The young man appeared calm, his lank blond hair falling over his eyes as he gesticulated and spoke the words of power. His trembling hands gave him away, however.

A ruddy light glowed within the circle of power, and then a bang reverberated around the room. The young jumped involuntarily, but his invocation never faltered. Smoke poured and roiled in the circle, and a clawed hand reached out, testing the barrier. It was thrown back by a blast of silver sparks.

“The blood, boy! Give it the blood!” Another voice, old and tremulous, shook the youth from his daze. The young man waved his hand, and a small bowl brimming with thick, crimson liquid moved rapidly through the air and into the circle. They heard a hungry lapping sound within the circle.

To celebrate the release of Open Design’s Northlands: Roleplaying in Winter’s Chill, Chris Harris and Dan Voyce bring you new wondrous items.

Banner of Power

Aura faint transmutation; CL 5th
Slot —; Price 5,400 gp; Weight 15 lb.

DESCRIPTION
The maw on this howling standard is empowered to swallow a spell of 3rd level or lower that creates a fear effect or grants a morale bonus (bless, good hope, prayer, crushing despair, fear, scare, and so on). Such a spell can be cast specifically into the standard’s bronze head and later unleashed by the banner’s wielder (who need not be a spellcaster) as a standard action.

CONSTRUCTION
Requirements Craft Wondrous Item, calm emotions; Cost 2,700 gp…

Wizards, sorcerers, and witches can all have familiars. While familiars continue to grow more powerful along with their masters, some arcane casters want something more…

[previously]

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Altered Familiar Feat

This feat changes the nature of your familiar but not its type. For example, you can have a clockwork toad familiar or an undead rat. They keep the familiar’s normal abilities.

Casters can choose from several forms, and once chosen, that form cannot be changed for that familiar. However, a new familiar can have a different form from the previous familiar. Sometimes, very different indeed…

Wizards, sorcerers, and witches can all have familiars. While familiars continue to grow more powerful along with their masters, some arcane casters want something more. Perhaps constant exposure to their magic has shaped or warped the familiars. Perhaps they have decided to replace the familiar with a more resilient form. Or perhaps the caster seeks a familiar that articulates their particular style or philosophy. Whatever the case, the following two feats allow casters to improve upon their familiars. These feats can be changed when gaining a new familiar as long as requirements are met.

Arcane Familiar Enhancement Feat

This feat magnifies the school specialization of the caster. Familiars retain all other abilities unless otherwise specified…

Last week saw the release of Tales of the Old Margreve (in print and PDF), and already bursting at the seams, there was simply too much material for its pages alone. This week, to celebrate, KoboldQuarterly.com presents new gaming bits, complementing what’s already packed within Tales of the Old Margreve, and all from the same great designers.

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The ancient power of the Old Margreve courses through the veins of a sorcerer with the Margreve bloodline. A distant ancestor may have been a legendary druid, a Margreve hedge witch, a dryad, or even a daughter of Baba Yaga. In time, the sorcerer begins to understand the Margreve and even become part of it…