While manipulating the encounter difficulty chart is a simple way to indicate how factors affect combat difficulty, it’s also imprecise, doesn’t have many gradations, and can be misleading. It still has its uses in adjusting the broad overview of an encounter but is less useful for dealing with more granular modifications, like how NPC roles …
A long-buried secret, unearthed at last… Kobold Press is delighted to announce a partnership with Shard Tabletop, a new virtual gaming platform, and we’re bringing all the best content the scaly critters have to offer! Swarms of incredible creatures, libraries of thrilling adventures, hoards of priceless treasures—everything you expect from Kobold Press at your fingertips …
Kobold Press and Shard Tabletop: An Epic Alliance! Read More »
Ratatosk Culture and Society Unlike the common Midgardian squirrel, ratatosk are not solitary creatures, and they live in close matriarchal family groups called scurries. The squirrel-folk are proud of their heritage, and each ratatosk can proudly recite tales of their scurry back to the first squirrel, Ratatosk the Clever. The eldest female of each scurry …
It’s a brand new year, and there’s a brand new face wandering the warrens! I’m Thomas, the new Editorial Director at Kobold Press. I am absolutely thrilled to be stepping into this role, for it very much feels like coming full circle.
Frightful Chatter. The fleshspurned clashes its oversize teeth together to create a menacing din. Each creature within 30 feet of the fleshspurned must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. Incorporeal undead are not immune to the frightened condition inflicted by the fleshspurned’s chatter. A frightened creature can …
THE APPROPRIATOR An appropriator is sent by the Emerald Order to obtain important information and items by any means necessary. The appropriator is as much a skilled merchant as professional burglar, and if one method fails, they will use the other to ensure the order has what it wants. A magic sigil, tattooed upon the …
Secrets of the Emerald Order: Agents and Operatives Read More »
1d100 Mildly Magical Curios 1–2 A thin silver ring with a round center stone that you can change the color of by rotating the ring around your finger once 3–5 A linen shirt that never needs to be ironed 6–7 A felted brown toy goat that bleats when squeezed 8–10 A black top hat that, …
It’s a brand-new year, and everyone’s gaming! So here’s a purrr-fect set of wallpapers for your computer, your smartphone, or whatever electronic device you’ve got. This month, we’ve got a piece from City of Cats (artist Mateusz Wilma). Let’s go exploring, adventurers! Please, click on the image you want to download to expand it into a downloadable …
This post covers several of the conceptual adjustments that GMs can make in order to adapt 5E rules and table dynamics to parties of two. We discuss the foundation for these shifts first—cooperation at the table between the player and the GM. Then we dive into some of the most difficult situations to navigate—PC death …
One-on-One Roleplaying: Problems to Plan for and Avoid in Your One-on-One Game Read More »
Do you hear that belching sound coming from the warrens? No, that’s not the kobolds making rude noises—it’s the marker of only two days remaining on the Southlands Kickstarter project! So far, you’ve blown us out of our bolt-holes with your support of the Southlands project. In addition to the Tales Beneath the Sands exclusive hardcover, you …
Here are two more magic potion/oil formulas, a feat, and some guidelines for adding ability checks to your magic item creation. Formula: Oil of Sharpness Formula, legendary To make this oil, you need simply follow these instructions: Gather 20 pounds of high-quality rust monster dung. You will need to feed the rust monster a consistent, …
Ice Fall Complex trap (level 5–10, deadly threat) At the heart of a temple devoted to a winter deity lies a hard-to-access shrine. After passing over a bridge of ice that crosses a ravine so deep that the bottom cannot be seen, explorers come to a set of massive double doors cast with the deity’s …
Honey Axes The most well-known of the bearfolk’s magical creations are the powerful honey axes. Bearfolk legend tells that when their people first emerged from the forest, several powerful weapons known as “honey axes” were gifted by the fey to the most accomplished warriors. Whether or not this legend is true, possessing one of these …
17 variant monsters from Creature Codex, including variants for the swolbold, drakes, and unhatched 22 new magic items from the periapt of proof against lies to the firesight goggles 26 new spells including mindless vengeance and siege of iron Plus adventure hooks, 2 feats, and a ranger companion! Change up Codex monsters with alternate traits and actions, outfit your characters with …
We’re giving away one of our amazing T-shirts from TeePublic and you could win it! All you have to do is retweet the official Kobold Press Giveaway Tweet from @KoboldPress and reply to it telling us which Kobold Press long-sleeved T-shirt you’d like and why—no later than 11:59 p.m. (PST) on December 31, 2020. For …
The Rule of Cool emphasizes that the rules of a game are simply a frame to hold a fantastic creation, and the frame should never pull focus from the piece itself. Cultivating this kind of storytelling does take practice. When there aren’t specific rules written, it is much easier to say, “No, you can’t climb …