TEXT: Ecology of the Barghest
  Ed Greenwood’s City
  Wayne Reynolds Q&A
  Paladins & Assassins
  Skip Williams’ Ask the Kobold > The Hidden Life of Aristocrats   
  Bonded Weapons & Guardian Angels > Empire of the Ghouls 
  descent into the depths
  Kobold Quarterly
  100% Official   Content
  A tiny little magazine of Kobolds & Dragons
  Fall 2007  Issue    2
  $5.99 PDF
  $7.99 Print
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  
  Kobold-in-Chief: Wolfgang Baur
  Layout: Wolfgang Baur
  Contributing Authors: Tim and Eileen 
  Connors, Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb, John 
  E. Ling, Nicolas Logue, J. Robert Schwalb, 
  Sigfried Trent, Wolfgang Baur, and Skip 
  Williams
  Cover Artist: Aaron Acevedo
  Contributing Artists: Aaron Acevedo, Shelly 
  Baur, Kent Burles, John Carimando, Lucas 
  Haley, Jon Hodgson, Jonathan Kirtz, Hans 
  Makart, Stan!, and the fine folk at Ubisoft
  Ad Manager: EP Healy
  Kobold Quarterly™ is published four times a year by 
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  the publisher. Material published herein may not 
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  ©2007 Wolfgang Baur
  Fall 2007 
   
  Vol. 1, Issue 2
  contents
  Editorial
   Shared Worlds
  Letters
  4 From the Mines
  Princes of Hell
  8   Belphegor, the Baron of Laziness and Invention
          by Tim Connors
          Why is Belphegor so very French? All is revealed.
  Dungeon Design
  12  On the Streets Where Heroes Live
         by Ed Greenwood
         How to make players care about what’s over Yonder.
  Kobold Diplomacy
  17 King of All Monsters: Wayne Reynolds
         The tight-lipped master of the monstrous lets slip a few words.
  Character Design
  20 Assassins: the Core Class
           by Robert Schwalb
  2 From the Outside In: Character Generation
           by Sigfried Trent
  Ecology
  28 Ecology of the Barghest
         by Nicolas Logue
         Half goblin and all mean.
  Flashing Blades
  26 Ask the Kobold: Q&A
           by Skip Williams
  4 My Kingdom for a Horse
           by John E. Ling
  6 Joining the Noble Classes
           by Jeff Grubb
  Open Design Preview
  40Empire of the Ghouls: the Avatar of Hunger
           by Wolfgang Baur
  Cartoons by Stan!
  12  10’ by 10’ Toon 
  25 Bolt & Quiver 
  the Free City
  42 Griffon Towers of the Margreve
           by Wolfgang Baur
  On the Cover
  Yes, there is a picture of a 
  nightwing in your MM. 
  That image is dead to us 
  now; throw it away and 
  use Aaron Acevedo as-
  tounding cover rendering 
  of the nightwing instead.
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  4
  Shared 
  Worlds 
  T 
  he heart of the tabletop roleplaying world is a place 
  where everyone shares the stage: players, DMs, and 
  designers alike. In that vein, I’m happy to announce 
  that with this issue, I’m stepping back from writing quite so 
  many articles as I did last issue. There’s a world of talent out 
  there, and it’s time to share some of it here. 
  To start things off, the kings of shared worlds are here, Ed 
  Greenwood and Jeff Grubb. Greenwood’s Realms are well 
  known, of course, as are his novels and more recent Castle-
  mourn. Grubb’s role in creating the Realms, Al-Qadim, Guild 
  Wars, and many other worlds is likewise part of gaming his-
  tory. This issue, he picks up on an idea from issue #1 and 
  runs with it, explaining how to add noble levels to your PCs 
  and social status to your campaign. It’s wonderful to welcome 
  these talents to the kobold universe, and I hope to present 
  their thoughts to you again in future.
  Then there’s Nicolas Logue, who contributes this issue’s 
  Ecology article. You may recognize him from his Eberron 
  work and from his outstanding adventures for the late, la-
  mented Paizo incarnation of Dungeon magazine. Fellow 
  Paizo veterans Tim and Eileen Connors offer up a devil full 
  of sloth. It’s not easy to make laziness compelling, but they’ve 
  done it with style, compiling hooks and tactics usable in any 
  campaign.
  In addition, I am very pleased that Skip Williams, who 
  co-designed 3rd Edition and who got his start in the industry 
  with TSR in Lake Geneva, now graces these pages. He’s taking 
  questions for our first regular column, “Ask the Kobold.” If 
  you have ever wondered about weapon size, the various condi-
  tions of undeath, or the triggers for traps and the point of the 
  Balance skill, give him a shout.
  I’m pleased to present two polar opposites in character 
  classes, or at least they were in 1st Edition: the paladin and 
  the assassin. The Assassin core class is a preview from Green 
  Ronin’s d20 Freeport Companion. Written by that dastardly 
  Editorial 
   
   
  evil ronin J. Robert Schwalb, this is a rock-solid take on the 
  class of scum who kill for a living. Lest you mistake this for 
  condemnation, I say that as a major fan of assassins. Schwalb 
  clearly has high friends in low places.
  At the opposite end of the alignment spectrum, the 
  assassin’s nemesis is the worthy paladin. Relative newcomer 
  John Ling shows us how paladins can trade in their mounts 
  for new class abilities. I expect we’ll hear more from him in 
  future issues.
  Finally, there’s one piece from someone whose name may 
  not be familiar (yet), the redoubtable Sigfried Trent from 
  Open Design. He discusses how to make your next PC more 
  memorable, and provides great tips for getting traction with a 
  new character.
  I hope you enjoy the wide range of voices this issue. I 
  think you’ll notice I’ve bumped up the page count quite a bit 
  to make room for that extra gaming content. Yes, we’re at 40 
  pages, and still very light on ads. 
  I hope to retain that higher page count next issue, but as 
  always it depends on what articles arrive and whether the 
  circulation numbers grow. If you enjoy Kobold Quarterly 
  and are as pleased with the freelancers presented here as I am, 
  please tell your friends — and broaden this shared world a 
  little further. 
  Kobold in Chief
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  5
  from the Mines
  Kobold Letters 
   
  You can write to us at koboldquarterly@
  gmail.com or send paper hate mail to 
  Kobold Quarterly, PO Box 2811, 
  Kirkland, WA 98083.
  Tripping Error
  The tripping article in Kobold Quar-
  terly contradicts a rule in Complete 
  Adventurer. 
  On page 27, KQ#1 said:
  “A character with a very high Tumble 
  skill can stand as a free action with a 
  DC of 35, making it easy for them to 
  stand up without any attacks of oppor-
  tunity or using a move action.”
  On page 103, Complete Adven-
  turer says “Free Stand: With a DC 35 
  Tumble check result, you can stand up 
  from prone as a free action (instead of 
  as a move action). This use of the skill 
  still provokes attacks of opportunity as 
  normal.” 
  Notice the contradiction regarding 
  provoking attacks of opportunity. 
  ~Alan
  Author Sigfried Trent replies: Thanks 
  for reading the article and taking the 
  time to mail Kobold Quarterly about 
  it. I mostly stuck with the d20 Hypertext 
  SRD when researching my article.  I also 
  used the WotC FAQ to answer some of the 
  stickier rules issues. 
  Regarding the use of Tumble to stand as 
  a free action, that’s from the Epic material 
  included in the SRD, where it is listed as 
  one of the Epic uses of the Tumble skill. 
  My understanding is that you needn’t be 
  epic level to attempt the epic skill uses, 
  although with the very high DC targets 
  it certainly helps. The SRD listing doesn’t 
  indicate whether you provoke an attack of 
  opportunity or not, but it is listed as a free 
  action, and free actions never provoke at-
  tacks of opportunity so far as I am aware. 
  Quicken Spell is a good example of this; 
  making it a free action removes the attack 
  of opportunity normally associated with 
  the action.
  This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen 
  different versions of the same rule in dif-
  ferent WotC sources. The general principle 
  is to use the most recently printed version. 
  The Complete Adventurer would seem to 
  override, but when writing for OGL you 
  have to put on blinders regarding anything 
  published outside the OGL banner.
  The rules lawyer in me would tend to 
  say it provokes an attack of opportunity 
  due to the conflicting rules policy WotC 
  promotes, but it seems odd to me that any 
  free action would provoke an attack of op-
  portunity since 1) a free action essentially 
  takes almost no time, 2) an attack of op-
  portunity represents you doing something 
  that leaves you vulnerable, and 3) because 
  in almost all cases making an action a free 
  action stops it from provoking attacks of 
  opportunity. 
  Good Gaming,
  Sigfried Trent
  Question About Derro Nets
  I have a confusion about the derro 
  poison net and the weeping poison. 
  It states that the weeping poison is an 
  injected poison. How does it then work 
  on the net?
  ~Keith Unger
  You caught us, if you’ll forgive the pun. 
  We could pretend that the nets are set with 
  barbed hooks, but really, the weeping poi-
  son should be a contact poison.
  Random Encounter in a Box
  I just finished reading your first issue of 
  Kobold Quarterly and it was
  great! I purchased the PDF from Paizo 
  and on seeing the quality I am
  positive that I need a hard copy.
  I liked all of the articles. I was most 
  interested in your interview with Erik 
  Mona, and it was excellent. I read your 
  FAQ and it is understandable that ad-
  ventures may not appear in this maga-
  zine for a while. However, it would be 
  interesting if you could do a 1 or 2-page 
  encounter. Maybe featuring a creature 
  introduced in the issue with the en-
  counter. Not a simple you-run-into-an-
  orc-and-you-fight encounter.
  Something requiring puzzle solving 
  or  a unique combat scenario (where 
  the combat requires the PCs to think 
  their way through the battle). Basically 
  a random encounter in a box that I can 
  throw at my PCs as they are travel
  overland or wander through a dungeon.
  ~Liam Whalen
  Devoted to the Best of S&S
  Not long ago, I was revisiting my Dragon 
  collection, and looked at the “Dragon 
  Rumbles” section of Dragon 1. 
  “That mission is to publish the best 
  magazine devoted to Sword & Sorcery, 
  Fantasy, Science Fiction and Role Play-
  ing gaming.... We actively encourage 
  your suggestions, criticisms, or whatever. 
  We can adequately serve you, the gamer/
  reader, only if you let us know what you 
  like/want.”
  That was 1976. I was only 4 years 
  
  old, and it wouldn’t be until the summer of 1980 that I 
  would get my first D&D set. I am too young to remember 
  those times, and my memories of a pre-WotC D&D are also 
  memories of childhood, which tend to be at times unduly 
  romantic. Still, whether correctly remembered or not, I could 
  SWEAR I remember a time where the relationship between 
  profits and product were a little more favorably matched. 
  When the game producers were the biggest enthusiasts. 
  Somewhere between 1976 and 2007, I think the mission 
  shifted, and the dialog between the franchise holder and the 
  gamer was lost. 
  Reading your publication, I was almost glad Dragon 
  folded. Kobold Quarterly’s first issue reminded me that 
  you don’t need the trappings of a large business to put out 
  good gaming material, and that a DIY spirit is at the heart 
  of roleplaying. I felt as though I were reading a Dragon 
  magazine that didn’t have the worries of a large publication, 
  a magazine that had thrown off the worries that come with 
  being a business, and was getting back to putting fun first and 
  foremost. 
  I’m going to miss Dragon. But I am glad that people like 
  you are back in the driver’s seat. I’m more excited about the 
  hobby than I have been since I was a teenager, and I can’t wait 
  to see what the next few years bring. 
  About the magazine itself: I enjoyed every article. I appre-
  ciate the mix of DM and player attention, and it is a relief to 
  see the “Ecology of the...” series kept alive. If I were to choose 
  a favorite article, it would be “It’s not (always) the gold”. I 
  really like practical advice that can be applied directly. The 
  underdark monster table will be useful if I ever want to write 
  an adventure for the underdark (not likely, but a good idea). 
  Finally, the Titivillus article was just fun. 
  The production value of the periodical is very nice – I was 
  anticipating something much less polished.
  I know that you put a lot of yourself into this, and the 
  hard work shows. After seeing the first KQ, a weight I had 
  been feeling since the announcement of the demise of Dragon 
  lifted, and I really, really want to thank you for doing that to 
  me.
  ~Allen Hunter
  Thanks for the kind words: I may just need to get them framed 
  and placed in the office for a rainy, flame-war-filled day.
  I’m honored to scurry in Dragon’s illustrious shadow, and hope 
  to keep printing as long as readers enjoy paper. While games are a 
  business, they have to be a fun and adventurous businss.I learned 
  that from Roger Moore, dragon’s editor during another era, and 
  I hope to carry that spark forward in years to come.  
  A Little Wobbly, but Wow
  Being a first issue, the magazine is – as expected of any first 
  magazine – a little wobbly, still finding its feet. But I officially 
  do not regret spending the money. What I’ve seen so far was 
  great. Especially the interview with Erik Mona: Hands down, 
  Back issues of Kobold Quarterly are
  available to right-thinking Humanoids, 
  Giants, and Outsiders of all subtypes.
  CAPTURE
  L O S T
  KOBOLDS!
  ISSUE 1
  ISSUE 2
  Ecology of the Derro  
  Prince of Hell 
  Erik Mona Interview  
  Steam & Sorcery 
  SOLD OUT
  IN PRINT
  Ecology of the Barghest 
  Baron of Hell 
  Wayne Reynolds Interview
  Creating Better Characters
  AVAILABLE 
  NOW!
  PDF Back Issues 
  $6 at paizo.com.
  Print Back Issues 
  $8 + shipping*
  Kobold Quarterly and Open Design are trademarks of Wolfgang Baur. All 
  rights reserved. © 2007.  Don’t make us gnaw your ankles in rage.
  Remit funds by PayPal to:  
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  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  7
  edge (Forbidden Lore), and the feat 
  Blinding Speed.
  Second, the Underdark Encounters  
  didn’t include a key to the abbreviations. 
  I only own the MM, MM2, and FF, so 
  I was lost when you mentioned ToH1, 
  MGU, CS, U, Minions, and other ab-
  breviations. I usually play FRPGs with 
  my 10-year-old son and his friends, and 
  my three-year-old daughter usually takes 
  up time I’d rather spend poring over the 
  latest FRPG supplements. So circum-
  stances conspire to keep me dedicated 
  to (mostly) core rules. Non-core details 
  without some iota of explanation frus-
  trate me.
  Now the kudos: the layout is very 
  professional and eye-pleasing. The 
  choice of artwork was better than what 
  can be found in the most popular 
  FRPG magazine. I particularly enjoyed 
  the “classical” fantasy artwork and the 
  mix of color and black & white images. 
  The features were exceptional, a per-
  fect mix of crunch and fluff. Finally, 
  the choice of features was excellent. 
  I’m a big fan of devils and underdark 
  creatures as antagonists, and I love small 
  variations or in depth explorations of 
  standard game mechanics like rewards 
  or combat options (tripping).
  To sum up: You’ve got an excellent 
  periodical, but to keep my business, 
  keep it core or explain the non-core 
  stuff.
  One last thing: please include let-
  ters to the editor in future issues. I love 
  to hear what other players have to say 
  about the hobby.
  ~Joel Rodda
  Tacoma, Washington
  Letters, you say? Wish granted. I’ll defi-
  nitely be better about the references in 
  future; sometimes it’s a tough choice with 
  limited space, but I should have put the 
  key in for Unearthed Arcana and the 
  others. 
  That said, the easiest way to find Open 
  content like the incantations, domains, 
  feats, and skill you mention is in the 
  Hypertext SRD at www.d20srd.org; it’s 
  searchable and very useful for finding 
  WotC’s Open material.
  Intrigued
  I got a copy of your first issue and I am 
  intrigued. It looks like something  I and 
  my group might be interested in. What 
  type of content do you see as a regular 
  feature?
  My interest would be in articles that 
  clarify rules found in the core game. 
  Just tonight my group had questions 
  about combat movement and how turn 
  undead effects work (is it a cone or a 
  radius effect?). I’d like a regular column 
  dedicated to clarifying muddy rules so 
  that my players and I have a better un-
  derstanding of their use.
  I am not as keen about published 
  adventures because I find even the ge-
  neric ones have a hard time fitting in 
  campaigns. Or they just don’t apply, 
  since my players are at one level and the 
  adventure is for another.
  I’d rather learn how to make my 
  games better or how players can better 
  play the game. Ideas on how to create 
  good cities or NPCs, or tips on knowing 
  your character and roleplaying would 
  be great. I know my players always have 
  real trouble being creative when trying 
  to come up with character histories and 
  feel it is more of a chore than something 
  they are excited about.  Could you pub-
  lish an article to get them motivated?
  ~Brendan Flood
  Kobold Quarterly will offer new 
  tactics, mechanics, and player-friendly ar-
  ticles every issue, as well as DM advice in 
  the Dungeon Design column. 
  As to rules questions, I think that’s a 
  great idea. 3rd Edition co-author and long-
  time sage Skip Williams answers some this 
  issue, and you can submit your questions 
  to yesage@aol.com. Our kobolds are stand-
  ing by. 
  It turns out that Sigfried Trent has 
  written an article character generation 
  and histories in this issue. 
  Thanks for all your letters and emails. 
  Even if we don’t print them all here, every 
  one does get read and many have shaped 
  the content of the current issue. KQ will 
  continue to be your magazine first and 
  foremost.
  my favorite part of this issue. I can’t re-
  member the last time someone made a 
  reference about a rat’s balls in Dragon 
  Magazine, and I’m still laughing about 
  that one.
  Another particular favorite was the 
  article on Trip Attacks. It’s always nice 
  to see someone get back to the nitty 
  gritty of battle tactics, as well as more 
  clarity as to the nature of special at-
  tacks, in addition to the usual fluff. The 
  glimpse at the City of Zobeck intrigued 
  me to learn more about the related 
  setting.
  Additionally, what true nerd doesn’t 
  fantasize about a job in the gaming 
  industry? Gaming sounds like a (most 
  likely) thankless, but at the same time 
  fantastic career, and I’d love to know 
  more about how the industry works. I’m 
  not talking about an article on “Here’s 
  how to get a job writing D&D,” but 
  more  “Here is how our little world 
  actually lives and functions.” Maybe 
  behind-the-scenes, or more interviews, 
  insights, and observations of infamous 
  figures of the industry?
  Thanks again for providing us with 
  some great info, and a voice to go with 
  it. I’m looking forward to many future 
  issues of KQ!
  ~Mycheal Kelly
  Thanks for your letter! Yes, Open Design 
  does pry open some  behind-the-scenes as-
  pects of design in its design essays (which 
  currently aren’t reprinted anywhere else). 
  And of course the project patrons see some 
  of that in the writing process. If there’s a 
  demand, the essays may appear here as 
  well.
  The KQ interviews will mine a similar 
  vein. I’ll be asking the patrons soon about 
  who they’d like to see interviewed next.
  Non-Core WotC Material?
  I bought your periodical and have read 
  it through. It’s great! There are a few de-
  tails that bothered me, and as they say, 
  “The devil is in the details.” First, there 
  was a lot of non-core content that wasn’t 
  explained in your e-zine. From the first 
  half of the e-zine some examples are 
  incantations, non-core domains, Knowl-
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  8
  Princes of Hell
  T
  he Archangel reprised his arguments to Belphegor. “If men 
  produce nothing, how shall we see whether they burn for good or 
  for evil? The laziness you preach smothers their works. Remove 
  your influence – take your bushel from over their candle.”
     “My dear Remiel, I assure you that they burn.” The devil suppressed a 
  grin. “Hearken to your brother’s toll: Laziness is the mother of invention, 
  the motivator of magic and science. What see you immoral in seeking the 
  shortest, most efficient way in all things? It is simply the mark of the clever 
  man.”
      “There is no shortcut to Heaven, Baron Belphegor.”  
      “Yes, well, that concerns me not at all.”
  Belphegor is hell’s unsung hero. 
  Though he gathers more souls to the 
  Nine Hells than any other devil of 
  equal rank, he employs a very subtle 
  charm: Laziness. 
     Most mortals are quite aware of 
  what actions lead to damnation, but 
  fewer realize the spiritual peril of inac-
  tion and procrastination. By corrupt-
  ing mortals with laziness, Belphegor 
  prevents their virtuous plans from 
  ever coming to fruition. Evil deeds 
  Belphegor, the Prince of Laziness
  Idleness is the Dead Sea that swallows all the virtues, 
  and the self-made sepulchre of a living man. 
  - Francis Quarles, English poet and devotional writer (1592 - 1644)
  By Tim and Eileen Connors
  Art by Aaron Acevedo
  ab
  ce
  ghi
  m
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  CJ
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  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  9
  go unchallenged. Charitable works go 
  unfulfilled. In the cool shade of laziness, 
  a world of good intentions withers to 
  nothing more than excuses.
  Belphegor offers the temptation of 
  the easy road. He presents many vi-
  sions of fast fortunes, helps the virtuous 
  monk fall asleep at vespers, or tempts 
  the poor laborer to turn to thievery 
  rather than work. But his hallmark is 
  to tempt mortals with ingenious in-
  ventions that will make them rich and 
  famous. Whether it is a masterful design 
  for longer-range siege engines, an in-
  sightful way to concoct poisons, or an 
  inspired con game, Belphegor’s tempta-
  tion always matches the tempted. Even 
  at the cost of their souls, many embrace 
  his offer eagerly.
  Belphegor’s primrose path to power, 
  glory, and happiness is the way of least 
  resistance. To find it, one must simply 
  be inventive – or have an inventive 
  teacher. Belphegor is always the inven-
  tive teacher, happy to point the way to 
  Hell and speed mortals on their way.
  History of Belphegor
  While all devils bow to the tenets of 
  Hell’s rigid caste system, none of them 
  are content with their particular place 
  in the machine. Like the rest, Belphegor 
  was born with a burning desire for more 
  power and greater influence. He wanted 
  to rule; he just didn’t want to work for 
  it.
  In his early days as an imp, Belphe-
  gor’s slothful nature prevented him from 
  accomplishing much at all. He put a 
  few devotional writers to sleep at their 
  inkpots and encouraged village priests 
  to trot out dull, timeworn sermons. But 
  Belphegor spent most of his days lying 
  about, observing the politics of Hell and 
  wondering at his ambitious brethren.
  He watched brazen devils fail to seize 
  power by force. He watched cunning 
  devils ply politics and duplicity for cen-
  turies, often to no effect. Considering 
  the paltry, successful few, Belphegor 
  sighed. Surely there must be an easier 
  way.
  In time he found one. During a reor-
  ganization of lesser diabolical fiefdoms, 
  Belphegor slipped into the most prom-
  ising group of devils. He contributed 
  little to the group’s schemes, but, as 
  planned, shared equally in their suc-
  cesses. Eventually, his partners shed his 
  dead weight, but he had already ridden 
  their coat tails to low-level power. 
  Belphegor turned his newfound 
  power to the wholesale corruption of 
  mortal souls. He had an inventive, even 
  elegant, plan that required little effort. 
  It started when a fame-seeking human 
  named Agrippa summoned him, and 
  Belphegor feigned subjugation. 
  Put to the question by Agrippa’s sor-
  cery, Belphegor confessed that diabolists 
  of all kinds could escape from paying 
  their portion of a pact with devils -- or 
  at least, pacts with himself. Delighted, 
  Agrippa promptly produced a diabolist 
  book on the subject and gained world-
  wide fame. Finally, his book claimed, 
  mortals could command a devil to work 
  magic, win love, and find treasure, all 
  without risk to their souls.
  Escaping damnation was simple: the 
  diabolist must share copies of the book 
  with two or more others and convince 
  them to enter similar pacts with Belphe-
  gor. When one mortal signed out, two 
  signed in. Belphegor sat back and for a 
  long stretch, rose quickly atop his pyra-
  mid scheme. 
  Years later, Heaven spearheaded an 
  angelic purge of the popular book. But 
  despite the angels’ diligence, one can 
  still find copies of On the Subjugation of 
  Devils in the dark shelves of unsavory 
  scriptoria or the sealed archives of war-
  locks and fiends. Belphegor’s current 
  power status renders these rarities espe-
  cially potent and dangerous tools.
  The angelic intervention brought Bel-
  phegor’s name to the attention of more 
  powerful devils who recognized his in-
  genuity and sought him out for advisory 
  positions. Mistaking his laziness for lack 
  of ambition, they considered him the 
  perfect subordinate. In fact, his demean-
  or was so non-threatening that many 
  spoke of intrigues and machinations 
  well above his station in his presence. 
  After all, they thought. Belphegor was 
  too dull to make much of their razor-
  sharp schemes.
  With expanding knowledge of Hell’s 
  vast web of politics, Belphegor rose ever-
  higher by subtly encouraging his masters 
  to miscalculate their positions at critical 
  moments. This proved quite easy. 
  To some, he counseled laziness in 
  the guise of caution, advising them to 
  take no action when a preemptive strike 
  would have been decisive. To others, he 
  appealed to greed or pride, saying, “The 
  meager reward isn’t worth the effort,” 
  or “Rest easy, for the threat is nothing 
  to your power.” One after another, his 
  superiors fell to their own inaction, and 
  the well-positioned Belphegor took their 
  place under a new, more powerful devil.
  Asmodeus eventually noticed Belphe-
  gor’s casual coups. He laid waste to the 
  fools currently in the lesser devil’s sway 
  and focused Belphegor’s considerable 
  talents back at an old target: mortals. 
  From his secret scrying chamber in the 
  depths of Hell, Asmodeus showed Bel-
  phegor the whole of humanity and bade 
  him, “Name the power and the license 
  you require for their seduction.” 
  Belphegor replied, “My lord, I need 
  only grant them comfort to bring them 
  to you.” Asmodeus smiled, and he ap-
  pointed Belphegor his Baron of Lazi-
  ness, with the charge to seduce human-
  ity through sloth.
  Allies and Enemies
  As one of Asmodeus’s direct appointees, 
  Belphegor is officially unassailable. Nev-
  ertheless, he no fool, and does not trust 
  solely in the Arch Devil’s protection. In 
  Hell, no one has friends, only tempo-
  rary alliances with betrayers.
  By making himself valuable to the 
  powerful, Belphegor has gained impres-
  sive allies. His greatest is Archduke 
  Dispater, the careful schemer. Dispater 
  values Belphegor’s ingenuity and, mis-
  taking the Baron’s laziness for caution, 
  trusts Belphegor’s counsel. Belphegor 
  brings thousands of souls to Mammon, 
  the Archduke of greed and selfish-
  ness. He seduces mortals with instant 
  gratification, directing their basest 
  cravings and enlarging the domains of 
  Mammon.
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  10
  Belphegor’s enemies are devils of action and diligence. 
  Those in the frontlines of Hell’s ongoing wars have no time 
  for Belphegor, “Baron of Armchairs.” His very existence dis-
  gusts the ever-vigilant Archduke Bel and his military-minded 
  vassals. The Baron’s philosophy and purpose utterly escapes 
  them. If it weren’t for Asmodeus, they would have assassinated 
  Belphegor long ago.
  Belphegor in the Real World
  In Numbers 25, the Israelites have illicit relations with the 
  Moabite women and make sacrifices to their god, Baal-Peor, a 
  name later corrupted to Belphegor. Up until the 16th century, 
  Belphegor was associated with licentiousness.
  In 1589, the same year Galileo began his revolutionary ex-
  periments on bodies in motion, the bishop and witch-hunter 
  Peter Binsfield published Binsfield’s Classification of Demons, 
  an authoritative list of demons and their associated sins. Of 
  the seven deadly sins, Binsfield assigned sloth to Belphegor.
  In 1863, Collin de Plancy published Dictionnaire Infernal. 
  That volume describes Belphegor as a demon of discoveries 
  who seduces people to evil by suggesting to them ingenious 
  inventions that will make them rich.
  Appearance and Powers
  Compared to the well-muscled torsos, pitch skin, and chiseled 
  features of many of the other Princes of Hell, Belphegor is an 
  old, grey devil with a potbelly and wavy horns. What little 
  hair sprouts from his largely bald head hovers near his fleshy, 
  pointy ears. A beard drains from below his overlarge mouth, 
  and when he’s not twisting and pulling that beard with his 
  long claws, he’s sitting, lost in thought, holding his lion’s tail. 
  To please and distract his summoners, Belphegor sometimes 
  appears as a beautiful, young girl or naked woman.
  While Belphegor’s physical prowess is no match for his 
  princely brethren, he rarely has to worry. He has an uncanny 
  ability to go unnoticed, even in plain sight. 
  When disappearing into the crowd won’t work, Belphegor 
  relies on persuasion, diplomacy, and politics. He stands close 
  to his detractors, exposing them to his overpowering aura of 
  apathy and resignation. Like Asmodeus, Belphegor operates 
  on a grand scale, but also relishes focusing on a single target.
  Baron Belphegor   CR 23
  Always LE Medium Outsider [Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful]
  Init +2; Senses Listen +47, Spot +47; 120’ darkvision
  Aura apathy, unnoticed
  Languages Common, Celestial, Draconic, Ignan, Infernal, 
  Undercommon, telepathy 120’
  AC 28, touch 12, flat-footed 26 (+2 Dex,
     +15 natural, +1 Armor Skin)
  hp 353 (34d8+170+30 HD)
  Immune fire and poison
  Resist acid 10 and cold 10
  Fort +28, Ref +21, Will +29
  Speed 40 ft. (8 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
  Melee 2 claws +37/+32/+27/+22 (2d12+4)
  Ranged numbing blast +36 (4d10)
  Base Atk +34; Grp +37
  Abilities Str 16, Dex 15, Con 20, Int 28, Wis 30, Cha 24
  SA spell-like abilities, numbing blast, flash
     of insight, halt
  SQ outsider traits, devil traits, see in
     darkness, telepathy 120’, summon 
     devils, DR 15/silver and chaotic
  Feats Armor Skin, Empower Spell-like Ability (order’s 
  wrath), Epic Fortitude, Epic Reputation, Epic Skill Focus 
  (Bluff), Epic Toughness, Improved Unarmed Strike, 
  Magical Aptitude, Negotiator, Persuasive, Quicken 
  Spell-like Ability (waves of fatigue), Skill Focus (Bluff), 
  Tenacious Magic (temporal stasis)
  Skills Bluff +63, Decipher Script +46, Diplomacy +58, 
  Disguise +44 (+48 to act in character), Forgery +46, 
  Gather Information +48, Knowledge (arcana) +46, 
  Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +46, Knowledge 
  (history) +46, Knowledge (religion) +46, Knowledge (the 
  planes) +46, Listen +47, Search +46 (+50 to find secret 
  doors), Sense Motive +49, Spellcraft +52, Spot +47, Use 
  Magic Device +46 (+50 to use scroll)
  Numbing Blast (Su): Belphegor can throw numbing 
  blasts of cold from his claws as a ranged attack with a 
  120-foot range increment. They cause 4d10 damage.
  Flash of Insight (Su): Three times per day, Belphegor 
  can instill a willing subject with a flash of insight, effectively 
  granting them owl’s wisdom, fox’s cunning, and eagle’s 
  splendor. If the subject has made a pact with Belphegor, 
  he also enjoys the benefits of vision (CL 20).
  Apathy Aura (Su): Belphegor can radiate a 25-foot-radius 
  apathy aura as a free action. Creatures in the area of 
  effect must make a DC 34 Will save or be inclined to do 
  nothing, effectively dazed, for as long as they remain in 
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  the area. This effect ends immediately if Belphegor attacks a 
  foe physically. Devils are not immune to this aura. The save 
  DC is Charisma-based.
  Unnoticed Aura (Su): Belphegor can radiate a 25-foot-
  radius unnoticed aura as a free action. Creatures in the area 
  of effect must succeed on a DC 34 Will save or not notice 
  Belphegor’s presence for as long as they remain in the area. 
  Treat Belphegor as under the effects of invisibility, pass 
  without trace, and silence. This effect ends immediately if 
  Belphegor speaks or attacks or if an unaffected creature 
  purposefully draws attention to him. Devils are not immune 
  to this aura. The save DC is Charisma-based.
  Summon Devil (Sp): Belphegor can summon 2d4 imps or 
  3d8 comfort devils (q.v.) with a 100% chance of success. 
  This ability is the equivalent of an 8th-level spell.
  Spell-like Abilities: At will – greater teleport (self plus 50 
  pounds of objects only), order’s wrath, plane shift (Hell to/
  from the Prime Material Plane only), sanctuary, suggestion, 
  unseen servant. 3/day – deep slumber, moment of 
  prescience, symbol of persuasion, waves of fatigue. 
  1/day – magnificent imprisonment*, mind blank, temporal 
  stasis, unholy word, grant up to three wishes (to 
  nonoutsiders only). Caster level 20th. The save DC is 
  Charisma-based.
  Telepathy (Su): Belphegor can communicate telepathically 
  with any creature with a language to a range of 120 feet.
  * As imprisonment, but instead of the spell holding the victim 
  in suspended animation in a sphere at the center of the 
  earth, the spell traps the victim (who may move) within a 
  permanent instance of mage’s magnificent mansion that is 
  contained in an amber gem on Belphegor’s person. To free 
  one of the maximum twelve creatures that Belphegor may be 
  holding in the mansion at once, one must cast freedom on 
  the gem rather than at the imprisonment locale. When bored, 
  Belphegor imprisons mortal enemies – just for fun.
  Cults and Followers
  Belphegor has few active mortal followers and still fewer or-
  ganized cults. Those groups that exist use the donkey, a slow-
  moving and lazy creature, as their symbol.
  Accomplishments and Goals
  Belphegor counts among his greatest accomplishments chang-
  ing the world’s attitude toward sloth as a sin. In a matter of 
  mere centuries, he quietly stripped sloth of the negative, reli-
  gious connotation it once had. Not only are more and more 
  mortals consumed by sloth, many don’t even consider it 
  intrinsically evil, let alone a deadly sin. They see it as mere la-
  ziness, a perfectly natural inclination, and a common reward 
  for accomplishment.
  Encouraged by his success with the masses, Belphegor set 
  his sights on “keystone souls”, high-profile men and women 
  who often serve as the foundation of local moral standards. 
  By bringing a revered bishop into the fold, Belphegor en-
  sures that his faithful flock either follows him blindly or 
  retire from the church, orphaned and embittered. Belphegor 
  aims to fill every parish priest with apathy and resignation, 
  and he targets every head of state for paralyzing preoccupa-
  tion with comfort, sin, and baubles. In many nations, Bel-
  phegor has already claimed the majority of nobles.
  The Baron does not achieve this corruption without help-
  ers. His syrupy blood runs through the veins of hundreds of 
  thousands of specialized imps, finely attuned to his philoso-
  phy and wishes. These are Belphegor’s comfort devils, and 
  they’re everywhere.
  Comfort Devils
  “Brother Accul is furious that you missed lauds. You may 
  be our most promising acolyte, but he says, once more and 
  he’ll remove you from the Order.”
     “I must have fallen back asleep. It was so cold this morn-
  ing. I thought you were going to wake me up, not pull up 
  my blankets.”
     “I didn’t pull up your blankets. Your cell door was 
  locked, and I tried in vain to wake you from without. 
  Brother, the devil couldn’t rouse you.”
  Comfort devils work to fulfill Belphegor’s promise to Asmo-
  deus. Insidious and subtle, they keep mortals distracted from 
  good and charitable works, ignorant or indifferent to the 
  world’s evils, and focused on life’s simplest comforts rather 
  than its highest ideals. As tempters to life’s easy roads, they 
  Comfort Devil Lore
  Characters with ranks in Knowledge (the Planes) can learn more about comfort 
  devils. When a character makes a successful skill check, reveal the following lore, 
  including the information from lower DCs.
  Knowledge (the Planes)
  DC Result
  14 
  The devil Belphegor, Prince of Laziness and Invention, has thousands of 
   
     imps at his command.
  18 
  Belphegor’s imps, called comfort devils, foster worldwide evil by
   
     distracting otherwise virtuous individuals with life’s comforts and by 
   
     tempting them with lives of ease and fortune.
  22 
  Comfort devils are ubiquitous, but due to their ability to assume other  
    
     more pleasant forms, remain largely unnoticed throughout the world.
  have an encouraging hand on every ad-
  dict’s shoulder, every swindler’s sleeve, 
  and every pirate’s wheel.
  Statistics
  Comfort devils are imps and share the 
  physical description and statistics of all 
  of that breed. Comfort devils of five 
  or more hit dice differ slightly due to 
  Belphegor’s investment of power. To 
  continue the pretense of their assumed 
  forms, these advanced devils do not 
  revert to their natural form when killed, 
  but retain their disguises even in death.
  Strategies and Tactics
  Many comfort devils enjoy success as 
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  12
  the imaginary friends of children. By encouraging innocents 
  away from their chores, the devils foster laziness at an early 
  age. To encourage immorality, they distract children from re-
  ligious education and moral tales with their own whispered, 
  often scandalous, stories.
  Some comfort devils play dual roles in a household. They 
  introduce themselves as superficially injured cats or dogs, 
  and once they become the family’s beloved pet, they distract 
  child and parent alike with playful demands for attention. 
  They are particularly vivacious during prayer and seem to 
  have a sixth sense for detecting and preventing religious 
  epiphanies great and small. Woe to the monastery who takes 
  in one of these fiends. 
  In rural areas, comfort devils exchange their bat wings, 
  barbed tails, and horns for the gracious forms of kindhearted 
  fey. In this form, the adorable creatures fluff pillows, draw 
  warm baths, and pantomime curious stories, emphasizing 
  simple pleasures. They use their suggestion ability to encour-
  age families to think of them as rewards, even entitlements, 
  from Heaven. 
  In the worst cases, an isolated village may become utterly 
  preoccupied with the little status symbols. Envious villagers 
  gossip about their unworthy neighbors and secretly put out 
  dishes of milk or honeyed water to draw the desirable pixies 
  to their door.
  Belphegor permits particularly clever comfort devils to 
  assume the form of a humanoid. These devils use detect good 
  to locate victims. As good-time friends, they keep their 
  victim happy and ignorant of the world’s evils. They put the 
  bottle in the ex-alcoholic’s hand and excuses in the layabout’s 
  mouth. As teachers, they advocate isolationism to keep their 
  victims from the good fight. As clerics, they preach divine 
  but deferred justice, leaving it to gods to vanquish and 
  punish evildoers.
  Laziness of a different sort best tempts some victims. For 
  fame and fast fortunes, these ambitious and shortsighted 
  fools will pay anything – so long as it is paid later. To these 
  alone, comfort devils appear in their natural, infernal form. 
  They hand treasure maps to thieves and love potions to 
  women who marry for money. More commonly, they com-
  mune with Belphegor to provide ingenious insight into 
  magic and science, enough to bring their victims the worldly 
  gold and respect they so desperately seek. The victims are 
  delighted to gain such luxury, for the bargain price of their 
  souls. 
  The most talented comfort devils, called Old Boys, work 
  directly with Belphegor to collect keystone souls. They spend 
  a mortal lifetime posing as humans in the upper crust of so-
  ciety. Old Boys are trendsetters and socialites, leading secret 
  societies and founding annual parties. They serve as the advi-
  sors that a keystone soul needs to gain influence and realize 
  his dreams. 
  This advice comes from a poisoned well. These imps use 
  suggestion to convince their victim to take action only from 
  a position of power – a position attainable only through the 
  imp’s notoriety and shady connections. Over time, Old Boys 
  tempt or blackmail their victims away from their former, 
  virtuous paths.
  Society
  Comfort devils spend their entire lives amongst mortals. 
  Because they rarely assume their natural form, they confirm 
  suspected brethren through their commune ability. 
  Occasionally they work together to maximize their influ-
  ence. In one notorious case, they masqueraded as humans 
  for more than a decade to orchestrate the fall of a wealthy 
  kingdom. While a few of them convinced fellow peasants 
  that they deserved relief from carrying the lazy ruling class 
  on their backs, the others convinced fellow aristocrats that 
  the lazy, peasant ingrates were undeserving of their valuable 
  protection. The subsequent revolution featured unspeakable 
  atrocities.
  Typical Treasure
  Most comfort devils have no treasure. However, advanced 
  comfort devils have treasure appropriate to their disguise 
  and station in mortal society.
  <
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  14
  “Tired of dungeons? Well, then; 
  head into town, where the action 
  is!” 
  The grizzled caravan mer-
  chant grins, displaying decayed 
  brown teeth, and points down 
  the road. Just the other side of 
  yonder ridge, waits . . . yet an-
  other town. How is this one any 
  different?
  Right now, the new town in in the 
  campaign is just a name on a map: a 
  place where the PC adventurers want to 
  resupply, get healing, buy some better 
  weapons, and see if they can somehow 
  sell six basilisk scales and a severed 
  leucrotta paw that doesn’t smell any too 
  good. The DM wants to hit them with 
  “The Secret of the Fanged Temple”, in a 
  magazine he bought at the last conven-
  tion.
  Obviously the town is a necessary 
  place, but it is still just a name on a 
  map. Let’s call it Yonder. Despite the 
  waiting nastiness of that fanged temple, 
  the GM secretly wants the PCs to stay 
  for a bit, so he doesn’t have to franti-
  cally map and create faceless town after 
  faceless town along this road they insist 
  on riding along, no matter what, head-
  ing… nowhere in particular.
  How can he make Yonder come to 
  life? It should be memorable enough 
  that the PCs will want to tarry, without 
  turning it into a grim-foreboding, over-
  the-top Hollywood movie set.
  The Basics
  First, consider the bones of the place: 
  the main-streets map and major indus-
  tries. Creeks, wells, and horseponds; 
  bridges; mills; market square; major 
  intersections; castles or grand buildings 
  of any sort; and notable landmarks such 
  as gibbets, leaning tavern signs, sites of 
  never-failing magical motes of light that 
  dance or appear to burn, and haunt-
  ings. Name an inn or other place to 
  stay, note the bed rates, stabling, what 
  food and drink the PCs can get and the 
  name and looks of who will serve it, and 
  start playing. It’s not subtle, but on rare 
  occasions sufficient, unless the PCs are 
  being chased through it at top speed by 
  something deadly.
  The only way to shirk these basics is 
  to enshroud the place in impenetrable 
  fog, install an officious local watch to 
  keep PCs from exploring, and provide 
  the PCs with just exactly what they 
  most need (imagine a handy inn next 
  door to a temple of priests waiting to 
  heal). If that’s what Yonder provides and 
  you tempt the party with at least one 
  local treasure tale, the adventurers won’t 
  stay long. The tale might be “Folk are 
  being murdered by a flying knife that 
  can get into the most tightly-locked 
  chamber” or “The king’s zombie-chas-
  ers are here, destroying the undead that 
  keep crawling out of the ruined castle—
  and looking for whoever keeps causing 
  them to rise and walk”. With the local 
  innkeeper or tavern master installed as 
  the tale-teller, complete with colorful 
  looks and accent to match, they’ll see 
  the hook and be out of town by sunrise. 
  Yet if there’s no fog nor chase, you’ll 
  certainly need more. Look and feel, for 
  one thing: what does the place smell 
  like? What’s the skyline? Is Yonder a 
  small forest of smoke-belching forge-
  chimneys, or is it a cluster of overgrown 
  shacks clustered around a way-stables, 
  a shrine, and an all-goods shop? Are 
  the streets dirt, cobbles, or something 
  more formal? Do they wind as if they 
  “grew” that way, or are they laid out in 
  a deliberate design? Are they deserted, 
  or bustling, or bristling with uniformed 
  lawkeepers?
  Think up a few faces and names of 
  those lawblades or shopkeepers. Unless 
  this is a ghost town or everyone is over-
  grown with the same mysterious fungus, 
  you’ll need some descriptions, at least 
  a name and a single defining trait for 
  each.
  The Locals
  The deeper, too-often-neglected stuff 
  that shifts Yonder from being just a 
  name on a map to being a place people 
  call home: the locals. Who dwells in 
  Yonder, and what do they do for a liv-
  ing? Are they happy? Rich? Poor? Why? 
  Where do they get their food? Is the 
  place a simmering cauldron of feuds, 
  or does it stand on the howling edge of 
  Dungeon Design
  On the Street
  Where Heroes Live
  Bringing Towns to Life in a Fantasy Campaign
  by Ed Greenwood 
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  15
  open bloodshed (just waiting for PCs 
  to come along and tip things into open 
  warfare)? Does a faith or faiths domi-
  nate town life? (And if the clichéd secret 
  cult is operating behind all those bland-
  ly smiling faces, why is it still secret 
  until the PCs blunder along?) Why are 
  the local crazies considered crazy? Is the 
  place growing, or dying? (Which leads 
  again to why: why are people dying off 
  or leaving, or aching to come here?)
  Back to the folk who are here right 
  now, standing with hands on hips 
  watching the PCs ride in. Are they smil-
  ing (pleasantly or otherwise)? Scowling 
  in dislike? Or looking wary or fearful? 
  Again (to quote little Cindy Lou Who) 
  “Why, Santy Claus, why?”
  Every local inhabitant is either drift-
  ing along through life, or working too 
  hard to look up and think—or they 
  have aims and dreams and goals. Things 
  they want to achieve, and opinions 
  about what should happen in future 
  (and what probably will happen, in-
  stead). In other words, if PCs are openly 
  serving or on the side of the king or the 
  local lord or temple, they may be hated, 
  feared, or welcomed, depending on 
  recent past events and the resulting at-
  titudes of the locals to authority.
  Answering the Questions
  Truly, Yonder is a place of many ques-
  tions; herewith, let’s have a stab at some 
  answers. Not that there are necessarily 
  any “right” answers, but for every town 
  a GM is detailing there are answers that 
  go well together with other answers, to 
  make Yonder seem believable; there are 
  also answers that make Yonder seem ap-
  pealing as a home or at least a base from 
  which adventurers sally forth to adven-
  tures elsewhere (but want to return to); 
  and there are answers that make Yonder 
  come alive and generate ongoing player 
  interest in local events.
  Let us step back for a moment from 
  Yonder, sprawled in its green, leafy, 
  vaguely medieval fantasy-campaign 
  valley, and consider it as the setting of a 
  long-running television show.
  Yes, a TV program. Done shudder-
  ing? Right, onward.
  A sitcom, to be precise. Character-
  based, rather than having Yonder be the 
  blurry, plastic-to-plot-needs backdrop 
  for the antics of just one violent or crazy 
  family or group of bitchily competing 
  neighbors, or the setting for endless 
  murders that have to be solved through 
  intrepid forensics interspersed with car 
  chases.
  The Trick of Subplots
  Yonder needs subplots. Feuds between 
  neighbors, disputes about who will host 
  the fall harvest festival or be named the 
  next mayor or May Queen, and the 
  little mysteries of who’s stealing garters 
  or horses or prize turnips, who’s setting 
  outhouses afire in the dead of night, 
  and who is leaving beheaded crows on 
  certain doorsteps.
  What makes books memorable is the 
  big scenes of battle or confrontation 
  or heroism—and the characters. What 
  makes television series memorable tends 
  to be, yes, the characters. From soaps to 
  hospital shows to countryside comedies 
  of manners, it’s the characters.
  A Cornerstone Character
  So Yonder needs characters. Not just 
  “that old innkeeper at the Broken 
  Wheel” but Gustable Arondur, owner 
  and master of The Broken Wheel Inn 
  and Fine Table, who limps and aches 
  in damp weather and stares longingly 
  at every red-haired woman he sees, 
  because... Well, yes, the GM needs to 
  know what in his past aroused this long-
  ing; it might feature in play, or might 
  not, but the DM must know. Arondur, 
  who is in awe of elves. Arondur, who 
  despises warriors in the army of the local 
  king but a score-and-more years back 
  was a hero in that same uniform, win-
  ning battles hereabouts for the king who 
  was father to the present king. 
  Why does he never talk of those days, 
  and treats today’s soldiery so curtly? 
  Arondur, who owns all three rooming-
  houses in town and the brothel, too, 
  yet dresses simply and never spends a 
  coin he doesn’t have to; where is all the 
  money going? And who are the masked 
  women who ride into town in the dead 
  of winter and the middle of the night, 
  once a year, to meet privately with 
  Arondur, leaving him gray in the face 
  and shaking when they depart?
  Arondur, who can read books peddlers 
  offer him, from lands beyond the sea 
  whose names even they can’t pronounce.
  Arondur, who is unmarried but keeps 
  an outland girl in his bedchamber who 
  has been blinded and had her tongue 
  cut out. Those who get a glimpse say she 
  is covered in strange tattoos that seem to 
  be writing of some sort.
  Arondur seems more than a bit over 
  the top, staggering through game ses-
  sions with such a load of secrets on his 
  broad, bowed shoulders. Yet Yonder 
  could have a dozen Arondur-types in it; 
  characters who have secrets and pasts 
  and varied interests, both personal 
  and business. Who in town is Yonder’s 
  enemy, or at least rival?
  For that matter, who in town quietly 
  or openly stands in league with who 
  else? Not every cabal is sinister. From 
  gossips who meet over tea in farm 
  kitchens to the men who drift down to 
  the stables to smoke pipes and grumble 
  about taxes, citizens anywhere will form 
  groups of friends or allies-of-necessity 
  who band together to get certain things 
  accomplished. From preventing the new 
  mayor from building his own tavern 
  hard by the bridge, to buying up all the 
  turnip crop so prices will soar and they 
  can sell at a handsome profit, locals 
  will work together until the inevitable 
  disagreements arise. That is when “ac-
  cidents” sometimes happen that cost a 
  Yonderman or Yonderwoman a barn, 
  a horse, a wagonload of goods, or even 
  their life.
  Which brings us to another question: 
  who will investigate such a crime? Not 
  just “the town watch,” with certain stats 
  and weapons and numbers, but are we 
  talking bullies? Easygoing, thickheaded 
  buffoons? Eager-for-promotion zealous 
  suspicious-of-everyone sorts? Rulebook-
  followers? Can they think their way out 
  of a one-seater outhouse, unaided? Are 
  they competent or merely cruel?
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  16
  OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a 
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  11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the 
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  12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of 
  the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game 
  Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then 
  You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 
  13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail 
  to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 
  days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the 
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  14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be 
  unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent 
  necessary to make it enforceable. 
  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE 
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. 
  System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich 
  Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, 
  based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. 
  Kobold Quarterly issue 2, Copyright 2007, Wolfgang Baur, www.
  wolfgangbaur.com. All rights reserved. 
  The Law and the Lively
  The nature of the law changes a place. If 
  Lawcudgel Uldroon is a buffoon or lazy 
  drunkard, is there an Arondar in town 
  who will quietly enact real justice? Is 
  this vigilante feared, and a man of un-
  known identity (“That demned elusive 
  Pimpernel”)? 
  The law may or may not have the sup-
  port of the citizenry. Is Arondar operat-
  ing alone, or can he call on a band of 
  like-minded supporters? If he has a mob 
  or a network of whispering opinion-
  makers, they may cause “every man’s 
  hand to be raised against” a criminal, 
  or even against a notable local who has 
  escaped formal justice. 
  My PCs Fought the Law
  Adventurers by their nature tend to 
  run afoul of, or at least end up watched 
  closely by, local lawkeepers. As a result, 
  most GMs have a vague idea of what 
  the law looks like in town. Yet faceless 
  professionals in uniform are inherently 
  less interesting than a constable with a 
  name, failings, and hobbies.
  “Officer 32” may evoke just as much 
  fear as old Uldroon, but only the locals 
  know that old Uldroon makes his own 
  dandelion wine, loves roast boar and 
  sugared rhubarb-pies. If he also secretly 
  wears silken underthings made for ladies 
  of a certain size and high social stand-
  ing, Uldroon becomes undeniably more 
  interesting.
  Moreover, both players and GMs can 
  find ways to exploit the wine or love of 
  pies—that is, for those traits to feature 
  in adventures. Officer 32 is little more 
  than a stern or shouting force to arrest, 
  slay, or keep order, but Uldroon is 
  alive. From his belches to his socks that 
  need darning to his inability to cook 
  any meat without setting fire to some-
  thing in his kitchen, Uldroon sticks in 
  memory as a real person.
  Just like Arondar, and the handful of 
  other Yonderians the DM has really de-
  tailed. The best Yonderians—back to the 
  sitcom—keep showing up, episode after 
  episode, or rather session after play ses-
  sion, to stick their noses into whatever’s 
  happening. Their involvement generates 
  humor, a sense of place (“Oh, aye, we’re 
  in Yonder, all right!”) and eventually 
  player knowledge about who to trust 
  with secrets, advice, or directions.
  Player knowledge provides a useful 
  gauge of success. When players around 
  the gaming table start independently 
  suggesting their characters go see Aron-
  dar or Uldroon or old Lady Looseskirts 
  at the brothel to ask for rumors, rather 
  than asking the GM out-of-character 
  who in town they should go see, the 
  GM has done it: Yonder has come alive.
  Getting It Right
  When players look forward to oppor-
  tunities to roleplay just sitting down in 
  a Yonderian tavern to talk to locals and 
  visiting peddlers over a tankard or two, 
  Yonder has reached the stage of help-
  ing to generate new adventures, and the 
  trick is done.
  Now, none of this is new. Veteran 
  GMs have been doing it for decades (in 
  my case, 30 years), and every roleplayer 
  knows or senses it. Yet a reminder is 
  always worthwhile: unless PCs ride away 
  from Yonder, never to return, spending 
  an idle handful of minutes detailing 
  something interesting about the cast 
  of recurring NPCs in Yonder is always 
  worth the time. 
  Recurring characters provide fertile 
  ground for adventure ideas to spring up, 
  and new plots to come to mind: could 
  old Angrath in the corner be sick and 
  tired of these adventurers? Could he be 
  thinking of ways to get them blamed 
  for something and banished from town? 
  Yonder, deep and rich and colorful, be-
  comes a place that matters to players, a 
  place worth fighting for when dragons 
  or marauding armies or raiding orcs 
  come to town.
  One last question: what is more valu-
  able in life than something or someone 
  we care enough about to want to fight 
  for?
  GMs, when you create a Yonder, you 
  are crafting a treasure. Make it valuable.
  <
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  17
  King ofAll 
  Monsters
  An Interview with Artist and Impresario Wayne Reynolds
  By the Open Design Inquisitors
  W
  ayne Reynolds is the defining 
  artist for the Pathfinder 
  series of books, as well as de-
  fining much of the look for Wizards of the 
  Coast settings such as eberron. Naturally, 
  we asked him about football.
  Kobold Quarterly: Which is your fa-
  vorite of your Wizards of the Coast art 
  pieces, and why?
  Wayne Reynolds: My favourite pieces 
  of art are usually the most recent ones, 
  as I’ve yet to spot the mistakes. I always 
  paint an image to the best of my abili-
  ties at the time, but it is a curse that 
  most artists are never happy with their 
  own work as they are constantly trying 
  to find ways to improve their skills.
  If I had to choose, it would prob-
  ably be either the cover illustration to 
  D&D Eberron – Secrets of Xendrix or 
  D&D Eberron – Secrets of Sarlona. I like 
  Secrets of Xendrix because I got to paint 
  a huge fire giant. I like Secrets of Sarlona 
  because of the movement I managed to 
  capture in the illustration — somehow 
  making the colors and composition 
  just right. I’m not sure how I did this 
  exactly.
  What kind of work space do you 
  prefer? 
  I have a relatively small work space lo-
  cated in one of the rooms in my house. 
  I prefer to work from home on my own 
  rather than in a shared office or studio 
  environment.  I’m much more creative 
  and work longer hours when left to my 
  own devices.  
         
  Do you work on multiple projects 
  at once, or do you finish one after 
  another? 
  I usually have three or four projects ac-
  tive at any one time, though I work on 
  them in a rotation that is normally dic-
  tated when the deadline for each com-
  mission is due. 
  Unless it’s an emergency, I never 
  break off one image to work on another. 
  Once I begin pencilling or painting 
  an image, I will finish what I’m doing 
  before moving on to the next image. 
         
  Do you include any “easter eggs” in 
  your work? 
  Sometimes. (We followed up. He’s coy.)
  I really enjoyed the Black Company 
  cover. Can you describe how that 
  painting came about: Did you read the 
  novels? Did Green Ronin give a sketch? 
  Can you reveal the location and identi-
  ties portrayed? 
  I wasn’t familiar with Glen Cook’s nov-
  els before working on the Black Compa-
  ny cover illustration. Green Ronin pro-
  vided me with a written excerpt of the 
  scene describing the location and events 
  that is depicted in the cover image. 
  I was given visuals of the existing 
  novel covers as a guideline to what 
  some of the characters might look like. 
  Unfortunately, I still haven’t read the 
  novel and have no idea of the location 
  or characters other than the physical de-
  scription I received.
  Do you remember the first piece of art-
  work that you sold to a rpg company? 
  Your first cover?
  My first game commission was for a 
  Play-By-Mail game called “The Keys 
  of Medokh”. The first RPG game I il-
  lustrated were internal images for Pagan 
  Shores by Chaosium. I think my first 
  cover was the silver anniversary edition 
  of  L3 D&D Deep Dwarven Delve by 
  WotC.   
   
  Can you recall any artists that really 
  had an impact on you and your deci-
  sion to pursue your career? Are they 
  still in the business?
  Some of the artists that really influenced 
  me when I was younger were Boris 
  Vallejo, Larry Elmore, Clive Caldwell, 
  Jeff Easly and Keith Parkinson. British 
  comic artists such as Alan Davis, Mike 
  McMahon and Cam Kennedy also 
  heavily influenced me. 
  When I created painted artwork, I 
  tried to paint like the artists I admired. 
  My own style of work is now the result 
  of imperfect attempts to emulate those 
  artists.
  When you’re asked to draw a new mon-
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  18
  ster (or new interpretation) how much 
  input do you have with the design? 
  Essentially, you take the writer’s descrip-
  tion and create the look of the beastie. 
  There are various interpretations of 
  descriptive elements, as long as the fin-
  ished creature looks like what has been 
  described. 
  For instance, if the creature is de-
  scribed as having six eyes. There are a 
  number of ways you can illustrate those 
  eyes, unless there is a specific description 
  of what the eyes actually look like and 
  unless the creature is specified as having 
  six “glowing red eyes” there’s a certain 
  amount of creative latitude how you 
  might depict the monster.
  You have defined the look of the new 
  Pathfinder series, essentially setting 
  up the visual style for the entire set-
  ting. Was there a set of concept work 
  involved? Or is each painting largely 
  standalone work?
  Each painting is a standalone work but 
  each piece pertains to the series.
  You’ve redefined goblins, which is quite 
  a trick. Any hints about what the giants 
  in Pathfinder #4 will look like? 
  No comment due to my Non-Disclo-
  sure Agreement. (Hey, we had to ask!)
  I know you paint over your sketches, 
  but do you ever photograph or share a 
  sketch? 
  Every sketch is scanned or photocopied. 
  I can then place a copy of the sketch be-
  side the actual piece of artwork during 
  the painting process. I can then refer to 
  it if any sections or details of a particular 
  illustration are lost beneath the opaque 
  layers of paint (Which they often are). 
  The finished image can also vary 
  from the original sketch. The first 
  sketch of the Pathfinder Fighter shows 
  him wearing more armour, including a 
  helmet. 
  The fighter needed to be more light-
  weight so his helmet, greaves, tassets 
  and chainmail vest were removed. I 
  slimmed him down to make him look 
  more nimble.
  What would be your ideal painting? 
  Are there works that you do mostly for 
  yourself, rather than on a contract?
  Nearly all of the artwork I produce is 
  commissioned imagery, but I consider 
  myself lucky that I thoroughly enjoy il-
  lustrating most of the images I am asked 
  to create. It’s not often I get any time to 
  illustrate something for myself. Though 
  there are images I’d certainly like to do 
  for my own pleasure. 
  I have plenty of preliminary sketches 
  and ideas of paintings I’d like to work 
  on in the future. Many get abandoned 
  as the next idea comes along. Maybe 
  one day I’ll get time to do a series of 
  illustrations, but I’m keeping them to 
  myself for the time being.
  What’s your favorite of your own 
  paintings? 
  Being my own worst critic, it’s hard 
  to say which is the favorite of my own 
  work. It’s usually more recent artwork.
  I’m quite fond of the Pathfinder 
  artwork, and I’m also pleased with some 
  unreleased trading card illustrations. 
  My current favorite is one of those few 
  images I actually had time to create for 
  myself. It’s probably because I was able 
  to indulge myself that I like the image 
  — plus I really enjoy illustrating snow-
  Valeros, iconic fighter of the Pathfinder 
  series, shown in the original sketch with 
  helmet, a revised sketch, and final version. 
  Used by permission.
  Valeros final art for “Burnt Offerings”.
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  19
  scenes. The image was inspired by the 
  recent work I’d been doing illustrating 
  a number of creatures from Inuit folk-
  lore in conjunction with Inhabit Media 
  based in Nunavut, Canada. I’d found 
  the project extremely fascinating (as I 
  have an interest in folklore and legends) 
  and wanted to do something similar for 
  myself. 
  The finished result is “Inuit Girl” 
  (shown on the right). I used it as the 
  design for my 2006 Xmas card.
  What’s your favorite artwork from a 
  colleague that impressed you recently?
  There are hundreds of artists whose 
  work I really admire. Too numerous 
  to list them all. Artists such as Todd 
  Lockwood, Greg Staples, Kev Walker, 
  Paul Bonner and Steve Prescott regu-
  larly produce some truly outstanding 
  illustrations.
  Among some of my favourite images 
  are “Corum” by Jon Foster, and “Gun-
  slinger” or “The Lost Shrine” by Brom.
  Lately you have become the new hot-
  ness, with excellent work on many 
  covers and big projects. How’s it feel 
  to be the New Turk in the fantasy art 
  business?
  My modesty makes me question how 
  deserving I am of such exceptionally 
  high praise. But thank you all the 
  same.
  I never had any idea that my art-
  work would become popular. I’m 
  really just a regular guy who likes 
  drawing. I consider myself fortunate 
  that I have a job where I’m able to do 
  something I really enjoy. I’m just glad 
  that the imagery I create seems to be 
  appreciated and hopefully inspires 
  the imaginations of the viewers. 
  Finally, I had no idea you were Eng-
  lish! Do you support Leeds United 
  FC? How will they cope with relega-
  tion to League One?
  I’m not really a big sports fan at all, 
  though I am always pleased when my 
  home team wins. I am concerned 
  about Leeds Uniteds’ relegation to 
  League One because it will impact 
  the city’s revenue. A city as large as 
  Leeds should have a team in the 
  Premiership.
  As far as we kobolds are 
  concerned, Mr. Reynolds 
  is in a league of his own.     <
  You can find Wayne Reynold’s work 
  online at http://www.waynereynolds.
  com/ onlinegamescompany.com/war/
  gallery.htm. He will attend GenCon 
  Indianapolis in 2008.
  Coming Next Issue 
  An Arcane Extravaganza! Enough spells, magic, and mystery to 
  power an aerial fleet of kobold commandos!
  Arbeyach, Lord of the Locusts
  by Ari Marmell
  Buzzzz! The master of famine, decay, and bureaucracy strikes down his 
  foes like a plague. Or possibly a swarm. Is there a plague template? 
  Star & Shadow Magic
  The secret school of Zobeck magic, found nowhere else! The heavens 
  part, the stars descend, and we reveal the secrets of this uniquely 
  Zobeckian form of magery.
  Plus very possibly an article by Keith Baker — if only he doesn’t escape from 
  our nets this time! Seriously, if we knew which big-name submissions would 
  arrive at our smelter for the Winter issue, we’d tell you. Would kobolds lie? 
  C’mon, their Bluff scores suck...
  Prince of Plagues
  Keith Baker’s Noir Tips
  Ed Greenwood Q&A
  Arcane Spectacular
  Skip Williams’ Ask the Kobold > Better Magic Items for Bards   
  Unfamiliar Familiars and Clockwork Magic > Arabian Nights 
  Stars & Shadows Revealed
  Kobold Quarterly
  100% Official   Content
  A tiny little magazine of Kobolds & Dragons
  Winter 2008  Issue    3
  $5.99 PDF
  $7.99 Print
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  20
  TheAssassin
  by Robert J. Schwalb
  Art by Jonathan Kirtz and Kent Burles
  “It’s a good thing Freeport’s nobles 
  are all cowards. Otherwise, I’d be 
  out of a job.”
  —Red Alice, Assassin
  The assassin is a killer for hire, a ruthless 
  and remorseless agent whose purpose is 
  to rub out the opposition. The assassin’s 
  main strengths come from the element 
  of surprise, because she has no interest 
  in a fair fight. Such nonsense gives her 
  prey the chance to react and poses a risk 
  of the mission failing. The best assassins 
  can set aside their misgivings and elimi-
  nate any target, no matter the age, the 
  gender, or the status.
  An assassin’s life is no easy thing and 
  many missions they undertake can lead 
  them to distant cities, into the bowels 
  of the earth, and just about any place 
  else “adventurers” might go. Rare is the 
  assassin who pursues adventure for the 
  standard reasons: gold, fame, or noto-
  riety. Instead, they see such expeditions 
  as a means to end, a mission to advance 
  their training so they can get back to the 
  business of killing for gold. Of course, 
  an adventurer’s life is often the perfect 
  cover for the assassin: It gives her access 
  to powerful people, a steady stream of 
  revenue between jobs, and a means to 
  slip out of town if a job goes sour.
  Creating an Assassin
  The assassin is a master of surprise and 
  stealth, of cunning and underhanded 
  tactics. She does not have the strength 
  of a barbarian or fighter, the versatility 
  of a bard, or the breadth of skills of a 
  rogue, but she combines a potent array 
  of combat abilities and skills, augment-
  ed by special talents to give her the edge 
  she needs to survive.
  Abilities
  An assassin does her job by using the 
  element of surprise, and she needs 
  abilities to augment her stealthy skills. 
  Dexterity is by far her most important 
  ability, as it is vital to her combat capa-
  bilities as well as many of her subterfuge 
  skills. Wisdom is also important since 
  it reflects her ability to perceive her sur-
  rounding, spot hidden guards, and hear 
  the sounds of approaching foes. Intelli-
  gence is another key ability as it aids the 
  assassin in crafting poisons, sabotaging 
  equipment and devices, and helping her 
  learn more about the target she is after.
  Races
  Any race with the capability to murder, 
  to harness the inherent evil of the act, 
  can become an assassin. Of the com-
  mon races, humans and half-orcs are the 
  most likely. Humans, for all their mer-
  its, are capable of great cruelty and thus 
  produce some of the most infamous 
  assassins in the world. Half-orcs, with 
  their natural tendencies toward evil, find 
  it easy to kill for money, a fact especially 
  true for those who endured unhappy 
  upbringings, enduring the scorn of hu-
  manity or the cruelty of orcs.
  Other races are less likely to produce 
  assassins, though when they do, they 
  are exceptional. The natural stealth and 
  © Ubisoft. Used by permission.
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  21
  cunning of elves make them ideal kill-
  ers, but rare is the elf—excepting, of 
  course, the drow—who can stomach the 
  business of cold-blooded murder. Half-
  elves find it easier to follow this path, 
  but even then, they are rare.
  Dwarf, gnome, and halfling assas-
  sins have a number of advantages over 
  their rivals. A dwarf’s natural resilience 
  to poison reduces the risk of acciden-
  tally poisoning himself, and his natural 
  hardiness and combat capabilities make 
  him especially effective in combat. What 
  gnomes lack in speed in strength, they 
  make up for in magical talent and hardi-
  ness. They share the dwarf’s inherent 
  toughness, and also can spin illusions 
  with incredible skill, masking their ap-
  proach until they are ready to strike. 
  Finally, halflings’ natural athleticism 
  and awareness give them a slew of ad-
  vantages when taking down their oppo-
  nents. In all cases though, none of these 
  races are noted for the mercilessness 
  required by this grim profession.
  Alignment
  The assassin’s objective, even when justi-
  fied, is firmly rooted in evil. Murder, 
  no matter what the reason, can never 
  be construed otherwise, and so assassins 
  are never good and nearly all are evil. 
  In exceptionally rare cases, an assassin 
  might be neutral, but such characters 
  tend to employ different tactics and may 
  confront their prey head on rather than 
  skulking about and slipping a knife be-
  tween the ribs.
  Chaotic assassins are paranoid loners, 
  unable to keep their homicidal urges in 
  check and often ruin their own cover 
  by acting on impulse. Lawful assas-
  sins follow a strict code of who may be 
  killed and when. They despise slaughter 
  for its own sake, and kill only outside a 
  contract when they or their immediate 
  masters are threatened.
  Starting Gold: 5d4 × 10 gp (125 gp)
  Starting Age: As rogue
  Class Features
  All of the following are class features of 
  the assassin.
  Weapon and Armor Proficiency
  You are proficient with all simple weap-
  ons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, 
  shortbow, and short sword. You are 
  proficient with light armor, but not with 
  shields.
  Ambush (Ex)
  You are particularly skilled at striking 
  targets unawares. Whenever you attack 
  a flat-footed opponent, you may add 
  your Intelligence bonus (if any) to your 
  attack and damage rolls. Constructs, 
  elementals, oozes, plants, undead, and 
  creatures immune to critical hits are im-
  mune to this extra damage.
  Contract (Ex)
  As an assassin, you earn income by ac-
  cepting commissions to kill a particular 
  creature or creatures. Whenever you 
  successfully complete a mission for 
  which you were contracted, you earn 
  an amount of money equal to your op-
  ponent’s Challenge Rating minus your 
  class level × 100 gp (minimum 100 gp 
  or the max gold of the community). 
  However, you must enter into a con-
  tract to gain this gold; simply butcher-
  ing commoners will not earn you extra 
  income. To get a contract, you must 
  name a price and then make a special 
  Assassins and Assassins
  The assassin class presented here is intended to replace the assassin prestige class in 
  the DMG, since both classes fill the same niche. This said, the differences between 
  the assassin prestige class and the base class here are enough that you could retain 
  the prestige class in your games. If you do so, it is recommended that you fit the 
  assassin prestige class into a larger organization, such as an elite group of killers 
  trained in sorcery to aid them in their missions.
  Table 1: The Assassin 
   
   
   
   
  Hit Die: d6
   
  Base
   
  Attack Fort 
  Ref 
  Will 
   
   
   
   
  Poison
  Level 
  Bonus Save 
  Save 
  Save 
  Special  
   
   
  Save      
  1 
  +0 
  +2 
  +2 
  +0 
  Ambush, contract, reputation 
  +1
  2 
  +1 
  +3 
  +3 
  +0 
  Backstab +1d6  
   
  +1
  3 
  +2 
  +3 
  +3 
  +1 
  Poison use, tools of the trade 
  +1
  4 
  +3 
  +4 
  +4 
  +1 
  Shadowspawn 
   
   
  +2
  5 
  +3 
  +4 
  +4 
  +1 
  Backstab +2d6, death attack 
  +2
  6 
  +4 
  +5 
  +5 
  +2 
  Uncanny dodge  
   
  +2
  7 
  +5 
  +5 
  +5 
  +2 
  Ruthless, tools of the trade 
  +3
  8 
  +6/+1 +6 
  +6 
  +2 
  Backstab +3d6  
   
  +3
  9 
  +6/+1 +6 
  +6 
  +3 
  Greater poison use, stalker 
  +3
  10 
  +7/+2 +7 
  +7 
  +3 
  Improved ambush, uncanny sniper+4
  11 
  +8/+3 +7 
  +7 
  +3 
  Backstab +4d6, tools of the trade +4
  12 
  +9/+4 +8 
  +8 
  +4 
  Improved uncanny dodge 
  +4
  13 
  +9/+4 +8 
  +8 
  +4 
  Hide in plain sight 
   
  +5
  14   
  +10/+5 +9 
  +9 
  +4 
  Backstab +5d6  
   
  +5
  15    +11/+6/+1 +9 
  +9 
  +5   Poison use mastery, tools of the trade +5
  16    +12/+7/+2 +10 
  +10 
  +5 
  Crippling strike  
   
  +6
  17    +12/+7/+2 +10 
  +10 
  +5 
  Backstab +6d6  
   
  +6
  18    +13/+8/+3 +11 
  +11 
  +6 
  Blindsense 10 ft.  
   
  +6
  19    +14/+9/+4 +11 
  +11 
  +6 
  Shadow strike, tools of the trade +7
  20    +15/+10/+5 +12 
  +12 
  +6 
  Backstab +7d6  
   
  +7
  Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level): Balance, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Disable 
  Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (local), 
  Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Tumble, and Use 
  Rope.
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  22
  Gather Information check adding your 
  reputation (see following) to the roll. 
  This check requires 2d10 days minus 
  the community’s size modifier. The DC 
  depends on the size and alignment of 
  the community, as shown on Table 2: 
  Contracts.
  Even on a successful check, a target 
  worth the price you set may not be 
  available. The GM is the final arbiter 
  of the possible marks and it may take 
  several days before you can track down 
  the target. Once you get a contract and 
  eliminate the mark, you must wait 1d20 
  days minus the community’s size modi-
  fier before you may seek out another.
  Adjudicating Assassinations
  Handling assassinations on the fly can 
  be tricky, requiring you to whip up 
  stat-blocks, locations, and all the other 
  minor details with little or no prepara-
  tion. This may be more than you, as the 
  GM, are willing or able to handle in 
  the middle of a game session. If a player 
  wishes to pick up a “job,” feel free to 
  put off resolving the scenario until the 
  next session when you’re ready to deal 
  with the encounter. As well, you should 
  be aware that the contract ability can 
  give the player more spot-light than you 
  may be comfortable with giving. If this 
  becomes a problem, you can handle 
  such assassination attempts “off-screen” 
  for minor characters with a simple 
  class level check against a DC 10 + the 
  target’s CR, consulting the Assassination 
  Results chart to see what happens.
  Reputation (Ex): Your reputation as a 
  ruthless killer lends you a great deal of 
  street credibility and helps you land the 
  lucrative jobs. At 1st level, you begin 
  with a reputation modifier of 0. Every 
  five levels you attain in this class increas-
  es your reputation by +1. You may apply 
  your reputation modifier on Gather 
  Information checks to find “work.” In 
  addition, you may add your reputation 
  modifier as a competence bonus on your 
  Intimidate checks.
  Poison Save (Ex)
  Your extensive work with poisons and 
  toxins has given you some natural resil-
  ience to their effects. At 1st level, you 
  gain a +1 competence bonus on Forti-
  tude saves against poison. This bonus 
  increases by one at 4th level and every 
  three levels thereafter as indicated on 
  Table 1.
  Backstab
  By catching an oppenent when he can-
  not defend himself effectively, you can 
  strike a vital spot. Your attacks deal extra 
  damage whenever your opponent is de-
  nied his Dexterity bonus to AC (but not 
  when you flank your opponent). This 
  extra damage is 1d6 at 2nd level, and 
  it increases by +1d6 every three levels 
  thereafter. Should you score a critical hit 
  with backstab, this extra damage is not 
  multiplied. Ranged attacks can count as 
  backstabs only if the target is within 30 
  feet.
  With a sap (blackjack) or an un-
  armed strike, you can use backstab to 
  deal nonlethal damage instead of lethal 
  damage.
  Constructs, elementals, oozes, plants, 
  undead, and creatures immune to 
  critical hits are immune to this extra 
  damage. You must be able to see the 
  target well enough to pick out a vital 
  spot and must be able to reach such a 
  spot. You cannot use backstab against 
  a creature with concealment or when 
  striking the limbs of a creature whose 
  vitals are beyond reach.
  Extra damage from backstab stacks 
  with similar types of extra damage in-
  cluding sneak attack damage.
  Poison Use (Ex)
  At 3rd level, you complete your training 
  in a variety of poisons and you are never 
  at risk of accidentally poisoning yourself 
  when applying poison to a weapon.
  Tools of the Trade (Ex)
  On attaining 3rd level, and at every four 
  levels thereafter, you gain a special abil-
  ity of your choice from among the fol-
  lowing options. You may only gain each 
  one once.
  Bonus Languages: You gain fluency in 
  a number of languages equal to your In-
  telligence bonus (minimum 1 language). 
  These languages are in addition to the 
  extra languages you gain for having a 
  Table 2: Contracts
  Community  
  Max. gp 
  Size 
   
  DC  per Job      Modifier
  Thorp  
  50 
  10 gp  
  –1
  Hamlet 
  45 
  25 gp  
  +0
  Village  
  40 
  50 gp  
  +1
  Small town 35 
  200 gp  
  +2
  Large town 30 
  700 gp  
  +3
  Small city 
  25 
  3,500 gp 
  +4
  Large city 
  20 
  10,000 gp 
  +5
  Metropolis 15 
  25,000 gp 
  +6
  Alignment 
  DC Modifier
  Lawful good 
  +15
  Neutral good 
  +10
  Chaotic good 
  +5
  Lawful neutral 
  +10
  Neutral 
   
  +5
  Chaotic neutral 
  +0
  Lawful evil 
  +5
  Neutral evil 
  +0
  Chaotic evil 
  –5
  *Freeport is considered a neutral small city, 
  while Libertyville counts as a chaotic neutral 
  village. Zobeck is a Lawful Neutral city.
  Table 3: Assassination Results
  Check Result Outcome
  Success by 10+ Target eliminated. Assassin gains +1 reputation for 1d6 months.
  Success by 5+ Target eliminated. Assassin gains +1 reputation for 1d4 months.
  Success 
  Target eliminated. Sloppy work.
  Failure  
  Mission failed. Assassin can attempt again, but at a –2 penalty.
  Failure by 5+ Mission botched. Assassin injured, reduced to 50% hit points.
   
   
  Assassin’s reputation suffers a –2 penalty for 1d4 months. May 
   
   
  not try again against same target until reputation improves.
  Failure by 10+ Mission utter failure. Assassin captured and imprisoned. Reputa-
   
   
  tion suffers –4 penalty for 1d6 months. May not try again against
   
    
  same target until reputation improves.
  Natural 1 
  Assassin slain.
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  2
  high Intelligence score.
  Deep Cover: If you spend at least one 
  day preparing a disguise, you gain a +10 
  competence bonus on Disguise check.
  Empower Poison: When crafting a 
  poison, you may increase the poison’s 
  Craft DC by 10 to increase all variable 
  numeric effects by one-half so that the 
  poison deals half again as much initial 
  and secondary damage as it normally 
  would. This tool of the trade does not 
  affect non-variable effects such as blind-
  ness, death, and paralysis.
  Extend Poison: When crafting a 
  poison, you may increase the poison’s 
  Craft DC by 5 to delay the onset of 
  the poison’s initial effects by up to one 
  hour after the target’s initial exposure. 
  You decide the time at the time of the 
  poison’s crafting. This tool of the trade 
  has no effect on the poison’s secondary 
  damage, which occurs one minute later 
  as usual.
  Maximize Poison: When crafting a 
  poison, you may increase the poison’s 
  Craft DC by 20 to modify all of the 
  poison’s variable numeric effects so that 
  the poison deals the maximum possible 
  value. This tool of the trade does not 
  affect non-variable effects such as blind-
  ness, death, and paralysis.
  Poison Focus: Choose one type of 
  poison from any of the following—con-
  tact, ingested, inhaled, or injury. When 
  using a poison of this type, you increase 
  the save DC to resist its initial effects by 
  +1.
  Preternatural Instincts: You may add 
  your Intelligence bonus (if any) as a 
  competence bonus on all initiative 
  checks.
  Quick Change: You may now make a 
  Disguise check in 1d3 × 10 rounds by 
  taking a –5 penalty to the check or in 
  1 round by taking a –20 penalty to the 
  check.
  Quicken Poison: When crafting a 
  poison, you may increase the poison’s 
  Craft DC by 25 to force a target ex-
  posed to the poison to suffer both the 
  initial and secondary effects at the same 
  time. The target is still entitled to a sep-
  arate saving throw to resist both effects.
  Skill Savant: Select one of the assassin 
  class skills. You gain a +5 competence 
  bonus on all checks using that skill.
  Talented Poisoner: When manufactur-
  ing drugs or poison, for every +5 you 
  add to the Craft (poison) check DC, 
  you may increase the save DC by 2.
  Weapon Focus: You gain Weapon 
  Focus as a bonus feat.
  Shadowspawn (Ex)
  You are adept at striking from the 
  shadows, emerging unseen to deliver a 
  deadly blow and then melting back into 
  the darkness. Starting at 4th level, you 
  increase the benefits of concealment 
  derived from low or no illumination 
  by 10%, so that your opponents’ miss 
  chance when attacking you while in an 
  area of shadowy illumination is 30%. 
  In areas of no illumination, the miss 
  chance increases to 60%.
  Death Attack (Ex)
  When you reach 5th level, you have 
  learned how and where to strike an op-
  ponent to kill or paralyze her with a sin-
  gle attack. To use this ability, you must 
  study your victim for 3 rounds and 
  then make a sneak attack with a melee 
  weapon. If the attack deals damage, the 
  sneak attack has the additional effect of 
  possibly either paralyzing or killing the 
  target (your choice). 
  While studying the victim, you can 
  undertake other actions so long as your 
  attention stays focused on the target 
  and the target does not detect you or 
  recognize you as an enemy. If the victim 
  of such an attack fails a Fortitude save 
  (DC 10 + 1/2 your class level + your 
  Int modifier) against the kill effect, she 
  dies. If the saving throw fails against the 
  paralysis effect, the victim is rendered 
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  24
  helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per two 
  class levels. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is 
  just a normal sneak attack. Once you have completed the 3 
  rounds of study, you must make the death attack within the 
  next 3 rounds.
  If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes 
  her save) or if you do not launch the attack within 3 rounds 
  of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required 
  before you can attempt another death attack.
  Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 6th level, you can react to 
  danger before your senses would normally allow you to do so. 
  You retain your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if you are 
  caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, 
  you still lose your Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
  If you already have uncanny dodge, you automatically gain 
  improved uncanny dodge (see below) instead.
  Ruthless (Ex)
  At 7th level, you no longer provoke attacks of opportunity 
  when making coup de grace attacks. You are quick and 
  business-like when snuffing out a foe’s life. In addi-
  tion, you can kill your opponent brutally. This func-
  tions exactly like a normal coup de grace attack, 
  but you provoke attacks of opportunity as normal 
  and the DC to resist this attack increases by 5.
  Greater Poison Use (Ex)
  By 9th level, you have learned to apply poison more 
  quickly to your weapons. You may apply contact or 
  injury poisons to a weapon as a move action. Al-
  ternatively, you may apply these poisons as a swift 
  action, but the save DC to resist these toxins de-
  creases by 5.
  Stalker (Ex)
  Also at 9th level, when hiding and moving 
  more than half but less than full speed, you 
  take no penalty to your Hide checks. When run-
  ning (but not when attacking or charging), the 
  penalty to your Hide checks drops to –10.
  Improved Ambush (Ex)
  Starting at 10th level, you may add your Intelligence bonus 
  (if any) to your attack and damage rolls whenever you flank 
  an opponent as well as when you are attacking a flat-footed 
  opponent. In addition, when making a death attack, you may 
  sacrifice 1d6 points of backstab to increase the save DC to re-
  sist the attack by 2.
  Sniper (Ex)
  Whenever you have successfully hidden from an opponent 
  that’s at least 10 feet away, you can make one ranged attack 
  and then immediately make a Hide check to conceal your 
  position. You take a –10 penalty to this check instead of the 
  normal –20.
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  25
  Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
  At 12th level, you can no longer be 
  flanked. This defense denies another 
  rogue the ability to use sneak attack 
  against you when he flanks you, unless 
  he has at least four more rogue levels 
  than you have assassin levels.
  If you already have uncanny dodge 
  (see above) from another class, you 
  automatically gain improved uncanny 
  dodge instead, and the levels from the 
  classes that grant uncanny dodge stack 
  to determine the minimum rogue level 
  required to flank you.
  Hide in Plain Sight (Ex)
  Beginning at 13th level, you can use the 
  Hide skill even while being observed. As 
  long as you are within 10 feet of some 
  sort of shadow, you may hide yourself 
  from view in the open without having 
  anything to actually hide behind. You 
  cannot hide in your own shadow.
  Poison Use Mastery (Ex)
  At 15th level, you may apply poison to a 
  weapon as a swift action without reduc-
  ing the poison’s save DC. In addition, 
  if you spend a standard action to apply 
  poison to a weapon, the weapon retains 
  its virulence for two successful hits or 
  two touches.
  Crippling Strike (Ex)
  Starting at 16th level, you can sneak at-
  tack opponents with such precision that 
  your blows weaken and hamper them.
  An opponent damaged by one of 
  your sneak attacks also takes 2 points of 
  Strength damage. Ability points lost to 
  damage return on their own at the rate 
  of 1 point per day for each damaged 
  ability.
  Blindsense (Ex)
  On attaining 18th level, your senses be-
  come so acute that you can now notice 
  things you cannot see. You usually do 
  not need to make Spot or Listen checks 
  to pinpoint the location of a creature 
  within range of your blindsense ability, 
  provided you have line of effect to that 
  creature. 
  Any opponent you cannot see still 
  has total concealment against you, and 
  you still has the normal miss chance 
  when attacking foes that have conceal-
  ment. Visibility still affects your move-
  ment. You are still denied your Dexter-
  ity bonus to Armor Class against attacks 
  from creatures you cannot see.
  Shadow Strike (Ex)
  Finally, at 19th level, whenever you suc-
  cessfully kill, disable, or reduce an oppo-
  nent’s hit points below 0, you may make 
  a Hide check as a swift action and move 
  up to 10 feet in any direction. To use 
  this ability, you must be within 10 feet 
  of a shadow. As with hide in plain sight, 
  you cannot hide in your own shadow.
  <
  Rule as the 
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  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  26
  Ask the Kobold
  Ask the Kobold
  Miss Chances and Design Strategies
  by Skip Williams
  Skip Williams is a co-author of 3rd Edi-
  tion and the author of the world’s lon-
  gest-running rules advice column. We are 
  delighted to welcome him to the pages of 
  KQ. If you have a question for the kobold, 
  send it to yesage@aol.com. We’ll share the 
  most relevant or interesting ones here.
  Why does concealment, with its as-
  sociated miss-chance, use a different 
  mechanic (that is, a percentage chance 
  rolled with percentile dice) than the 
  core combat mechanic (that is, 1d20 
  with a bonus or penalty)?
  Would there be anything wrong 
  with converting the percentage miss 
  chance into an equivalent bonus to the 
  target’s Armor Class? For example, a 
  20% miss chance might become +4 
  bonus to Armor Class for the target.
  A miss chance represents a situation in 
  which an attacker faces some extra dif-
  ficulty or stumbling block for which the 
  attacker’s skill just can’t compensate. A 
  miss chance gives virtually every attacker 
  the same chance for an outright miss. 
  Characters who manage to overcome 
  the miss chance are allowed attack rolls.
  While there’s nothing wrong with 
  replacing a miss chance with an attack 
  roll penalty or Armor Class bonus, you 
  would no longer simulate the same kind 
  of situation. A sufficient amount of skill 
  (as represented by the attacker’s attack 
  bonus) always could render the increase 
  in difficulty moot. And in any case vet-
  eran characters would be less likely to 
  miss than neophytes would. 
  This question touches on a brief, 
  but fairly intense debate that occurred 
  during the design process. Check out 
  the sidebar for the details.
  The SRD says that Charisma mea-
  sures a character’s force of personality, 
  persuasiveness, personal magnetism, 
  ability to lead, and physical attractive-
  ness. It also says Charisma represents 
  strength of personality, not merely how 
  others perceive one in a social setting.
  Why then are dwarves, half-orcs and 
  myriad monsters shackled with Cha-
  risma penalties?
  I would not argue that traditional 
  dwarves, for instance, are lacking in 
  this department. They are a driven race, 
  hardly something that begets weak 
  personalities.
  Every race responds differently to 
  persuasion. A human might find a 
  smooth tongue or a warm personality 
  persuasive, but a tiefling might respond 
  better to a swift kick in the pants. 
  Among humans, the tiefling might not 
  be very persuasive, but when interact-
  ing with others of his kind, the tiefling 
  might have a distinct advantage.
  Any Charisma penalty translates 
  into a penalty to the character’s Leader-
  ship score. Why would a dwarf make 
  a poor leader? I’m sure there are races 
  (the drow come to mind) where a pen-
  alty might be applicable, even among 
  their own kind. But a blanket reduc-
  tion makes no sense.
  I’m ignoring the reference to physi-
  cal attractiveness, since it just makes no 
  sense.
  Things get worse when you consider 
  Charisma’s effect on sorcery and on a 
  cleric’s ability to turn undead. It comes 
  down to this—Charisma affects too 
  many aspects of a character’s abilities. 
  It needs to be retooled. Do you agree?
  I don’t agree that Charisma has too big 
  an effect on characters or on play. Un-
  less you have a character with a class 
  that depends on it (such as a sorcerer or 
  paladin), Charisma is your dump stat. 
  That is, your lowest score usually goes 
  into Charisma. That suggests to me that 
  Charisma doesn’t have enough impact 
  on the game.
  I think Charisma belongs in the 
  game. As things stand now, a character’s 
  mental makeup has three parts, just 
  as the character’s physical makeup has 
  three parts. You’ll note that I’m treating 
  Charisma strictly as a mental stat. Physi-
  cal attractiveness seems to have been 
  lumped into Charisma simply because it 
  won’t fit anywhere else.
  In any case, pairing force or personal-
  ity to the ability to channel magic or 
  divine power seems like a natural to me. 
  (If your personality is weak you ought 
  not to be so good and projecting or 
  shaping magical energies.)
  As for the racial list, first consider tra-
  dition. Literature and myth (at least in 
  Western tradition) have always depicted 
  dwarves as gruff and off-putting or 
  worse. The socially dysfunctional group 
  of dwarves presented in the Disney 
  movie Snow White certainly helped 
  cement that notion in most people’s 
  minds. Half-orcs have always been just 
  plain hard to abide.
  Also keep in mind that a deficit in 
  any area of Charisma tanks the whole 
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  27
  score. In the case of dwarves, they lose 
  out in persuasiveness (most dwarves 
  don’t bother to persuade, they hold their 
  truths to be self-evident) and personal 
  magnetism (same basic problem, some 
  folks might find dwarves endearing, but 
  aren’t really attracted to them). I’d agree 
  that dwarves are driven, but that doesn’t 
  help their Charisma scores—nobody 
  likes a workaholic.
  Half-orcs are just plain all over crude. 
  They have an animalistic nature that’s 
  off-putting.
  In either case, the character’s asym-
  metrical personality lacks strength and 
  force, persuasiveness, or the power to 
  manipulate magical forces in the same 
  way that a lopsided pitcher proves hard 
  to use.
  You, might, however, give a small 
  bonus (say +2) on interaction checks 
  involving characters of your own race. 
  This would include Bluff, Diplomacy, 
  and Gather Information checks. Once 
  upon a time, the game included a big 
  table of racial preferences that provided 
  a big range of interactions modifiers. 
  Humans, elves (except drow), and 
  half-elves did the best there. Drow and 
  half-orcs did the worst. You could recre-
  ate that table to bring a whole range of 
  modifiers into play, say as much as +4 
  on interaction checks for members of 
  preferred races and as much as –4 for 
  interactions with hated races.
  <
  The Secret History 
  of Miss Chances
  The debate over an extra mechanic 
  for just plain missing with your attack 
  became quite heated at one point, and 
  the idea was not guaranteed a place in 
  the core rules. Here’s the “thought ex-
  periment” that convinced us that the 
  game needed such a mechanic:
  Suppose you’re traipsing through 
  the fields one day and Robin Hood 
  starts shooting at you. Robin Hood, 
  you may recall, is deadliest archer 
  merry olde England. In the tradi-
  tional legend, Robin was able to split a 
  willow wand in half at 300 paces, and 
  that was with a wind blowing. In a 
  more popular version of the tale (with 
  Errol Flynn playing the sharp shooting 
  archer in a movie), Robin aimed his 
  shot so precisely that it split another 
  arrow which already had made a per-
  fect bull’s-eye in a target. Clearly, this 
  is a fellow whose arrows land where he 
  aims them.
  Knowing all that, where would 
  you hide from Robin’s arrows? You 
  have two choices: behind a stone wall 
  or in a bank of pea-soup fog. Obvi-
  ously, you’d pick the wall if it covered 
  you from head to toe. It’s tough for 
  even Robin Hood to drill through a 
  stone wall with an arrow. But sup-
  pose this wall was only chest high and 
  you didn’t have time to duck down 
  behind it? Does the fog bank seem like 
  a better bet? After some discussion, 
  the designers chose the fog bank. Here’s 
  why:
  Our friend Robin Hood has a talent 
  for hitting even very small targets at 
  even great distances, provided that he 
  can account for all the variables in-
  volved. In that case, he’s likely to hit you 
  if you have even one eye exposed. In 
  short, no matter how difficult you make 
  the shot, say –12 or even –20 for nearly 
  total cover, Robin is skillful enough to 
  shoot you anyway.
  The fog, however, is a real equalizer. 
  Robin’s arrows go where he aims them, 
  so the best defense is to make sure he 
  can’t aim properly. Even if you’re wear-
  ing a cowbell, so that Robin can hear it 
  and guess about where you are, he still 
  doesn’t know which way you’re facing or 
  even if you’re standing or sitting. When 
  shooting into an opaque fog, even the 
  vaunted Robin Hood must trust to luck.
  So, the miss chance was born. It 
  represents any condition where sheer 
  chance takes the upper hand and skill 
  takes a back seat. Robin, no doubt, has 
  a wealth of experience when shooting 
  in bad conditions, and might well know 
  just how to shoot that arrow so that it 
  hits something, whereas a novice archer 
  just shoots and hopes. That’s covered 
  by the attack roll Robin gets to make if, 
  through good fortune, he overcomes the 
  miss chance.
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  28
  Ecology 
  of the 
  a
  grey shadow darts from tree 
  to tree, and low snarls echo          
   softly through the snow-
  laden forest. No tracks mar the white 
  shroud of freshly fallen snow, but  
  fiery eyes burn in the misty woods: 
  Barghests. Vicious fiends in the guise 
  of worgs, their appearance spells 
  doom to onlookers.
  These wolfish monsters run 
  through glades leaving no trail for 
  the ranger to track. By taking the 
  form of simple goblins, these sinis-
  ter shapechangers mask their darker 
  nature and prey on the unwary. They 
  appear by magic, terrorize their foes, 
  and then gorge themselves on flesh 
  ripe with the taste of fear. Once both 
  flesh and souls are devoured, the bar-
  ghests vanish into the night. 
  With every victim they devour, 
  their infernal power grows. 
  Myths and Origins
  In a time before men immortalized 
  their deeds with written word, when the 
  shape of the planes were less well de-
  fined, the first barghests came into exis-
  tence. Great goblin kings of old served 
  abominations of Gehenna with more 
  than just their swords and strength; they 
  also mixed their blood with worg pack-
  lords, creating the potent bond between 
  the two species. 
  These mixed-blood outsiders were the 
  first barghests, great overmasters of the 
  goblin and worg races who cut a swath 
  of carnage and terror across the planes. 
  Their hunger could not be slaked, and 
  entire races were erased from existence, 
  devoured in their entirety by great packs 
  of demon-dogs and leaving behind 
  nothing but stones.
  Many of Gehenna’s native species 
  were culled, and the barghests’ glut-
  tony brought them victory after victory. 
  Planar travelers returned with tales of 
  vast realms, emptied of all inhabit-
  ants, whose entire civilizations fed the 
  barghest overlords of old. The carnage 
  the barghests wrought was well known 
  among demons, angels, and the great 
  races of the multiverse, and the sight of 
  a barghest became synonymous with 
  desolation and death. Even to this day, 
  they remain a horrific portent of doom 
  to all unfortunate enough to meet one.  
  Their ravenous appetite was their 
  undoing. With nothing left to eat, the 
  great barghest packs turned on one an-
  other. The barghests devoured enemies, 
  allies and kin alike in a brutal civil war, 
  a time called the Bitter Feast. 
  Many packs fled the planes, and 
  others were forced to make alliances 
  with other powerful entities and organi-
  zations to survive. These barghests made 
  dark compacts, binding themselves to 
  other powers to avoid enslavement at 
  the hands of devil princes and demon 
  lords. Some even swore service to 
  powerful mortal warlocks and wizards 
  among House Stross, or to the undead 
  Looks like a goblin. 
  Kills like a fiend.
  By Nicolas Logue
  Art by John Carimando  
  Barghest
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  29
  princes of Morgau. 
  During this hungry war of attrition, 
  their goblin and worg minions fled 
  their masters’ sides, most ending up in 
  the Prime Material Plane. Many goblin 
  clans still worship their “dark ancestors.” 
  Most goblin tribes and worg packs pay 
  homage to patron spirits in the form of 
  their ancient kings – the first barghests, 
  including Tordaccan the Vile and Mis-
  trokesh, the Ravening King. 
  For this reason, few goblinoids and 
  worgs can resist the call of a barghest, 
  and often bow down in servitude to 
  these fiends when they appear. Fewer in 
  number now, most of the remaining un-
  bound barghests hide from their many 
  enemies. Rather than lording it over the 
  planes, they appear only rarely to herald 
  death and feast on souls. 
  Physiology
  Barghests are shapechangers able to as-
  sume two forms: that of a larger speci-
  men of goblin, or a wolf with a feral hu-
  manoid visage. These two guises allow 
  a barghest to infiltrate groups of either 
  wolves or goblins, catching the party off 
  guard and unprepared to face so formi-
  dable a foe. A few telling differences can 
  save a group of heroes’ lives. In gobli-
  noid form, barghests have a stronger 
  build than mundane goblins, and a dis-
  tinct shade of skin. Young barghests in 
  humanoid form have the greenish skin 
  of their goblin relations, but as they age, 
  their skin darkens to a deep blue. 
  In wolf form, barghests resemble 
  wolves physically. However, they are 
  much more aggressive, and they retain 
  vaguely humanoid faces. In either form, 
  the creature’s eyes glow with a hellish 
  red fire, especially when they are excited 
  at the prospect of a kill. 
  A greater barghest is easy to distin-
  guish from its brethren. In humanoid 
  form the greater barghests are much 
  larger than any goblin, standing around 
  eight feet tall. They often weigh over 
  500 pounds, and run to fat. 
  While young, barghests stay in their 
  hybrid, goblin form most of the time. 
  Whelps in this form appear no different 
  from a common goblin; wolvish features 
  appear only after the age of 10, when 
  young goblins go on their first raids.
  A fiendish patron or pack leader 
  often leaves a young barghest with a 
  community of goblins to foster the 
  child. A barghest typically does this by 
  stealth. To make room, the fiend de-
  vours a young goblin and leaves its own 
  pup to be raised by the goblin family; 
  goblin mothers are either enchanted or 
  intimidated into accepting the child as 
  their own. T
  The whelp grows normally until 
  around age 10 or 11, when it develops 
  into a hideous monstrosity with the 
  body of a wolf, a goblin-like face and 
  long cruel-taloned hands growing from 
  its forelimbs. At this time the whelp 
  discovers its infernal abilities, and rarely 
  hesitates to devour its foster guardians. 
  The young barghest’s hunger also grows 
  unnatural at this age; it can eat without 
  pause for hours or even days.
  Barghests are eating machines. Their 
  fiendish anatomy is suited to their 
  ravenous appetites, and it allows them 
  to devour foes in their entirety. To do 
  so, the jaws of a barghest open wider 
  than any wolf’s, to reveal a gaping maw 
  is filled with row after row of razored 
  Knowledge of the Barghest
  Characters with ranks in Knowledge (the Planes) can learn more 
  about the barghest. When a character makes a successful skill 
  check, reveal the following lore, including the information from 
  lower DCs. 
  DC      Result  
   
   
   
  10  
  Barghests are evil wolfish creatures whose appearance is said to bring
                   death or ill luck. 
  15  
  Barghests are shapechangers who can assume either goblin or wolf       
                   form. They live on a distant plane of war.
  20 
  Barghests have powerful spell-like abilities, and the greater barghests 
                    are much more powerful than lesser barghests. Both are difficult to
                    harm without magical weapons. The PC can also identify a 
                    barghest in natural wolf-goblin form, though not in goblin form.
  25  
  Barghests grow in power by consuming the bodies of their foes; lesser
                    barghests may become greater barghests this way. Barghests can
                   pass without trace, and are often sent to the Material Plane in 
                   hunting packs to hunt victims and gain power. These victims must
                   be weaker (less HD) than the barghest.
  30  
  The PC is familiar with all the specific spell-like abilities of barghests
                   and greater barghests and can distinguish a barghest from a goblin
                   or wolf even at maximum Spot range.
  teeth. These triangular fangs are per-
  fect for flensing muscle and crunching 
  bones. With its unhinged jaw, a bar-
  ghest can consume a humanoid victim 
  in a matter of seconds (typically, 1 full 
  round action is all that is required). 
  A barghest absorbs the essence of 
  its devoured foe, fueling itself with 
  the souls of their victims. Particularly 
  potent barghests absorb their prey’s 
  souls into their own, trapping their 
  spirit for all eternity, unless the barghest 
  who consumed them is slain. The sight 
  of a barghest feeding is disturbing, 
  both in its speed and its intensity. Even 
  seasoned veterans have been known to 
  flee in terror at the grisly sight, and the 
  bone-gnashing cacophony, of a barghest 
  devouring human prey. 
  If forced to flee from barghests or 
  even goblins, wise adventurers do not 
  leave any wounded or fallen comrades 
  behind. They will be devoured, making 
  it difficult to return them to life. In the 
  case of a barghest this happens quickly, 
  but goblins following barghest custom 
  often consume foes as well, as a tradi-
  tion with roots in barghest feasting. 
  In either case, a comrade’s body is 
  completely consumed. Raise dead spells 
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  0
  will not restore them and their fellow 
  adventurers are forced to resurrect them. 
  When faced with a barghest with the 
  Soul Feed feat, even this is impossible. 
  Psychology and Society
  Barghest society is hierarchal and or-
  ganized into packs. This stratification 
  stemmed the feeding frenzy that culled 
  so many of them during the Bitter Feast. 
  Pack lords oversee every barghest pack; 
  these are greater barghests of extreme 
  power who require utter subservience 
  from they lead. Pack lords rule through 
  fear and are watchful of their charges. 
  They make examples of agitators by de-
  vouring them in full view of the others.
  A barghest’s only means of advance-
  ment is to kill and consume its superior. 
  These cruel monsters have no sense of 
  family, loyalty, or compassion. Barghests 
  do not hesitate to devour their own 
  young if they feel the children are a 
  threat to their power.
  The greatest rite of passage for young 
  barghests is the transformation to great-
  er barghest. Elders place several whelps 
  into loose hunting parties and send 
  them to the Material Plane to engage 
  in the Great Hunt. One or more of the 
  pups will consume enough victims to 
  make the transition to greater barghest. 
  The strongest or most cunning barghest 
  proves itself and dominates the group. 
  Its commanding position becomes 
  permanent when it becomes a greater 
  barghest. It then forces the rest of the 
  barghests to do its hunting and bring 
  suitable victims for it to consume.
  Lazy by nature, barghests retain min-
  ions to serve their needs. They make 
  good use of their charm monster ability 
  to secure human, goblin, or even ogre 
  servants who can find meals for them 
  or investigate an area’s power structure 
  without attracting undue attention.
  Barghests on the Material Plane are 
  known to subjugate entire tribes or even 
  nations of goblins to serve them, claim-
  ing to be deities or powerful heroes of 
  legend in order to gain their loyalty. If 
  this fails, the barghest simply devours 
  the tribal elders and assumes control. 
  Whether through force or guile, once 
  the barghest has control of a tribe it uses 
  its goblin pawns as fodder, forcing them 
  to track down and waylay individuals 
  powerful enough for the fiend to feed 
  off. Barghests are often responsible for 
  unexplained disappearances. When 
  adventurers investigate a rash of bizarre 
  kidnappings and goblinoids are in-
  volved, they should be wary of possible 
  barghest activity. 
  Barghests hiding among goblins or 
  worgs sacrifice many of their minions 
  simply to lure a party of adventurers 
  into a false sense of security. Once the 
  heroes are certain they are facing a pa-
  thetic rabble of goblins and worgs, the 
  fiends pounce. The barghests often use 
  invisibility to observe the fray, and when 
  the party is sufficiently weakened by 
  their minions’ onslaught, the slavering 
  fiends close in for the kill. 
  Barghest Feats
  Soul Feed [Monster]
  By devouring a foe, you absorb their 
  very soul into your being, feeding off 
  their spirit as well as their flesh.
  Prerequisites: Greater Barghest, gained 
  at least 3 HD through feeding.
  Benefit: When you feed on an oppo-
  nent, their soul is trapped in your own 
  spirit, and the victim cannot be resur-
  rected unless you are first slain. If the 
  victim’s hit dice are equal to or greater 
  than your own, you immediately gain a 
  death knell spell-like ability. These bene-
  fits are in addition to the normal results 
  of the Feed ability.
  Portent of Doom [Monster]
  The sight of you speeds onlookers to-
  wards their doom. 
  Prerequisites: Greater Barghest or 10 
  ranks in Intimidate.
  Benefit: Anyone who beholds you must 
  immediately make a Will save (DC 
  equal to 10 plus ½ your hit dice plus 
  Charisma modifier). If they succeed, 
  they are immune to this power for 1 
  day. If they fail, they immediately feel 
  death’s claws tearing their soul from 
  their body, becoming shaken for 1 
  round. In addition, the next time they 
  make a saving throw vs. a death effect, 
  they must roll twice and take the lower 
  of the two results. 
   
  Harbinger of Death [Monster]
  The blood of your ancestors flows strong 
  in you. Where you lead death follows, 
  and you terrorize foes.
  Prerequisites: Greater Barghest, Portent 
  of Doom, 20 Cha, must have advanced 
  5 HD by feeding.
  Benefit: You add the following spell-like 
  abilities to your list:
  At will—deathwatch, doom.
  1/day—death ward, nightmare, slay 
  living.
  Howl of the Worg King [Monster]
  Your fearsome howl inspires fear in foes 
  and calls worgs to your defense.
  Prerequisite: Barghest.
  Benefit: While in wolf-like form, as 
  a standard action, you may raise your 
  head high and howl fiercely into the 
  night. Any foe within 60 feet must im-
  mediately make a Will save (DC equals 
  10 plus half your Hit Dice plus your 
  Charisma modifier) or become shaken 
  for 1d4 rounds. 
  All worgs within 1 mile hear this call 
  and must make the same Will save or 
  travel to your side by the fastest pos-
  sible route to defend you against your 
  enemies. Worg allies who hear the howl 
  gain +2 to attack, damage, and saving 
  throws until the encounter ends. 
  History of the Barghest
  The myth of the barghest originated in 
  England, most notably in Yorkshire, though 
  legends of black dogs of death, and spectral 
  hounds exist in several cultures the world 
  over. The word’s origin may be derivative of 
  north England’s pronunciation of the word 
  ghost as guest, naming this ghostly black 
  dog as a burg-guest (town ghost). It may also 
  sprout from the German berg-geist (moun-
  tain ghost) or Bar-geist (bear ghost) in allu-
  sion to its alleged appearance as a bear. 
  Britain is rife with these death dealing 
  fiendish goblin-dogs, and the barghest of 
  York is joined by the Demon of Tedworth, 
  the Black Dog of Winchester, the Lancashire 
  Striker, and the Padfoot of Wakefield. In 
  each case this large, usually black, wolf or 
  dog with huge fangs and claws is a reputed 
  omen of death and ill luck. 
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  1
  In Jersey folklore, the Black Dog of Death is a phantom whose 
  appearance presages storms. Smugglers may have spread the story 
  to discourage people from leaving their homes at night and wit-
  nessing illegal transport of contraband. 
  The barghest makes an appearance in several works of litera-
  ture, most notably in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous 
  Sherlock Homes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles, the supposed 
  phantom dog of which is no doubt is inspired by barghest tales. 
  The “Grim” of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, is a nod 
  at England’s classic ominous ghost-dog tale. Sirius Black trans-
  forms into a black dog and is named for one; his nickname just 
  happens to be Padfoot (of Wakefield perhaps?). 
  Greater Barghest: Vralgor Szarn
  Vralgor rose to power by ambushing and consuming a pow-
  erful priest and his paladin guards during a Great Hunt. 
  Vralgor moved the hunting party into the sewers below the 
  Free City of Zobeck. Now Vralgor and his lessers feed on 
  the city folk at their leisure. 
  The greater barghest curtails any threat to his position 
  as pack leader by devouring lesser barghests. Vralgor has 
  charmed the guildsmaster of a small rogue’s guild, and he 
  uses the rogues as his private spy network. With plenty of 
  victims delivered to his waiting maw, Vralgor grown too 
  huge to leave the sewer tunnels without using his dimension 
  door ability. His ring of x-ray vision helps him keep tabs on 
  the streets above.  
   
  VRALGOR SZARN                     CR 10
  Male advanced greater barghest rogue 2
  CE Medium humanoid (shapechanger)
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent, Listen +27, Spot +27
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Giant, Goblin, Infernal, Worg
  AC 23, touch 9, flat-footed 21
  hp 205 (17 HD); DR 5/magic, evasion
  Fort +16, Ref +14, Will +16 
  Spd 40 ft. 
  Melee +27 large adamantine greatsword (3d6+20/19-20) and 
  +23 bite (2d6+4), or +25 bite (2d6+9) and 2 claws +23 (1d8+4)
  Base Atk +16; Grp +29
  Atk Options feed, Harbinger of Death, Improved Sunder, 
  Portent of Doom (DC 26), Power Attack, sneak attack +1d6, 
  Soul Feed
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 17): 
  At will—blink, deathwatch, doom (DC 19), invisibility sphere,
        levitate, misdirection (DC 20), rage (DC 21)
  1/day—charm monster (DC 22), crushing despair (DC 22),
       death ward, dimension door, mass bull’s strength, mass
       enlarge, nightmare (DC 23), slay living (DC 23)
  Abilities Str 29, Dex 14, Con 24, Int 22, Wis 24, Cha 26
  SQ alternate form, trapfinding
  Feats Harbinger of Death, Improved Sunder, Multiattack, 
  Portent of Doom, Power Attack, Soul Feed
  Skills Bluff +28, Climb +19, Concentration +25, Diplomacy +22, 
  Disguise +18 (+20 acting), Hide +18, Intimidate +30, Jump +23, 
  Listen +27, Move Silently +22, Sense Motive +27, Spot +27, 
  Survival +20, Swim +19, Tumble +19
  Possessions +2 large adamantine greatsword, +3 amulet of 
  mighty fists, +4 bracers of armor, minor cloak of displacement, 
  ring of x-ray vision, a human skull studded with sapphires 
  (1,200 gp), map of Zobeck tunnels and town above, sack with 
  235 gp.
  <
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  2
  E
  ven experienced gamers 
  can find it challenging to 
  create vivid characters, 
  the kind that everyone 
  talks about. Most gamers are imaginative 
  and full of interesting ideas, but sometimes 
  when you sit down at the table you aren’t 
  sure exactly what to do. You may have 
  trouble making the character in your imagi-
  nation come alive for everyone else. You 
  may just want to play a variation from your 
  usual PC.
  Some players are blessed with more 
  charisma and acting skills than others, but 
  you don’t need those talents to create and 
  portray a memorable character, a character 
  that others will talk about. If you find your-
  self struggling to shine in your games, here’s 
  how to bring your characters to life. 
   
  The Outside-In Approach
  Kale Dranor was born ase the vessel of a 
  dark and terrible god. His parents were 
  chosen for their beauty and power. His 
  birth coincided with the alignment of the 
  proper stars. But on the night of his unholy 
  baptism, agents of the King’s Watch at-
  tacked the cult. All the adults were killed, 
  but the small nameless child was given 
  to the Tirenian monks. The monks raised 
  him in their orphanage, unaware of his 
  sinister origins. Under their watchful 
  eyes Kale reached adolescence and showed 
  amazing skill in unarmed combat and 
  surpassing insight into the path of lotus 
  wisdom. A true prodigy, he joined the 
  order at age 17 and showed great promise 
  as a warrior against the forces of darkness.
  What we have here is an interesting and 
  dramatic back story for a new character. 
  It has plenty of intrigue and mystery. It 
  grounds the character in the gameworld, 
  and it has that cool factor. Unfortunately, it 
  doesn’t tell you what Kale Dranor is like as 
  a person. We don’t know how he behaves, 
  what his motivations are, or what he does 
  on a day to day basis.
  Many role players start the character 
  building process by creating a back story 
  like this. It’s a useful tool for the DM to 
  work them into the story and to spark their 
  imagination. It can also help you decide on 
  your character’s basic personality, but it is 
  not exactly direct. For instance, Kale Dranor 
  could be harboring an evil god and unwit-
  tingly doing its bidding. He could be evil 
  and simply fooling everyone. He may have 
  no taint at all and simply has nightmares of 
  his birth. He may have a split personality. 
  The story itself doesn’t really tell us who he 
  is, only offers possibilities. 
  When you meet someone for the first 
  time, be it in real life or in a story, you don’t 
  know their life history. What you experience 
  is their general appearance, mannerisms, 
  and whatever they talk about. If you were 
  to later describe them you would pick out 
  their most distinguishing and unusual fea-
  tures, the things that make them distinct. If 
  asked to imitate them you might adopt their 
  posture, mimic their accent, and cover their 
  topics of conversation.
  The outside in approach to character 
  building starts with first impressions and 
  then works inward from there. You decide 
  how your character behaves in the most 
  common situations rather than focusing 
  only on dramatic moments. From there you 
  can easily add layers of nuance as you play 
  the game and discover how your basic per-
  sonality interacts with the unfolding story to 
  become a rich and lively character that you 
  and others will remember.
  Start with a Theme
  Much like good art, a good character has an 
  overall theme or central idea they embody. 
  It can be almost anything, but a good theme 
  can be summed up in very few words. 
  Themes can come from the character’s role 
  in the party, an emotion, a philosophy, an 
  image, and so on. 
  If you are stumped, just pick a compel-
  ling word and think about what it means to 
  you. This is the starting point for your char-
  acter and will guide you when making fur-
  ther decisions. Once you have a theme se-
  lected, write it down in big letters to remind 
  you where you are going if you get lost.
  Sample Themes: The loner, hope, bas-
  tion of law, the innocent, lust for power, 
  quest for truth, party girl, big dumb fighter, 
  indestructible, hero, lost and confused, re-
  venge, passion, money, hunting, harmony, 
  growing old, glory, responsibility, decent 
  into madness, finding purpose, underdog, 
  guilt, darkness, duty, fire, hairy, Jack Nicol-
  son, friendship, stuttering, cats, cooking 
   
  Establish your Appearance
  Generally the first thing you do in a game 
  is describe what your character looks like. 
  Imagining their appearance connects you 
  to who they are. Because role playing is a 
  game of language, words are a good place to 
  From the 
  Outside in, 
  Creating 
  Vibrant Characters
  by Sigfried Trent
  Art by Shelly Baur
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  
  start. Pick some simple adjectives that de-
  scribe your character and mix them with the 
  nouns for your sex, race, and class. 
  For instance, “Rake is a tall, athletic 
  young man with broad shoulders, dark hair 
  and a sinister smile.” You don’t need to go 
  into great detail, your mind will automati-
  cally sketch out an mental image based on 
  your description. Words like “young” and 
  “sinister” imply a range of ideas and details 
  without the need to specify them.
  Once you have the broad strokes of your 
  character’s appearance, come up with a few 
  features that really stand out. These will set 
  you apart from every other party member 
  and serve as an icon for your character. 
  Mention these when describing what the 
  character looks like, and remember that the 
  character may be proud of these features or 
  may be self-conscious about them.
  Sample Features: Big nose, limp, nearly 
  bald, prominent tattoo, unusual piercing, 
  square jaw, huge braided beard, runny nose, 
  especially fat, bony fingers, bug eyes, large 
  breasts, mono-colored clothing, strange hat, 
  bad hygiene, unusual armor, pouty lips, un-
  usual hair color, huge feet, prominent scar. 
   
  Consider Motivations
  A big part of who you are is what you do. 
  Motivations are possibly your most impor-
  tant consideration. Every action your char-
  acter takes is driven by some motivation. 
  One of the big differences between playing 
  and role playing is acting on your character’s 
  motivations rather than your own. If you 
  find yourself wondering what to do in the 
  game, consider what your character wants 
  and how they can go about getting it.
  Motivations can range from very specific 
  goals, to very broad attitudes. Both types 
  are extremely helpful when portraying your 
  character. Be sure to record your motiva-
  tions on your character sheet to remind you 
  any time you feel directionless. Just pick one 
  of them and try to satisfy it in the current 
  situation. While motivations can change as 
  you play, select a few to start the game with.
  Sample Motives: Become rich, find a 
  wife, avoid working hard, achieve fame, 
  make the world better, eat tasty food, dis-
  cover a new species, learn about the world, 
  change your profession, get more sleep, 
  learn to paint, make people laugh, get at-
  tention, be desired, get revenge, live forever, 
  buy clothes, help others, become closer to 
  god, stay in control
   
  Talking the Talk
  Accents and voices are often the first things 
  people think about when portraying a char-
  acter. While they can add flavor, they are 
  far from essential. It is better to simply tell 
  everyone your character speaks in a high 
  lilting voice than to do a bad job portraying 
  it. Players can easily imagine the voice you 
  describe so long as you remind them from 
  time to time. If you can pull off a consistent 
  voice or accent it can be a lot of fun, but it 
  is usually best to stick to ones you are well 
  practiced at.
  What your character says is at least as 
  important as how they say it. Nothing es-
  tablishes a character quite so well as dialog. 
  You need not speak word for word as your 
  character if you find it difficult to invent 
  dialog on the fly. You can simply say that 
  your character says something. For instance 
  you might say, “Grognar insults the king’s 
  mother by comparing her to various herd 
  animals.” Everyone can imagine how that 
  sounds without actually hearing the words.
  People often repeat themselves or use 
  specific words in conversation. Coming up 
  with a catch phrase, favorite word, subject, 
  or story can help define your character for 
  others. You might want to practice this a 
  little. Start talking about any subject and 
  work in your word or phrase as much as you 
  can without sounding like a broken record. 
  If you have a favorite subject, try to 
  introduce it whenever something even re-
  motely related comes up in the game. When 
  other players groan or tease you about your 
  character’s obsessions, you know you have 
  made an impression with your character.
  Finding your Quirks
  Everyone has unusual behaviors that set 
  them apart. Coming up with a few character 
  quirks can help define your character and 
  make them unique. A good quirk strikes a 
  balance between being unusual and being 
  relevant. If a quirk is too obscure you might 
  never use it, but if it is too mundane it 
  won’t stand out. Contrast is a powerful tool 
  here;  you might benefit by finding a quirk 
  that goes against your character’s theme. 
  For instance, your character may be very 
  sophisticated and well-mannered but has a 
  bad habit of spilling his drinks at the table. 
  Don’t go overboard with these. Start with 
  just one or two and develop new ones based 
  on things events during the game.
  Sample Quirks: Stares, must use the 
  bathroom often, takes notes, hates a certain 
  food, whistles in combat, has an imaginary 
  friend, grunts, likes to smell things, con-
  stantly cleans his gear, hugs people, steals 
  small things, collects stones, likes reading, 
  hates cats, loves horses, forgets names.
  Putting It All Together
  Using this “outside in” method you can 
  quickly create memorable characters that are 
  easy to play. Here is a quick example of a 
  new character.
  Theme: Innocent youth
  Appearance: A strapping teenage lad with 
  messy red hair and freckles. He seems a bit 
  awkward, as if still getting used to his grow-
  ing body.
  Motivations: Always eager to prove himself, 
  especially to women. He wants people to 
  think he is an adult. He is tempted by “for-
  bidden fruit.”
  Speech: He says “umm” a lot when asked 
  questions. He says “did you see that?” when 
  he is successful at something. He likes tell-
  ing stories about his baby sister Angelica. He 
  tends to pick up on words his companions 
  use, but uses them out of context.
  Quirks: Sings himself to sleep, doesn’t trust 
  bards, yawns a lot when others are talking.
  Final Thoughts
  Don’t be afraid to borrow ideas from your 
  favorite actors, literary characters, or even 
  your real life friends and acquaintances. 
  These are excellent starting points and you 
  can simply mix and match interesting traits. 
  The key is to not get too hung up on de-
  tails and minutia. Remember that a couple 
  of simple words can be far more defining 
  than a whole bunch of detailed description. 
  It is often much easier and more effective 
  to simply say you “look sad” than describe 
  exactly how and why you look sad. Don’t 
  be afraid to let your own personality infect 
  your character; that can add a lot of depth 
  to them. Just remember your character’s 
  stated motivations at all times during the 
  game, and it should keep you on track.
  <
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  4
  The Bonded Weapon
  In place of her celestial mount, a pala-
  din may undertake a ritual to strike a 
  holy bond between her soul and her 
  weapon of choice. This bond grows as 
  the paladin increases in power.
  Benefit: You form a holy bond with a 
  weapon of your choice. In order to forge 
  this bond, you must spend 24 hours in 
  quiet meditation and prayer. Should 
  you ever lose your bonded weapon, or 
  if it is ever destroyed, you may undergo 
  the ritual again. A bonded weapon may 
  be enchanted with magic abilities as 
  normal. The special abilities are cumula-
  tive based upon your level; the hardness 
  and hit point values are not cumulative.  
  Improved hardness and hit points:  
  roll to avoid the disarm.
  Focus of the Master (Su): The holy 
  bond between you and your weapon 
  is strong.  You may use your bonded 
  weapon as a divine focus component 
  any time one of your spells requires one.
  Merciful Strike (Su):  Paladins make 
  amazing displays of mercy, even when 
  facing hardened criminals. When wield-
  ing your bonded weapon, you may 
  strike for nonlethal damage without 
  incurring the normal -4 penalty.
  Sacred Defense (Su): Power from the 
  celestial realms infuses you and protects 
  you. Beginning at 8th level, you gain 
  a +2 sacred bonus to your armor class 
  against evil foes. At 16th level this bonus 
  increases to +4.
  A Kingdom 
  for My   Horse
  Paladin Alternate 
  Class Abilities
  by John E. Ling, Jr.
  Art by Vittorio Carpaccio
  Heavy armor; sword and shield; warhorse.  
  These are the defining, iconic symbols of a 
  paladin, her tools to fight evil, suppress tyr-
  anny, and protect the innocent.
  For various reasons, though, not every 
  paladin uses the stereotypical tools of her 
  trade.  In particular, the paladin’s mount 
  is not always a viable option.  Paladins 
  who spend their careers crawling around in 
  dungeons tainted by evil or smashing evil 
  temples quickly learn their trusted mount 
  typically doesn’t fit in these places. For some, 
  the summoning of beasts for any purpose is 
  forbidden, as some orders consider it tanta-
  mount to slavery.
  For these paladins, the three alternate 
  class abilities presented here provide interest-
  ing options. In addition, the article presents 
  feats to further allow a paladin to develop 
  these alternate abilities. They all become 
  available at 5th level and all replace the abil-
  ity to summon a special mount.
  Holy power infuses a bonded weapon, 
  making it sturdier and more durable 
  than other weapons of the same type.  
  Add this amount to the weapon’s hard-
  ness and hit point totals.
  Light (Sp):  You can opt to have your 
  weapon shed light, as the light spell.   
  Activating and deactivating this ability 
  is a standard action.  The caster level is 
  equal to your paladin class level.
  Tightened Grip (Ex): The process of 
  bonding with your weapon allows you 
  to maintain a grip on the weapon that 
  others find extraordinary.  Whenever 
  you are defending against a disarm at-
  tempt, you gain a +4 sacred bonus. At 
  13th level, the bonus increases to +8. 
  This bonus only applies to your opposed 
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  5
  Undead’s Enemy (Su): Holy power 
  suffuses you when you wield your 
  bonded weapon. Against undead foes, 
  your bonded weapon does 1d6 holy 
  damage and is a good-aligned weapon 
  for the purposes of overcoming damage 
  reduction. If your weapon has the holy 
  ability, this bonus damage stacks. At 
  17th level, your bonus to damage from 
  this ability increases to 2d6.
  Improved Smite (Su): A paladin with 
  a bonded weapon is devastating against 
  evil. Whenever you use your smite evil 
  ability with your bonded weapon, you 
  gain a +4 sacred bonus to both your 
  attack and damage rolls.
  Guardian Archon 
  You forge a strong bond with an archon, 
  who agrees to protect and aid you.
  Benefit: Through prayer and sup-
  plication, you form a special bond with 
  a lantern archon (MM, page 16). The 
  archon agrees to aid and protect you a 
  number of rounds per day equal to your 
  paladin level. These rounds need not 
  be used consecutively. However, if your 
  guardian archon is slain, you cannot 
  summon it again for 24 hours, regard-
  less of how long you have remaining.
  The lantern archon is in no way 
  under your control when you summon 
  it from the celestial realms; it uses its 
  own judgment to determine how to best 
  protect you. It arrives with hit points 
  equal to one half your normal amount, 
  and it is treated as though it had hit dice 
  equal to your character level. The lan-
  tern archon may use any of its abilities 
  normally while in your service.
  This spell-like ability has a caster level 
  equal to your paladin level.
  At 12th level, a hound archon replaces 
  your lantern archon. All other benefits 
  (HD, hp, etc) remain the same.
  Resistance of the Heavens
  Like a celestial being, you can shrug off 
  some elemental damage.
  Benefits: Your deep bond with the 
  celestial realms grants you resistance to 
  energy damage, which increases as you 
  become more powerful. At 5th level, 
  you gain resistance 5 to acid, cold, or 
  electricity (your choice). At every fifth 
  level (10th, 15th, 20th), you may either 
  increasing one resistance by 5, or add a 
  new element. Resistances gained from 
  this ability cannot rise above 20.
  For example, at 5th level the paladin 
  Drusai selects this class ability in place 
  of his special mount; he chooses elec-
  tricity as his energy type. At 10th level, 
  he can either select to gain resistance 5 
  to cold or acid, or he can increase his 
  existing electricity resistance to 10.
  These resistances do not stack with 
  those gained from other sources, such as 
  the celestial or half-celestial templates.
  Special Feats
  The following feats further improve on 
  the abilities presented here.
  Beacon of Hope [General]
  Your bonded weapon improves your abil-
  ity to boost the courage of your allies.
  Prerequisites: Aura of courage, Bonded 
  weapon, paladin level 10th.
  Benefits: While wielding your 
  bonded weapon, you grant great cour-
  age to your nearby allies. Your aura of 
  courage ability doubles to a 20 foot 
  radius, and the bonus granted by that 
  ability increases to +6.  Your allies must 
  be able to see you and your bonded 
  weapon to gain this increased bonus, 
  and your weapon must be unsheathed.
  Improved Guardian Archon [Epic]
  The most powerful of archons agrees 
  to aid you in your fight against evil.
  Prerequisites: Guardian archon spe-
  cial ability, paladin level 21st.
  Benefits: You may forge a bond 
  with a trumpet archon (MM, page 18) 
  in place of your hound archon guard-
  ian. The duration, hp, hit dice, and 
  other benefits of your class ability are 
  unchanged.
  Spell Protection of the Heavens  [General]
  Your bond with the celestial realms 
  grows stronger.
  Prerequisites: Resistance of the heav-
  ens special ability, Spellcraft 5 ranks, 
  Wisdom 17+, paladin level 12th.
  Benefits: You gain spell resistance 
  equal to your paladin level plus 5, to a 
  maximum of 25.
  Sundering Wave [General]
  Those who attempt to sunder your 
  bonded weapon suffer the same fate to 
  their own weapon.
  Prerequisites: Bonded weapon special 
  ability, paladin level 12th.
  Benefits: When a foe tries to sunder 
  your bonded weapon, the weapon’s holy 
  power reverberates, causing the same 
  amount of damage to the attacker’s 
  weapon as your weapon takes.
  Superior Defense [General]
  The holy power of your bonded weapon 
  protects you or an ally.
  Prerequisites: Bonded weapon, pala-
  din level 14th.
  Benefits: Your sacred defense abil-
  ity bonus increases by +2, and you may 
  grant your sacred bonus to an ally’s AC 
  instead of your own. The ally must be 
  within the radius of your aura of cour-
  age ability and must see both you and 
  your weapon. 
  This bonus applies only to attacks by 
  evil-aligned foes.
  Superior Spell 
  Protection of the Heavens [Epic]
  Your holy bond with the celestial realms 
  is pure and deep.
  Prerequisites: Resistance of the 
  Heavens, Spell Protection of the Heav-
  ens, Spellcraft 10 ranks, Wisdom 21+, 
  paladin level 21st.
  Benefits: The spell resistance gained 
  from your Spell Protection of the Heav-
  ens feat increases to paladin level plus 
  10. This spell resistance has no upper 
  limit.
  <
  Bonded Weapon Table
  Paladin 
  Improved  Improved  
  Level     
  Hardness   Hit Points     Special                                    
  5th–7th 
     +2 
     +2 
      Light, tightened grip, focus of the master
  8th–10th    +4 
     +4 
      Merciful strike, sacred defense
  11th–14th    +6 
     +6 
      Undead’s enemy
  15th–20th    +8 
     +8 
      Improved smite
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  6
  Summer 2007 Kobold Quarterly 1
  6
  Joining the Noble Classes
  Using Aristocrat Levels as PC Rewards
  by Jeff Grubb
  Art by Hans Makart
  In Kobold Quarterly #1, Mr. Baur sug-
  gested that noble arms and titles are 
  suitable awards for player characters, 
  and he mentions that a free level of the 
  Aristocrat NPC would be a suitable 
  bonus to that award.
  Maybe.
  Granting such a title is more than 
  a mere welcome-to-the-kingdom gift, 
  and the importance of these two grants 
  should be reversed. The level of aristo-
  crat is the cool award; the noble title 
  that goes with it a potentially nasty fish-
  hook that the DM can use as a spring-
  board for further adventures.
  The first level of Aristocrat is fairly 
  butch; it provides +1d8 hit points, four 
  skill points, and a +2 on the Will save. 
  In other words, imagine a magical hat 
  that gave you the Feats of Toughness, 
  Negotiator, Persuasive, and Iron Will 
  in one fell swoop. Actually, it’s better 
  than the magic hat, since you control 
  where the skill points go, and both they 
  and the hit points may be increased by 
  above-average stats. Not a bad little haul 
  for bumping off the local dragon and 
  saving the monarch’s first-spawn. 
  After the first level of Aristocrat the 
  benefits slack off just a bit, but increased 
  base attack bonus, saving throws, skill 
  points, and new available skills are noth-
  ing to sneeze at. The last is particularly 
  attractive to classes that are limited as to 
  their potential skills, such as the Fighter. 
  But how do these NPC levels work 
  in connection with the “real” levels 
  (where “real” means “earned the hard 
  way with experience points”)? Do you 
  have to worry about the penalties for 
  multi-classing? Does an encounter with 
  a vampire remove aristocratic levels that 
  have been awarded?
  Any NPC levels presented as a reward 
  should initially be considered honorary 
  in nature. The base attack bonus, saving 
  throw bonus, and new skill points of 
  the non-heroic levels would be in place, 
  but the honorary levels are not counted 
  when dealing with total character levels. 
  While these honorary levels do not 
  count against multiclassing penalties, 
  they don’t contribute to effects that 
  depend on the total level of the charac-
  ter (so you can’t get around a sleep spell 
  through aristocratic entitlement). Hon-
  orary levels do not count when figuring 
  maximum skill points, and they offer 
  no added protection to level-draining 
  attacks. True, you still have better hit 
  points when you drop to 1st level, but 
  having honorary levels will not keep you 
  alive. They don’t count when figuring 
  your bonus feats for levels. You can lock 
  in previously awarded honorary levels, 
  making them “real”, but more on that 
  wrinkle later.
  Having sorted out what these honor-
  ary NPC levels do, the next big question 
  is – who gets to make these cool aristo-
  cratic awards, and what must I do to get 
  them? The answer is that rulers who are 
  themselves not ruled may grant them, 
  and they themselves do so under limita-
  tions. The ultimate price may give some 
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  7
  adventurers pause about accepting the 
  levels and entering into the bare-knuck-
  le politics of the local noble court.
  The King’s The Thing
  The local supreme ruler can promote in-
  dividuals of merit by awarding titles and 
  making them peers of the realm. Treat 
  this as a royal bonus feat that the local 
  monarch gains when he reaches the 
  top of the heap, whether through con-
  quest, by ability, or after Dad, the old 
  king, kicks off. Other royal feats might 
  include declaring war, raising taxes, or 
  summoning vassals to fight, but that 
  would be another article. 
  GRANT PEERAGE [ROYAL]
  You have the ability to award honorary 
  levels in the Aristocrat NPC class.
  Prerequisites: Rulership of the land 
  without being vassal to a greater power.
  Benefits: You may award honorary 
  NPC Aristocrat levels to others. You 
  may award as many levels up to your 
  total (Aristocrat and other) levels over 
  the entire span of your rulership. You 
  cannot award titles to an individual who 
  already holds another title from another 
  ruler unless than individual rejects his 
  previously awarded title and with that 
  the honorary aristocrat levels so gained. 
  You cannot award honorary levels to an 
  individual beyond half your total levels. 
  Normal: You may award any number 
  of fancy-dancy titles you want, but they 
  have no effect on game play. So there.
  Note that the monarch has a limited 
  number of these plums to pass out, and 
  he will do so with an eye towards his or 
  her own goals. The Royal Heir is prob-
  ably due for a goodly number of these 
  (up to maximum of half the total levels 
  available). This makes the competition 
  for the remainder even dicier. Your 12 
  level Aristocrat monarch will probably 
  hold onto 6 levels for her son, leaving 6 
  levels as favors. They won’t be passed out 
  as door prizes but saved for real awards, 
  and your local royalty will want some-
  thing in return. 
  While this example assumes the local 
  realm is a monarchy, the same principle 
  and the royal feat can apply to any state 
  with lifetime job descriptions, such as 
  tribes, magocracies, or theocracies. A 
  republic would have as many available 
  levels as its initial chief executive, plus 
  one per year (since the ruling politicians 
  may change over time). As a republic, 
  they may be even charier of giving 
  out aristocratic titles. Regardless, such 
  awards are not given lightly.
  So what influences such awarded 
  titles, in particular the awards beyond 
  the initial knighting? Service to the 
  crown is foremost. While the local 
  queen may be happy to grant knight-
  hoods to those who performed an 
  extraordinary act, additional levels will 
  come only if the individual hangs about 
  at the crown’s beck and call. 
  Any monarch worth his rule will 
  demand fealty from those he admits 
  to knighthood. The recipient swears 
  to serve the monarch before any other 
  ruler (hence the limitation on awards 
  to those carrying awards from others). 
  This makes for an easy springboard for 
  adventures, but often the throne holds 
  the reigns just a touch tight. 
  The Making of Lists
  So you’ve gained a title – what is it and 
  what does it mean?
  The nature of the titles will vary ac-
  cording the particular kingdom and 
  campaign, but here’s a good list for your 
  typical western fantasy setting. 
  Aristocrat 
  Levels Title
  1  
  Knight (Banner Knight)
  2-3 
  Knight (Knight Minor)
  4-6 
  Knight (Knight Major) 
  7-8 
  Baron or Baroness
  9-10 
  Count/Earl or Countess
  11-12 Duke or Duchess
  13-14   Grand Duke, Grand Duchess
  15+ 
  King, Rajah, Emperor, Kaiser
  From this list, you can gather that most 
  awarded and honorific levels are in the 
  knight category. Only if one has a par-
  ticularly powerful lord (and is beloved 
  by that lord) can you gain easy entry 
  into the Baron or Duke levels. 
  In addition to the abilities provided 
  by the aristocrat level, your character 
  also gains access to the monarch’s ear 
  – or rather, more access than those 
  hoi-polloi adventurers who clutter up 
  the court. A noble PC can expect to 
  be called in on matters that threaten 
  the kingdom, particular those matters 
  which require your special talents.
  Knights, regardless of level, are ad-
  dressed as “Sir” or “Madam”, while 
  Barons and higher are greeted as “My 
  Lord” or “My Lady” (finer points may 
  exist for your campaign). Within the 
  pecking order of the court, aristocratic 
  level does matter, and a level 8 Aristo-
  crat always enters the room first, sits 
  closer the head of table, and speaks first, 
  over his level 7 (and lower) brethren. 
  Among the levels, there is a marked 
  difference between real and honorary 
  levels. Your fighter may be 14th level, 
  but with only two levels of aristocrat, 
  you may offer your advice only after 
  any “real” Knight Minors. Worse, you 
  are probably seated at the royal banquet 
  below the salt. (Note that if multiple 
  knights hold the same level, the indi-
  viduals who have held their titles longest 
  are given precedence).
  All this creates some friction be-
  tween newly promoted adventurers and 
  those who received their titles the old 
  fashioned way (by inheriting them). 
  The newcomers additional “real” levels 
  makes things even more interesting. 
  Not all the established nobility view the 
  newly entitled with pleasure, and plenty 
  of backstage politicking may be involved 
  to get the adventurers to leave court, to 
  embarrass themselves, or to fall out of 
  the monarch’s favor.
  Land and Permanent Nobility
  One thing that title does not grant is 
  land. One can be an unlanded noble, 
  or one can hold land in the name of the 
  crown without holding any title, as a 
  castellan. Land is a separate matter, and 
  customs vary from kingdom to king-
  dom. Some rulers grant land when they 
  would rather not spend titles, or chose 
  to grant a title to those brave souls who 
  conquer a particular monster-populated 
  chunk of territory.
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  8
  Kobold Quarterly 1 Summer 2007
  8
  But how does one gain a “real” title? 
  By taking a level of aristocrat when one 
  gains a level (with the DM’s approval, 
  but since he was ultimately respon-
  sible for that first level, he should be 
  good with the idea). NPC titles are, 
  pound for pound, weaker than their 
  player character equivalents. However, 
  if a character is granted four honorary 
  levels, and then the player takes a fifth 
  level of his own volition, all five levels 
  are suddenly locked in and become real 
  levels. They count toward total levels 
  for spell effects and maximum skill 
  levels, and they are real class levels for 
  the purposes of multiclassing. You may 
  get a bonus feat out of the deal. At this 
  point, the granting monarch cannot 
  take away the previously awarded levels 
  (see below). They still count against the  
  monarch’s available total for his reign.
  Making the honorary levels real sends 
  up a flare to the established nobility 
  that a new contender intends to hang 
  around. The nobles figure this out fast – 
  the monarch knows, and gossip spreads 
  quickly through the upper classes. And 
  they may not like the change.
  The Good King Giveth, and 
  the Good King Taketh Away
  Great, the king gives you a shiny title 
  and an honorary NPC level. You give 
  him hearty thanks and ride off, looking 
  for new adventures, right?
  Well, wrong. 
  The king gives you a level and the 
  king can take it away from you if you 
  don’t show up for work, or jump to his 
  commands, or if he just doesn’t like 
  your attitude. Usually he will provide 
  a warning, but he can pull his awards 
  at any time. Only half of those levels 
  return to him for grants to someone else 
  (rounded up), so it is not something he 
  will do on a whim, but it’s a very real 
  possibility for misbehaving nobles.
  If your feudal lord gives you the 
  heave-ho, you lose the BAB bonus im-
  mediately. Hit points from honorary 
  levels that are pulled become temporary 
  hit points – once lost they cannot be 
  regained. You keep any skills gained, 
  though those skills are no longer con-
  sidered class skills (unless you have the 
  appropriate class). If you swear fealty to 
  another lord and gain new aristocratic 
  levels, you gain additional skill points 
  only after you rise above the previous, 
  now-lost levels. 
  You suffer the same penalties if you 
  voluntarily foreswear your lord (“You 
  can’t fire me, I quit!”). This leaves you 
  free to swear new allegiances, such as 
  to the lord leading that invading army. 
  In voluntary withdrawals, the monarch 
  gains all the levels back to re-award else-
  where. Note that this may create times 
  when a disenchanted ruler may seek to 
  force an unwanted noble out.
  After a character’s (permanent) death, 
  half the deceased’s aristocrat levels may 
  pass to an heir as honorary levels. These 
  follow the inheritance laws of your 
  campaign. The other half (rounding up) 
  return to the Crown. One reason that 
  titles can be kept in the family.
  If the monarch dies, all honorary 
  titles revert to the throne. They may 
  be re-awarded, at no cost to the new 
  monarch, to the individuals who held 
  them previously, or they may be kept 
  and added to the NPC levels the new 
  monarch may later dispose of to his 
  favorites. For those who have served the 
  crown (and the new head that wears the 
  crown), this re-awarding is automatic, 
  though it may involve a ceremony 
  where fealty is sworn anew. For others 
  who may have crossed the heir, the 
  former monarch’s death may lead to a 
  re-evaluation of the adventurer’s contri-
  bution to the kingdom.
  If your monarch is conquered, or 
  forced to swear fealty to another, greater 
  king, the honorary titles are similarly re-
  viewed – by the new ultimate ruler. One 
  nice bonus of attacking the kingdom 
  next door is you gain a raft of new hon-
  orary levels to shower upon your loyal 
  generals and captains.
  If the awarded aristocrat levels have 
  been locked in by a character gaining 
  a real aristocrat level, the crown can’t 
  get them back, except if the individual 
  holding them dies.
  And before you ask, yes, the throne 
  may grant additional titles to itself. This 
  granting of titles to oneself must stay 
  within the limitations of the monarch’s 
  initial level, but it is good to be King.
  Support Your Local Monarch
  The presence of an established, feudal 
  organization within a game filled with 
  powerful, high-level adventurers sud-
  denly makes more sense. A powerful 
  office which hands out free levels, even 
  within limited resources and restric-
  tions, is nothing to sneer at. 
  Similarly, the local nobility may be 
  quite willing to support this office in 
  the hope of a free level or two for little 
  or no work (Or as they would call it 
  – “Long and invaluable service”). They 
  certainly look askance at the barbar-
  ian who threatens to roll in and upset 
  the applecart (Or as they would call it 
  – “The long, proud heritage of the peer-
  age”). The exception is when a higher-
  level noble seeks to seize the throne, and 
  needs a cat’s-paw. 
  Adventurers are drawn to the re-
  wards as well, but unless they make this 
  kingdom their base of operations (and 
  deal with the local politics), those “free 
  levels” can come with a hefty price tag. 
  It is suddenly in their best interest to 
  keep the royal family healthy and happy, 
  lest their boon evaporate. Wise and 
  good rulers give their vassal knights a 
  long leash, approve extended leaves of 
  absence, and make few demands. Less 
  wise rulers need their knights nearby, 
  and they have an annoying habit of 
  starting a war at inopportune times. 
  Nobles are more than willing to tol-
  erate a few talented upstarts with a level 
  or two of honorary aristocrat, as long as 
  they know their place and don’t track in 
  any mud. But as soon as they start rising 
  in levels (or, gods forfend, make those 
  levels permanent), there may be more 
  skullduggery afoot. 
  The result is a series of springboards 
  providing new directions for the adven-
  turers or for political intrigues within 
  the castles. They accepted the reward of 
  a grateful crown, knelt, and were tapped 
  upon the shoulders by their local mon-
  arch – and then the fun really begins.
  <
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  40
  TheAvatarof 
  Hunger
  Hidden Origins 
  of the Ghoul Empire
  by Wolfgang Baur
  Art by Kraig Horigan
  T
  he history of the Ghoul Im-
  perium is a recent one, an 
  explosion of undead power 
  from a direction unlooked-for: the 
  lowly ghoul raised from a skulker in the 
  graveyard to a force that destroyed the 
  mighty drow stranglehold on the un-
  derdark, and brought many underearth 
  civilizations to the brink of annihilation.
  Children of the Hunger God
  How did it happen? The ghouls them-
  selves do not know for sure, and a great 
  deal of myth, legends, and sacred lore 
  has grown up around the topic. Some 
  of these stories claim divine interven-
  tion by the Death God or Hunger God, 
  other elements drawn from a pact with 
  the derro, other tales claim demons were 
  somehow responsible. All make it clear 
  that a magical strain of ghoul fever was 
  the catalyst for the Empire’s rise. None 
  know the truth.
  The ravenous hunger and ambition 
  that define the Empire of the Ghouls 
  come from a hunting expedition 200 
  years ago. A priest of the Death God 
  led a pack of ghouls and ghasts into the 
  underdark in a hunt for new sources of 
  meat. The hunters met and devoured 
  a few of the weaker residents of the 
  deep lands, but then met a horror they 
  were woefully ill-prepared to fight, a 
  cave dragon in its prime. Its darkness 
  filled the tunnels, and its jaws devoured 
  ghouls by the dozens. 
  Strengthened the Death God’s bless-
  ing, one ghast struck a crucial blow with 
  its paralyzing claw, and the dragon was 
  rendered immobile for a dozen heart-
  beats. The frenzy that followed infected 
  the dragon with ghoul fever. The rest of 
  the ghouls and ghasts died before the 
  dragon could be slain, but the priest of 
  the Death God survived and became 
  the ghoul-dragon’s minion and chief 
  servant. The dragon grew powerful in 
  undeath. Though its growth stopped, its 
  power was greater than any others of its 
  kind.
  Charon and Darrakh
  So was born Darrakh, Father of Ghouls, 
  the Great and Unending Devourer. Of 
  all dragons below the earth, he is the 
  greatest. He recieves ghoul petitioners 
  in a deep cavern perpetually wrapped in 
  darkness, and when he is displeased, he 
  dines on the flesh of the ghouls, his fol-
  lowers and children. 
  The cult of the Hunger God re-
  veres him as an avatar of their diety, an 
  earthly manifestion of the endless gnaw-
  ing need that drives ghouls to consume 
  corpses. Darrakh is fast, tough, and 
  powerful — and as an undead dragon, 
  extremely lethal.
  As he created ghoul followers, Dar-
  rakh and the priest learned that the 
  form of ghoul fever the dragon carried 
  was magically strengthened. Darrakh 
  has always claimed he bathed in the 
  River Styx and struck a bargain with 
  Charon the boatman. The terms seemed 
  to be that to return to the mortal world, 
  he would raise up a race of followers of 
  the Death God. That story is among the 
  secret lore of the Imperial priesthoods. 
  It’s truth depends on what one thinks of 
  the veracity of the undead and the trust-
  worthiness of dragons. Most are sure it’s 
  sheer puffery.
  Darrakh himself manipulates his 
  ghoul followers shamelessly, both those 
  of the Death God (whom he seems to 
  regard fondly) and those of the Hunger 
  God (who seem to annoy him). The 
  noble ghouls who know of him serve 
  him out of fear; the priests do so out 
  of joyous devotion. The ghoul-dragon 
  could play merry havoc with the em-
  pire’s holdings if it were ever provoked.
  The majority of the Empire’s popu-
  lation, though, think of Darrakh as a 
  legendary figure long dead, a demi-god 
  rather than a living presence. He may 
  be both; some believe he dwells near the 
  gates to the underworld because it is a 
  good place to acquire divine power.
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  41
  Darrakh, Father of Ghouls
  Darrakh is an eyeless, heavy-winged dragon with many pro-
  jecting spines and a hide of dark brown, much the shade of 
  many cavern walls. He speaks with a whispering menace. Dar-
  rakh’s vestigial wings serve as an additional set of legs, and his 
  narrow snout can poke into narrow passages which his tongue 
  scours free of bats and edible vermin. 
  Darrakh’s cavern is a place of echoes and darkness, so black 
  that no living creature’s eyes have ever seen it. Liches, ghoul 
  lords, and others visitors attest to the layered bones and coins 
  that cover the floor. More than100,000 bats who live there, a 
  swarming group who act as his sacred animals and familiars. 
  All others stumble through it very carefully, and are happy to 
  walk out alive.
  Darrakh, Adult Darakhul Cave Dragon     CR 18
  NE Large Darakhul Undead
  Aura darkness, fear DC 27
  Init +6 (+4 Imp Init, +2 Dex); Senses blindsense 120 ft,
        Listen +32, Spot +32 
  Languages Darakhul, Derro, Draconic, Infernal, Undercommon 
  AC 44 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +29 natural, +4 deflection), touch
       15, flat-footed 31 
  hp 186 (24d12+30 HD); DR 10/magic and daylight
  Immune sonic, acid
  Fort +14 Ref +16 Will +20; SR 18
  Speed 40 ft. (8 squares), burrow 20 feet
  Melee +43 bite (4d6+24+1d4 Con from Devour*) and
   
  +43/+43 claws (2d6+8+paralysis) and
     
  +43/+43 wing (1d8+8) and
   
  +43 tail (2d6+8)
  Space 10 ft Reach 5 ft (10 ft with bite)
  Base Atk +24; Grp +44 
  Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7) at will – darkness, deeper
     darkness
  Special Atk breath weapon 12d6 (DC 33), spells 
  Abilities Str 42, Dex 14, Con —, Int 24, Wis 21, Cha 27  
  SQ blindsense 120’, immune to sonic and acid, darkness 
  aura, earth glide, ruff spikes, +4 turn resistance, paralysis, 
  darakhul fever, DR 10/magic and daylight
  Weakness daylight 
  Feats Cleave, Devour* [Monster], Epic Toughness, Great
      Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, 
      Improved Multiattack [Monster], Improved Natural Attack 
      (bite), Iron Will [b], Multiattack [b], Power Attack, Track [b]
  Skills Appraise +34, Bluff +35, Climb +24, Concentration
      +27, Intimidate +43, Listen +32, Move Silently +29, 
      Knowledge (Arcana) +34, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 
      +25, Knowledge (Religion) +34, Search +34, Sense 
      Motive +32, Spellcraft +28, Spot +32, Survival +32 
  Breath Weapon (Su): Darrakh breathes two types of breath 
  weapon, a cone of pure black poison whose toxic stew 
  of minerals burns and destroys any target, and a line of 
  invisible sonic energy bolt that stuns foes. Creatures within 
  the poisonous cone must succeed on a DC 33 Fortitude 
  save or suffer 1d8+3 initial and 1d4+3 secondary Strength 
  damage. The sonic line blast causes 12d6 sonic damage 
  and stuns all those it strikes for 1 round if the victim fails a 
  DC 33 Reflex save. 
  Deeper Darkness (Sp): Darrakh can cast deeper darkness 
  3 times per day. 
  Spells: An Adult cave dragon casts spells as a divine 
  caster of 7th level. Its preferred combat spells are poison 
  and armor of darkness (from D&DG and in the Hypertext 
  SRD). Its domains are Knowledge and Darkness.
  Darkness and Deeper Darkness (Sp): Darrakh can cast 
  darkness and deeper darkness 3 times per day. 
  Ruff Spikes (Ex): As a free action, a cave dragon can 
  block movement using its many feelers and spikes within 
  5 feet of its body. This includes attempts to withdraw, 
  flank, or spring attack.
  Blackness Aura (Ex): Darrakh can generate an aura 
  of darkness with a 60-foot diameter. This is always 
  centered on the dragon itself and prevents normal vision, 
  darkvision, and lifesense from working. Blindsense still 
  functions normally. Light spells cast into the area must 
  overcome the dragon’s SR +4, or they fail. 
  Earth Glide (Su): A cave dragon can glide through stone, 
  dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as 
  easily as a fish swims through water. Its burrowing leaves 
  behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or 
  other signs of its presence. A move earth spell cast on 
  an area containing a burrowing cave dragon flings the 
  dragon back 30 feet, stunning the creature for 1 round 
  unless it succeeds on a DC 15 Fortitude save.
  Darakhul Fever (Su): Magical disease—bite, Fortitude 
  DC 30, incubation period 1 hour, damage 1d6 Con and 
  1d3 Dex. Requires a DC 16 level check to cure magically. 
  A creature which dies while infected with darakhul fever 
  may become a more powerful form of ghoul (see Empire 
  of the Ghouls for details). 
  Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by Darrakh’s natural weapons 
  must make a Fortitude save (DC 30) or be paralyzed for 
  1d4+1 rounds. Elves are immune to this paralysis. 
  Turn Resistance (Ex): Darrakh has turn resistance +4. 
  Damage Reduction (Ex): Darrakh has DR 10/magic and 
  daylight.
  Weakness: Darrakh is vulnerable to daylight and suffers 
  a -4 penalty to attack and saving throws when in full 
  daylight. Even a daylight spell inflicts a -2 penalty. 
  Skills: Darakhul have a +8 racial bonus on Climb, 
  Intimidate, and Knowledge (Dungeoneering) checks. 
   New Feat: Devour [Monster] 
  Prerequisite: Corporeal undead, Str 13
  Benefit: Whenever you successfully damage your opponent 
  with a bite attack, they must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 
  + half their HD + their Strength bonus) or suffer an addi-
  tional 1d4 Con damage. 
  Special: Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to 
  this feat.  If you have the Eater of the Dead feat, you regain 
  1d8+5 lost hit points when your victim suffers Con damage. 
  
  Kobold Quarterly 2 Fall 2007
  42
  The Free City
  Griffon Towers 
  of the Margreve
  Forests, Hunters, and Miners
  by Wolfgang Baur
  T
  he city of Zobeck is 
  defined by its river, the 
  great forests, and the 
  wide moors to its north. 
  Long the private property of House 
  Stross, the Margreve Forest retains a cer-
  tain hushed atmosphere of wild decay 
  and noble privilege. Travellers go quietly 
  through the deepest woods, seeking to 
  avoid throat-slitting bandits, howling 
  barghests, and even kobolds bitterly de-
  fending their secret mines.
  At the same time, the untamed 
  regions of the Margreve are under as-
  sault by Zobeck’s lust for wealth. The 
  forest provides the timber that drives its 
  barges, fuels its smithies, and braces its 
  kobold silver mines. The noise of kobold 
  miners, timber-cutters, and merchants 
  rumbling along the great northern road 
  grows each year. Silence returns only in 
  winter. 
  The northern road is the only pass-
  able route to the rich cities of the Red 
  Queen and the undead princes of 
  Morgau and Doresh, not to mention 
  the Bemmean magocracy. The road is 
  the second source of wealth for the city; 
  connecting that land route with the 
  river route makes Zobeck a fortune as a 
  trade center. Naturally, the road is de-
  fended by castles and towers. 
  The most famous of these are the 
  dozen Griffon Towers. Eight of them are 
  on the road itself; others guard hunting 
  lodges, mines, or powerful wellsprings 
  of magic. Most people assume that they 
  got their name from the griffon blazons 
  carved in their walls, but that is merely 
  the mark of the Stross border guards. 
  The towers themselves have a much 
  closer connection to the animals, as 
  their stables, roosts, and shelters.
  House Stross built the towers for its 
  griffon riders, an elite company of cou-
  riers and shock cavalry. The parsimoni-
  ous council of the Free City has done 
  away with that tradition in recent years. 
  Now the Margeve griffons run wild, 
  and they come in both black and speck-
  led varieties. Knowing the difference is 
  important. The black griffons are more 
  aggressive and very fond of horseflesh; 
  some claim they are faerie steeds. The 
  speckled ones are shy, tameable, and can 
  serve as animal companions to suitable 
  heroes.
   
  Griffons for Adventurers
  With griffon eggs for the taking, ad-
  venturers often wander the Margreve, 
  sure they can make their fortune. These 
  expeditions rarely end well. 
  The problems are severalfold. In a 
  vast forest, landmarks attract atten-
  tion, so the towers are always inhabited 
  by  men or monsters. The towers are 
  more than 50 feet tall, and half that 
  wide. Most have no easy way up; their 
  wooden staircases are long since rotted 
  or burnt away.
  The griffons themselves are vigilant 
  about who or what may approach a 
  tower during nesting season. The mer-
  chants who travel the great northern 
  road know this all too well, and many 
  refuse to travel there in spring. Griffon 
  attacks are common; pikes are the pre-
  ferred weapons to keep them at bay.
  Tower Encounters
  Here are three encounters for PCs 
  exploring a Griffon Tower in the 
  Margreve.
  1. Easy Money. An abandoned tower 
  contains a treasure cached here by ad-
  venturers who never returned. Unfortu-
  nately, centaur bandits have discovered 
  this particular tower and claimed its 
  goods for themselves. Their leader, Radu 
  Voinod, is using the money to buy kegs 
  of ale from the kobold miners near 
  Shadowcrag to reward his followers. 
  If the party takes some of the cash, 
  the centaurs have excellent tracking and 
  ambushing skills, and will try to cut 
  off their escape at several points in the 
  forest.
  2. Hunting Party. Though the forest 
  is dangerous and the undergrowth is 
  very thick, a few young, rich and stupid 
  sons of the Zobeck merchant houses 
  always try to prove themselves by hunt-
  ing Margreve deer, boar, or the fabled 
  White Hart. To guide them on these 
  hunts, they usually hire a ranger, barbar-
  ian, or druid adventurer. 
  Once the young hunters set out, they 
  make a mess of things and often lose a 
  horse to a boar attack. In the worst case, 
  a hunting party may be led astray by the 
  shadow fey, who resent this poaching on 
  their lands. The moment of truth comes 
  when arrows shot to kill a deer are re-
  turned with interest by the fey folk. 
  3. The Margreve Witch. Stories tell 
  of a hag of the greenwood who helps 
  travellers caught in rainstorms or stuck 
  in the moors and mires of the wetter 
  sections of the road. This help usually 
  involves bringing them to her modest 
  hut and feeding them a hot meal, while 
  pleading for help against the “kobold 
  bandits” who plague her life as an herb-
  alist. In fact, she is quite familiar with 
  monkshood, hemlock, and other poi-
  sons, and usually attempts to kill one or 
  more of her guests during the night.
  
  Fall 2007 Kobold Quarterly 2
  45
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