(Illustration by Chris McFann) Dusting the dirt and maggots from its skin, the corpse rises from the grave, longing for the sweet kiss of a soul mate. Strigoi are undead creatures who return to this mortal coil to fulfill their greatest regret. They appear exactly as they did when they were interred, and as long […]
Strigoi (Part 1 of 3) Read More »
(Illustration by Chris McFann) Most adventurers know the sound of a wild boar rustling through the underbrush. But when the boar turn out to be the underbrush, very few are prepared for the surprise. [previously] __ The typical “adult” form of these creatures, the porky pine bears a resemblance to a small coniferous tree. Wide needle-like
Boarticulture: Brutes of the Swine (Part 2 of 3) Read More »
(Illustration by Chris McFann) The brackish water bubbled violently, and the creature emerged with a wave of fishy stench. Its massive scaly body was studded with hundreds of staring eyes, each fixed on me. Its tentacles whipped forward as I turned to run. Brine terrors are bloated, pustulant masses of oceanic detritus composed of rotting fish,
Someone was whistling, and it was a tune Scarred Marshant knew well, but it was no shanty. It was a haunted bit of a tune—the sort of thing you hear in the lower churches what teach the worship of demons. He’d never heard the tune, strict to truth. He only half-remembered it, the song that
Most adventurers know the sound of a wild boar rustling through the underbrush. But when the boar turn out to be the underbrush, very few are prepared for the surprise. Swine Tree A swine tree, also known as susero to the fey, attacks anything it perceives as a threat and usually attacks without mercy. Most
Boarticulture: Brutes of the Swine (Part 1 of 3) Read More »
Your breath catches as they emerge from the shadows, each a gore-splattered marionette with black hollows where their eyes should be. Only the jagged, sharpened teeth protruding from their cold porcelain smiles mar their faces. They move like nightmares, limbs held falsely and jerking from motion to motion. Tiny fingers end in wicked steel blades,
The creature scampers down its web toward you, far more nimble than a thing the size of a cow has any right to be. As it moves, however, it becomes clear that this isn’t a spider—spiders don’t have venom-dripping stingers on their back. Duergar bear responsibility for the creation of this ill-tempered amalgam. More specifically,
To celebrate the release of Open Design’s Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill, Chris Harris and Dan Voyce bring you the sea wolf. __ “I saw no more terrible beast on all my journeys north than the sea wolf. The white bears had their aloof majesty, the lindwurm serpentine grace, but the monster that gnawed away the
To celebrate the release of Open Design’s Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill, Chris Harris and Dan Voyce bring you the frostveil. __ They took the sled dogs first, one by one, and later the seal-skinner set to guard them. We’d hear a confused, muffled cry in the wind and then we’d find them—a raven harvest cold
To celebrate yesterday release of Open Design’s Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill, Dan Voyce brings you the lindwurm. __ Coiling like a living corkscrew, moving with a scraping hiss, a serpentine form skates nimbly across the ice on long curving claws, maw agape and stinking of a hundred graves. Ensnaring snakes, glima worms, skittering tongue
This mechanical framework combines plates of iron and dull brass. Interlocking screws vibrate and tubes full of arcane fluids pump as this metal beast takes a heavy step forward. The clockwork suit is a mechanical body with oversized arms and hands used mainly for heavy labor. Wire, tubing, and sprockets line a cast-iron frame plated
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As the halfling stepped from the shadows, the ground covering snapped shut, engulfing him in a thick, green pod. The struggle ended in seconds, for the paralytic secretions acted quickly and his body proved unresponsive. However, he quickly learned that he could still feel everything. The green trap is a large carnivorous plant that grows
And the winner of the Real Steel Death Bug Contest is… Sam Hing and his spider dagger. We had many great entries but only one could be winner. Todd Gdula, Wolfgang Baur, and myself had a tough choice, but the final decision was unanimous: the spider dagger won the day. Congratulations, Sam! —Scott Gable __
Death Bug Contest Winner: Spider Dagger Read More »
Before you hovers a black blob with two large, bat-like wings and a huge reptilian eye in its center. Whipping wildly behind it are three long tails, each terminating in a nasty stinger. Occasionally, when an evil soul is passing into its eternal torment, something happens to shatter it. Each of these soul fragments becomes
A pair of pony-sized frogs leap headfirst into massive trees, which splinter and fall after being struck by the creatures’ bony heads. Seeing a lone orc, the two frogs croak at each other and turn their attention to it. They maneuver into position on opposite sides of the orc, then propel themselves at the hapless
Get ready to channel your inner Dr. Frankenstein as we launch March Monster Madness! During the month of March, we at the Dragon Age Oracle are running an AGE System Monster Design Challenge in partnership with Open Design/Kobold Quarterly. Check out the following threads on the Kobold forums: Best Midgard Monster: Any creature originally published by
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