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™ Rule Your inWorld Słyle!

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ADVANCED GM TECHNIQUES, WORLD BUILDING TIPS TOns of Npc stats & charts Available RPG GAMEMASTERY GUIDE JUNE 2010

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GM AD Kobold.indd 1 2/25/10 4:07:15 PM contents Editorial 4 A Roleplaying Snob Reconsiders Letters 7 From the Mines

Ecologies 10 The Ecology of the Shoggoth by Phillip Larwood Teki lili! Teki lili! The shoggoth call to you. PC Classes 16 Lovecraftian Gods byAeryn Rudel New gods and divine powers for power-hungry 4th edition PCs. PC Classes 22 The Arquebusier by David Mallon Deadly aim for a new Pathfinder RPG base class. Encounter Design On the Cover 31 Alternate Objectives The cover for Spring is the "Green by Matthew Hanson Gods", in a rite of wild abandon. Change up the victory conditions with capture-the-flag. This is Malcolm McClinton's third appearance on our cover, which is Game Theories some kind of record. 34 The Thrill of the Unknown by Contest Winner Reviews 36 Spark, King of the Monsters Book Reviews 27 by Adam Daigle by William Banks, Janna Silverstein, PC Bloodlines and Pierce Watters 38 Scions of Shadow Sample file Cartoons by Stan! by Maurice de Mare 10' by 10' Toon Better Gameplay 19 40 The Heart of a Hero Bolt & Quiver 51 by Mario Podeschi The Free City Treasure Vault Daughters of Perun 64 44 Gambler’s Magic by by John Flemming Treasure Vault 46 Destined Weapons by Hank Woon Wondrous Items 49 Gnomish Flying Contraptions by Ryan Costello, Jr. Kobold Diplomacy 52 Interview with by Jeremy L. C. Jones & Christopher L. Dinkins Kobold Diplomacy 54 Freeport Options for Dragon Age by Chris Pramas Cartomancy 60 The Wreck of the Goodwife by Jonathan McAnulty with Brandon Hodge

Kobold Quarterly 13 3 A Roleplaying Snob Reconsiders

s a younger man, I used to think that tinker gnomes, That attitude brought some good games my way: spelljammers, and wild mages were just dumb. If it Pendragon, Houses of the Blooded, and others that I might

Editorial wasn’t about character and clever tactics and story, not have bought in my TSR fanboy days. I learned to see Aif it was ludicrously over-the-top powergaming or post- the strengths of any given system. I started to think about apocalyptic shoddy-science survivor , I couldn’t take games professionally, in other words. it seriously. I thought some gaming was just “not serious” or “not really hackworthy.” Yes, I was a huge roleplaying snob and sometimes I still am, but I keep it down to the occasional snotty remark. Oh, I was a huge roleplaying snob. Far better to take pleasure in the huge range of games and gamers within our hobby, to celebrate Mouseguard, But somewhere along the way, I expanded my horizons. the Dragon Age RPG (see our article on page 54), My Life For this, I have two people to thank: Steve Kurtz, who was With Master, and so on than to rely on a single setting my GM for a spelljamming campaign, and Lester Smith, the or mechanic. It’s what I call the "second system" in any GDW and TSR designer who introduced me to the joys of given group. That is, the game that everyone likes well White Wolf and indie RPGs. That spelljamming I was sure enough when you aren't playing the world's most popular I'd hate? I loved that, and learned how to run a long story RPG, your preferred change of pace. Heck, even WotC is arc from it. All those indie games and angsty White Wolf re-releasing Gamma World, which fits that “second tier” settings? Well, I was shocked to learn that TSR designersSample category file to a T. played non-TSR gamers, but I realized it made sense. Those WW games were ultimately not my thing, but they It's worth branching out just as a change-up between made me at least willing to look around and adopt the best campaigns of Dungeons & Kobolds. I’m learning to elements of games not published in Lake Geneva or Renton. appreciate others, and who knows, maybe I’ll even run some oddball games soon. There’s no lack of options. In both cases, they were cracks in the wall; almost all of my gaming was still d20 and -focussed. In the Sword-and-sorcery fantasy remains my first love. But games end, it took me years to learn that just because something aren’t like marriages; there’s no need to be mono-gamist, wasn’t for me, that didn’t mean it wasn’t worthwhile. And and there’s a lot we can learn from branching out to a new just because something seems foolish at first glance, doesn’t system or a new genre once in a while. What about you? mean I should dismiss it out of hand. I learned to withhold Have you always been loyal to a certain, single d20-based judgment and try things out before getting too negative system, or have you tinkered with Jedi, vampires, or mice about them. among the dice?

Kobold in Chief

4 Kobold Quarterly 13 TM

TM p r e s e n T s p r e s e n T s

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EmpirSample file ES ETreasures and Terrors of TheS deep Treasures and Terrors of The deep

Sunken empireS is a treasure trove for GMs • How to Sink an Empire: worldbuilding cataclysms unken mpireS • How to Sink an Empire: worldbuilding cataclysms whoS want eto run undersea is a treasure adventures—or trove for sink GMs an • Weapons and technology of lost empires, from inconvenientwho want to runcontinent. undersea Sunken adventures—or empireS sink details an • lightningWeapons andspears technology to mind paste. of lost empires, from inconvenienthuman and merfolk continent. settlements Sunken built empire in theS details ruins lightning spears to mind paste. human and merfolk settlements built in the ruins • Spells and magic of the sea, including new domains of an ancient civilization. Close by, these ruins • Spells and magic of the sea, including new domains plungeof an ancientinto the civilization.forbidden depths Close of by,the theseUnderdeep ruins • Combat with buoyancy and sinking whereplunge vicious into the sea forbidden creatures depths lurk and of thesunken Underdeep palaces • Combat with buoyancy and sinking where vicious sea creatures lurk and sunken palaces • New creatures, including coral drakes, drowned conceal vast wealth. • maidens,New creatures, and goblin including sharks coral drakes, drowned conceal vast wealth. maidens, and goblin sharks Sunken empireS supports the official Pathfinder • New monster templates to surprise your players Smoduleunken F erommpire ShoreS supports To S eathe, officialdue from PathfinderPaizo in • New monster templates to surprise your players May,module with From technology Shore and To loreSea for, due any from civilization, Paizo in • A full chapter of GM tools and adventure hooks • A full chapter of GM tools and adventure hooks lostMay, or with otherwise. technology and lore for any civilization, • Introduction by the creator of the aboleths, lost or otherwise. It’s time to go beneath the surface. • D&DIntroduction designer by David the creator “Zeb” of Cook. the aboleths, It’s time to go beneath the surface. D&D designer David “Zeb” Cook. Price $18.95 (print), $9.95 (PDF) Shipping April 2010 Price $18.95 (print), $9.95 (PDF) Shipping April 2010 preorder now at koboldquarterly.com preorder now Openat Design iskoboldquarterly.com a trademark of Open Design LLC. Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing,Open LLC, Design and are is aused trademark under license.of Open See Design paizo.com/pathfinderRPG LLC. for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Pathfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Publishing, LLC, and are used under license. See paizo.com/pathfinderRPG for more information on the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

KQ13-Sunken.indd 1 05/03/2010 9:04:49 PM KQ13-Sunken.indd 1 05/03/2010 9:04:49 PM