Some trapsmiths believe in the tried and true “bigger is better” in trap design. However, some of the more offbeat trapsmiths prefer complexity in their designs. Many of these traps comprise multiple smaller traps, and the CR of each is determined separately. Stages should be treated as separate traps (e.g. requiring separate Perception checks). If […]
Bait & Switch: Well, I Didn’t See That Coming Read More »
In a clearing dominated by an enormous tree, a pair of large monkeys sat lazily on a branch until they noticed three men entering the clearing. They shrieked, and the men, seasoned warriors all, ignored the warning and approached the tree. The monkeys dropped to the ground and ran towards these new foes, who drew
Monday Monster: Flicker Monkey Read More »
Once upon an average day in a bleak and all-to consistent village, there was a young girl helping her mother with chores. “Because Pappy and the boys are out slaying those darn rats in the field for Mr. Hibbins, Mrs. Hibbins is rewarding us with some freshly churned butter. Sally, I need you to go
Did You Know… Oozes Hate Butter? Read More »
With a fling of spittle and a forbidden gesture of the hand, the victim receives a subtle and annoying minor curse. Effects vary and are not terribly debilitating, but the effect on the superstitious and those in the public eye can be devastating. Everyone’s heard of “the gypsy curse” or the “evil eye.” Country folk
The Magic Circle: Lesser Curse (Part 1) Read More »
Some projects need time to grow slowly and flower into a display over months or years. Tales of the Old Margreve is not one of them; it has rocketed along toward a full commission status faster than any other project to date. While the project is not yet at a green light status, it is
Commission Status: Tales of the Old Margreve Read More »
The best kind of trap is a trap that can hide in plain sight, perhaps even be on display: Upon a blackwood table stands a glass cylinder with something inside. Two everburning torches set behind the cylinder cause the object contained in the cylinder to cast a long shadow across the room. The shadow twists
Trapsmith: Trapped Curio Read More »
Bred to exterminate all sentient life in the natural world, nihilimentii were created as living weapons in the ancient cosmic war between the gods and the primordials. The psychic vibrations of intelligent creatures cause nihilimentii physical discomfort, driving them to a solitary existence. In fact, other creatures’ perceptions of the nihilimentii create painful psychic feedback
Monday Monsters: Nihilimentis Read More »
Entangled is a condition that represents a creature dealing with something stuck or entwined around its limbs (if it has any) and body. An entangled creature takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls and a -4 penalty on Dexterity, can move at only half speed, and cannot charge or run. Sometimes, an entangled creature cannot
Ask the Kobold: Dealing with Entanglements Read More »
As the Open Design experiment has expanded and won critical and publishing success, a few people have clearly shown just how great collaborative adventure design can be. Tim and Eileen Connors are right at the top of the list, and I’m happy to announce that Open Design is commissioning a project that they will lead:
Tales of the Old Margreve Read More »
Wouldn’t it be great if your dice never fell off the table? What if every attack roll came with a sound effect, and your character’s damage, marks, and every other condition were all tracked for you? It would be the perfect gaming table, no? Well, stop wishing because it exists and I saw it in
The Perfect Table: A Return to D&D SurfaceScapes Read More »
Every trapsmith knows that a trap is little more than a complicated piece of furniture or decoration until it springs to life and reminds people why no one comes down this way. That is why, over the years, many clever trapsmiths have found ways to bait their traps or even install traps into tempting targets
Bait & Switch: Tempting the Greedy Read More »
As soon as you lay eyes on this ancient crone, images of the deaths of all those you’ve loved and lost flood your mind. In these visions, you see the crone’s withered hand repeatedly lash out with an elongated pair of terrible shears to sever the gleaming, silver threads rising from your loved ones’ heads.
Monday Monsters: Atropos 13 Read More »
In many cities across the Great Desert, Selket’s cult festers. These are cults of humanoids who have been infiltrated by Selket-worshipping priests who poison their flock with their debased dogma. They promise Selket will protect and aid her followers in ways other gods cannot or will not. Priests target slums and other places of desperation,
Sacred Space: Selket (Part 2) Read More »
The shifting desert sands mask weathered pyramids and ruined temples dedicated to fallen deities and demons best forgotten. Some are blessedly buried so deep beneath the dunes and so far within the recesses of our collective memory to be all but lost, perhaps never to be revived. Others, unfortunately, continue to poison mortals with their
Sacred Space: Selket (Part 1) Read More »
Adapted from Scott Murray’s “Spiked Pits, Poisoned Arrows, and Healing Words” from Kobold Quarterly #12. As discussed the previous article, traps can impede a party in more ways that just a poison arrow or a snare. Boon traps are generally magical devices that provide bonuses rather than penalties. They may not target adventurers intruding on
Boon Traps for Pathfinder RPG Read More »
The ghastly humanoid cadaver jerks and shudders forward with shocking speed. Rotting skin flaps back from its grotesque carcass, uncovering insects scuttling over moldering sinew and gristle. Entrails dangling from its abdominal cavity writhe about, as if grasping at things unseen. The corpse screeches an open war razor along the floor as it comes, and
Monday Monster: Fright Read More »
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