Kobold Press Archive
-
Midgard Heroes Handbook (5e)
Posted on May 7, 2018 | No CommentsMidgard Heroes Handbook (5e) This massive hardcover clocks in at 211 pages, 207 if you don’t count editorial, ToC, etc. – 216 pages minus the usual aforementioned components, if you count by pdf pages and include the covers. This review is based on the hardcover print version of the book, which I received in exchange for a fair and unbiased review. The book was moved up in my reviewing queue at the request of my patreons and due to receiving the print copy of this book. I have also had the chance to take a look at the pdf to ascertain electronic functionality, but have mainly based my review on the print version of this book. Now, first […] -
Demon Cults & Secret Societies (5e)
Posted on May 4, 2018 | No CommentsDemon Cults & Secret Societies (5e) The 5e-version of this massive tome clocks in at 178 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 171 pages of content, so let’s take a look! First things first: This book references, in some instances, the phenomenal Tome of Beasts. If you don’t have that book, I’d suggest getting it right now. The book also references three installments of the Deep Magic-series: Rune Magic (worth getting), Void Magic (excellent) and Blood & Doom (skip that one). While the book remains functional as a whole sans these other files, the experience is enhanced with them. […] -
Demon Cults & Secret Societies
Posted on May 3, 2018 | No CommentsDemon Cults & Secret Societies The PFRPG-version of the massive Demon Cults & Secret Societies book clocks in at 214 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 2/3rds of a page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 209 1/3 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Okay, so I’ll actually start the review of this book by covering the final chapter first – in it, we discuss the antipaladin class in a way that is actually helpful – we begin with a brief summary of how to handle the fall from being a paladin to becoming an anitpaladin – as the book astutely observes, the personality structure of the paladin is, paradoxically, […] -
Deep Magic: Elemental Magic (5e)
Posted on April 20, 2018 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Elemental Magic (5e) This installment of the Deep Magic-series clocks in at 16 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2/3 of a page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 12 1/3 pages of content, so let’s take a look! We begin this pdf with a discussion on the dangers of elementals existing in the material plane and elementalism in general, including a nice little section on the role of these magic traditions in Midgard. Traditions? Plural? Yep, we get a sorcerous origin, a warlock otherworldly patron and a wizard arcane tradition on the class option side of things. We also receive two new feats: Negotiator increases Charisma by 1 to the maximum of […] -
Deep Magic: Blood & Doom (5e)
Posted on April 19, 2018 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Blood & Doom (5e) This installment of Kobold Press‘ Deep Magic-series clocks in at 19 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2/3 of a page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 15 1/3 pages of content, so let’s take a look! So, the first thing you need to know is that we get a new sacred oath herein – The Giving Grave. This oath, however, represents more the concept of the antipaladin, rather than the paladin. As some 5e-players are wont to claim, the paladin class is removed from its LG-shackles in 5e; while technically true, the class features and general build don’t really lend themselves well to representing the concept of the anipaladin […] -
Deep Magic: Dragon Magic (5e)
Posted on April 11, 2018 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Dragon Magic (5e) This installment of Kobold Press‘ Deep Magic-series clocks in at 13 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 9 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Okay, without much fanfare we begin with a new arcane tradition, namely the Dragon Mage, who is defined by invoking dragon aspects. Dragon aspects are gained in a linear manner and provide a set array of abilities when invoked. You can see a dragon aspect in play on the cover – the translucent lines with draconic mien? That’s an aspect. Manifesting an aspect requires the expenditure of spell slots and further spell slots may be expended for […] -
Wrath of the River King (5e)
Posted on March 19, 2018 | No CommentsWrath of the River King (5e) This module clocks in at 70 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page backer-thanks/introduction, 1 page ToC, 2/3 of a page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 64 1/3 pages, so let’s take a look! This is an adventure-review and as such, it contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion. … .. . Okay, so before we begin: This is one of the modules that perfectly encapsulates what sets Midgard apart from your run-of-the-mill fantasy setting, for its begin in the small village of Riverbend is steeped in the feudal structures that should be inherent in all fantasy worlds. Let me elaborate: The miller in […] -
Deep Magic: Elven High Magic (5e)
Posted on March 19, 2018 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Elven High Magic (5e) This installment of Kobold Press‘ Deep Magic-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let’s take a look! So, as the name implies, this school of magic is only available for elves and shadow fey – mainly due to both secrecy and a requirement of hundreds of years of study – as such, it is intended to be rare, which is something that GMs should bear in mind, We begin with a new magic tradition to represent it, which grants the ritual savant feature at 2nd level, which halves the time and gold requires […] -
Blood Vaults of Sister Alkava (5e)
Posted on February 9, 2018 | No CommentsBlood Vaults of Sister Alkava (5e) This side-trek adventure clocks in at 13 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2/3 page SRD, leaving us with 10 1/3 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This module is intended for the standard 4 – 6 characters of levels 5-6. The module provides detailed, well-written read-aloud text, so if you have issues with spontaneous generation of flavorful text, the pdf has you covered. The book does make use of the monsters from Tome of Beasts – if you don’t have the tome, you’ll need to substitute a couple of them. The following review will contain several SPOILERS. Potential players should skip ahead to the conclusion. … .. . […] -
More Whispering Homunculus (almost system neutral)
Posted on January 25, 2018 | No CommentsMore Whispering Homunculus (almost system neutral) This massive booklet clocks in at 146 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page ToC, 1 page introduction, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 140 pages of content, though it should be noted that they’re laid out for digest-size (6’’ by 9’’/A5), which means that you can fit up to 4 pages on a given sheet of paper when printing this out, provided your eyes are good enough, obviously. Okay, so if you’re new to the Whispering Homunculus – it’s basically a semi-regular column of the Kobold Press site, penned by none other than Richard Pett. While nominally associated with Pathfinder, for the most part, the […] -
Beyond Damage Dice: New Weapon Options for 5th Edition (5e)
Posted on December 8, 2017 | No CommentsBeyond Damage Dice: New Weapon Options for 5th Edition (5e) This supplement for 5e clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Of all components of any iteration of D&D, weapons are ultimately the most underdeveloped component, at least regarding the impact they have on gameplay. From different ACs versus different types of attacks in 2nd edition, to DR in PFRPG/3.X to 5e’s resistance/immunity-system, there have been many takes on the aspects; 5e does a lot right in my book, with its rock-paper-scissors approach to damage resistance and immunities, an approach that mirrors my own games in […] -
Deep Magic: Shadow Magic (5e)
Posted on October 10, 2017 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Shadow Magic (5e) This installment of Kobold Press‘ Deep Magic-series clocks in at 12 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 8 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Without much further ado, we kick off this file with a new sorcerous origin, the shadow bloodline. At 1st level, you gain darkvision 60 ft. (what if you already have it?) and may see through magical darkness in the range. Also at 1st level, you can gaze at a target within 60 ft. to impose disadvantage on an attack roll or a sight-reliant ability-check. This usable Charisma modifier times (minimum 1) before requiring a long rest to […] -
Deep Magic: Ring Magic (5e)
Posted on September 7, 2017 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Ring Magic (5e) This installment of the Deep magic-series clocks in at 13 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 9 pages of content, so let’s take a look! So, what the hell is ring magic? Where other magic traditions covered in the series remained pretty self-explanatory, ring magic should be defined and that’s how the pdf starts: Basically, it is a dwarven tradition (Ring der Nibelungen, anyone?) of forging rune-inscribed rings to channel magic energies. A big plus: The pdf does explain the symbolism of the ring and how the magic tradition came to be – while only brief, this section adds some serious context for […] -
Deep Magic: Chaos Magic (5e)
Posted on September 6, 2017 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Chaos Magic (5e) This installment of Kobold Press‘ Deep magic-series clocks in at 13 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 9 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Okay, so first things first – as you may have figured, chaos magic is not exactly reliable – whenever a feature or spell calls for a chaos magic surge, you roll 1d20 – on a 1, a chaos surge occurs, This surge is handled via its own dedicated d%-table, which is a total of 50 entries strong. Some of these duplicate spells (like enlarge on the spell’s target), while others e.g. summon a constrictor snake around your […] -
Sanctuary of Belches (5e)
Posted on August 29, 2017 | No CommentsSanctuary of Belches (5e) This module clocks in at 25 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 21 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Okay, so first things first: This module makes use of Kobold Press’ excellent “Tome of Beasts”, using several creatures featured in that massive bestiary. However, it should be noted that the Tome is not required to run this module; all creatures featured get abbreviated statblocks with the respective ability-modifiers, speeds, short-hand traits, etc. – while these are not exactly nice to look at and pretty cramped, their inclusion constitutes a nice bonus for everyone who has not yet bough the massive tome. Kudos […] -
Deep Magic: Battle Magic (5e)
Posted on August 28, 2017 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Battle Magic (5e) This installment of Kobold Press‘ 5e-Deep Magic-series clocks in at 12 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 8 pages of content, so let’s take a look! We begin this installment with a brief introduction and then move on to no less than 8 (!!) feats, so what do they do? Arcane Charger lets you Dash and cast a cantrip with a range of touch as a bonus action, granting you +5 to spell damage or the option to push the target 10 feet away if you move at least 10 ft. in a straight line. Okay, so I *assume*, due to the name, […] -
Deep Magic: Angelic Seals (5e)
Posted on August 7, 2017 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Angelic Seals (5e) This installment of Kobold Press’ 5e-series of magic traditions clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let’s take a look! All right, so, as always, we get feats to interact with the spellcasting tradition – here, the first would be Heavenly Scribe, which nets the Celestial language and an angelic seal of the character’s choice, with Int as governing attribute for the saving throw DC. Heaven’s Chosen, the second feat, nets you a second saving throw when you fail one – this one is rolled with a single d20, regardless of advantage or disadvantage, […] -
Prepared! One-Shot Adventures for 5th Edition (5e)
Posted on July 13, 2017 | No CommentsPrepared! One-Shot Adventures for 5th Edition (5e) This compilation of side-trek modules for 5th edition clocks in at 26 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 22 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Wait, before we go any further, one important note: You need the Tome of Beasts, Kobold Press’ massive and gorgeous hardcover of 5e-monsters to properly use this supplement, as statblocks have not been reproduced herein. Structure-wise, these encounters/sidetreks are pretty easy to grasp: We get a background and then the different Adventure Elements that make up each sidetrek – usually, but not always, 2 – 4. These can basically be all combined […] -
Deep Magic: Ley Lines (5e)
Posted on June 2, 2017 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Ley Lines (5e) This installment of the Deep Magic-series clocks in at 14 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 10 pages, so let’s take a look! There are few magical concepts as established in popular culture and fiction as ley lines – these lines of power surging through the world, chaotic, changing and tied to the concept of an anima mundi, have always been a staple in fantastic literature, as it hearkens back to shamanistic traditions from which our more organized religions and conceptions arose. In a fact, the concept rings true to us due to the anthropomorphization of the world – the ley lines […] -
Deep Magic: Illumination Magic (5e)
Posted on May 23, 2017 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Illumination Magic (5e) This installment of Kobold Press’ Deep Magic 5e-books clocks in at 12 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 8 pages of content, so let’s take a look! This school of magic, associated with light and school, if fittingly represented by just that, the school of illumination. At 2nd level, costs and time to copy illumination spells to the spell-book is halved and additionally, you can forecast danger in the next 24 hours by studying the stars for 1 hour. This nest advantage on up to 2 initiative checks, lasting for 24 hours or until the end of the next long rest. Alternatively, you […] -
Deep Magic: Void Magic (5e)
Posted on May 2, 2017 | No CommentsDeep Magic: Void Magic (5e) This installment of the Deep Magic-series clocks in at 11 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 7 pages of content, so let’s take a look! The heart of void magic is Void Speech – the spoken word, the glyphs of this strange language, exist in a paradoxical state, in that they degrade physical reality around them – though never to the point of dissolution: Inscribed Void Speech corrupts and degrades, but does not annihilate its own matter. Void magic is the tradition of tapping into the horrid magics of the Great Old Ones and the role of the tradition in Midgard is […] -
Weresheep
Posted on April 15, 2017 | 1 CommentWeresheep This pdf clocks in at 13 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page introduction/SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 9 pages of content, so let’s take a look! Well, before we do – this pdf is one of the cool things that just…happen. What started off as a running joke during the Advanced Races Compendium KS became its own file. We have to specify what exactly we get here first, though: This does not provide a variant lycanthrope template or the like; instead, this pdf represents an NPC collection of 3 weresheep of the apocalypse. While the concept of weresheep may sound stupid, rest assured that they can be CREEPY and that the […] -
Wrath of the River King
Posted on February 24, 2017 | No CommentsWrath of the River King This module clocks in at 66 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1 page backer-thanks/introduction, 1 page ToC, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 60 pages, so let’s take a look! My review is mainly based on the print version, though I also had access to the electronic version. This is an adventure-review and as such, it contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion. … .. . Okay, so before we begin: This is one of the modules that perfectly encapsulates what sets Midgard apart from your run-of-the-mill fantasy setting, for its begin in the small village of Riverbend is steeped in the feudal structures […] -
Last Gasp (5e)
Posted on February 17, 2017 | No CommentsLast Gasp (5e) This module clocks in at 26 pages, 1 page front cover, 2 pages of advertisement, 1 page SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us with 21 pages for this module for 6th-level characters, so let’s take a look! This module is intended to be run in Midgard’s Southlands, though arguably, it can be transported with ease into just about any desert-themed environment that can feature a lost tomb. Even the desert-fluff can arguably be eliminated by refluffing the module. All right, you know the deal – this being an adventure-review, the following contains SPOILERS. Potential players should jump to the conclusion. … .. . All right, still around? Great! So, this module begins pretty much […] -
Deep Magic – Clockwork (5e)
Posted on February 8, 2017 | No CommentsDeep Magic – Clockwork (5e) This installment of the Deep Magic-series of 5e-pdfs clocks in at 19 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, almost one page of SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 14 1/2 pages of content, so let’s take a look! There are few aspects I associate as much with Kobold Press’ phenomenal Midgard-setting as clockwork magic. (In fact, only one: Fey…but I digress..) The magic which spread from the by now legendary city of Zobeck across the disk (Midgard’s flat) is evocative and interesting…so how has it been translated to 5e? Well, beyond two clockwork-associated gods (surprisingly missing Rava!) after a brief introduction to the history of clockwork magic, we dive right into […] -
Unlikely Heroes (5e)
Posted on January 31, 2017 | No CommentsUnlikely Heroes (5e) The third pdf converting unique Midgard-races to 5e clocks in at 27 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial/ToC, 2/3 of a page SRD, 1 page advertisement, leaving us with 23 1/2 pages of content, so let’s take a look! We begin this pdf with a nice and brief introduction to the weird races – and the considerations that adventuring with them entails before diving into the subject matter. It should be noted that each race receives 5e’s standard of fluffy introductions, guiding the prospective player towards making well-considered characters. Playing advice and nomenclature are similarly covered, which is nice to see – particularly when playing, for example, an insane derro! Yep, that would be […]