Open Design Blog

We're kicking off a new series on Kobold Quarterly today: Behind the Spells, a look at where various classic D&D spells come from plus variants and spell secrets, as told by the folks at Tricky Owlbear.

The first installment is on color spray. Let me know what you think!

Behind the Spells: Color Spray is the first in a series produced for the Kobold Quarterly by Tricky Owlbear Publishing. For those unfamiliar with the series, “Behind the Spells” provides a historical background, secret effects, and related material to...

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (WKQ News): A tourist today was admitted to Canberra Hospital with severe injuries to his head and back. Officials report that the tourist, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his family, was attacked...

R.A. Salvatore can get a laugh out of any topic, even the edition wars and the end of Drizzt’s saga. Give his take on those a listen. Got a favorite Salvatore book? Got a Friday Funny of your own? Tell us in the Forums. Read More...

There's a poll up today in the Open Design forums about whether the limited edition format is working for people. Some gamers seem to think that limited editions are somehow wrong or unfair or something (ask them, not me, I love secret collectible stuff with a passion).

Anyway, if you'd like Open Design to keep materials in print, or keep the private/exclusive/limited to the chosen few, please weigh in on the topic in this thread.

Buried in work right now, so really only posting materials for senior patrons.

However, wanted to note that the maps are rolling in for Wrath of the River King, and the text is all edited and in layout for Tales of Zobeck (which is going to be MASSIVE, possibly bigger than Empire of the Ghouls was).

But really, wanted to mention two things. Monte Cook gives KQ a very warm review on his Chapel Perilous LJ, and there's another Ask the Kobold Q&A up, with answers from Skip Williams about Gestalt characters.

A few words from Mr. Malhavoc about what he likes about the magazine (including one surprising element), and what elements he thinks could still improve. Monte reviews issues #6 and #7 in particular. I’m somewhere between delighted and ecstatic...

Skip Williams is one of the designers of 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons. He’s also a regular columnist for Kobold Quarterly. As long as you send in your questions, we’ll keep running the column here for free. But if you don’t ask the...

Some spellcasters spend their lives spurning the ground and its heavy tread, but a few look to non-arcane means to overcome the limits of earth like the Templeforge Skycaster. Fusing the arts of engineering and magic, they take to the skies and seldom...

Tiveden, Sweden (WKQ News Europe): We’re here in Tiveden National Park to report on a sudden spate of hunting accidents plaguing the area. Game is scarce, but accidents and avalanches are more than plentiful. Some people claim that ‘troll women’ haunt...

Man, I have been way behind in announcing the features on KQ.com lately.

• Skip Williams talks about how and when to bend the rules in Ask the Kobold (and he'd love to get your questions as well).
  
• Adam Daigle offers up a great set of traps useful for adventure design in the "Take 'Em Alive!" category.
  
• James Jacobs provides a sketch (he's got an artistic streak), and tells us what REALLY goes on at Paizo on a Friday

Catch up with the kobold today.

We ran an adventure back in Dungeon that had a scene with a lot of shocker lizards running amok in a wizard’s lab, and I just got seized with the urge to draw a bunch of them. I suspect that this little shocker lizard has some sort of unpleasant...

Skip Williams is one of the designers of 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons. He’s also a regular columnist for Kobold Quarterly. As long as you send in your questions, we’ll keep running the column here for free. But if you don’t ask the...

Most traps aim to kill or maim, overlooking the importance of capturing victims intact. Fur traders use mantraps to protect their investments, but not many creatures intent on protecting their stronghold do the same. Typical traps and snares used for...

Grandmother’s Bay, Saskatchewan, Canada (WKQ News): A rash of murders in this Cree community has folks wondering just what law enforcement plans to do about the problem. While some folks think the tribal elders should turn matters over to the Royal...