Release: By participating in the Contest, each entrant and entrant’s parent/legal guardian agrees to forever and irrevocably release, discharge, indemnify, and hold the Sponsor and each of their employees, affiliates, and all prize suppliers, harmless from any and all liability, losses, damages, rights, claims, and actions of any kind in connection with the Contest, or resulting from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, including, without limitation, personal injuries, death and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy, whether suffered by entrant or a third party. By entering the Contest, each entrant and entrant’s parent/legal guardian agrees to abide by and accept as final the judges’ decisions and waives any right to appeal.
9. Publicity Release: By accepting a prize, each winner and winner’s parent/legal guardian grants Sponsor permission to use, except where prohibited by law, winner’s name (including online screen name, if applicable), and likeness, and address (city and state only), for Sponsor’s advertising and promotional purposes in all forms of media, throughout the world in perpetuity, without notice or additional compensation.
10. Information Disclosure: The information you submit in the Contest is disclosed to Kobold Press at PO Box 2811, Kirkland, WA 98083.
11. Sponsor: This Contest is sponsored by Kobold Press, PO Box 2811, Kirkland, WA 98083.
[Updated 3/31/16: Word count limitation changed. 4/3/16: To include pictures and the Kiridashi Micro Cutter information. Updated 4/15/16: Contest deadline updated.]
