May 11, 2010 / Bill Collins, Adam Daigle, Stefen Styrsky, Ian Turner / 5 comments
This week sees the release of Sunken Empires, and already bursting at the seams, there was simply too much material for its pages alone. It was packed to the GILLS! Ha! Ahem, anyway… this week, to celebrate, Kobold Quarterly presents new gaming bits, complementing what’s already packed within Sunken Empires and all from the same designers—there’s additional spells for manipulating ioun stones and the water around you, there’s additional lost technologies, there’s even a new monster. And more!
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(Illustration by Christophe Swal)
Whether several fathoms below the waves or enjoying some shore leave, these spells offer a wide range of utility and destruction…
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April 7, 2010 / Stefen Styrsky / 5 comments
Dwarves are not all hammers, shields, and axes. They possess a strong—some would say almost divine—connection to earth and stone. Wielders of ancient magic, dwarf spellcasters manipulate stone as if it were clay, and their rituals reflect this. Chasm to the Abyss and Seal the Ways protect the halls from beasts and creatures crawling up out of the dark. Earth Glide is known only to a few dwarf wizards and druids, thanks to understanding the true nature of stone in a way only those close to the earth ever could. Speak with Ancestors allows dwarf clerics, druids, and wizards to evoke the spirits of the dead. Volund’s Steed is a gift from the dwarven god of smiths and horses, so his people could move more speedily under the earth.
Chasm to the Abyss
The ground before you parts with a rumble. A fissure opens, stretching from cave wall to cave wall. Tonight at least, you will sleep soundly, knowing anything emerging from the dark will first have to cross the gap…
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March 9, 2010 / Wolfgang Baur / 3 comments
Though he’s too modest to brag about it himself, our Web Editor Scott Gable has launched a dual-edition set of Spirit Magic that I think is the most promising new company launch in ages.
Now I might be slightly biased, but if you’ve seen Gable’s writeups in Kobold Quarterly, you might not be surprised. This is the man who brought us the 4 Pathfinder “Holy Remix” priests, as well as the “Ecology of the Phantom Fungus.” Now publishing as Zombie Sky Press, his launch titles contain inspired writeups for voodoo, Slavic spirits, and the Cthulhu Mythos: fun, original, easy to adapt to use in any game with a touch of the unworldly—and definitely a surprise for PCs not used to spirit magic in these traditions.
I’m proud to say the Kobold Store is carrying both the 4th Edition Rituals from the Other Side and the Pathfinder RPG Incantations from the Other Side.
In either system, they are well worth your while to check out. And they are hopefully the first of many under the Zombie Sky banner!
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February 25, 2010 / James Thomas / 3 comments
Continuing from last week’s lesser curse with more than 40 new minor curses:
- Loses all sense of hygiene
- Loses all sense of modesty
- Large warts (-1 charisma)
- Acquires a rare, but harmless, skin disease (-1 charisma)
- Drools constantly
- Stutters constantly
- Enlarged body part (e.g. ears, nose, chin, feet, hands)
- Becomes a pathological liar (will always tell an untruth, even if it is pointless or harmful to do so)
- Is convinced a common inanimate object is a beloved pet or advisor; talks to it all the time
- Loses at all games of chance…
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February 18, 2010 / James Thomas / 9 comments
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 have blamed “the curse” for all kinds of misfortunes: poor harvest, cows not milking, acne, bad luck, unrequited love, diseases, and more. While not seriously debilitating, a minor curse is annoying and frustrating for the subject and any companions. So what exactly happens when a character falls victim to the “evil eye” of a resentful adept or village wise woman? Pick from the table below, roll randomly, or devise your own!
Perhaps, offer a roleplaying bonus of 50 XP times the victim’s character level for a top performance during the game session. A lesser restoration spell will remove the minor curse…
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