Dungeon Brew

*Illustration by Mark Perez, aka circepig on Deviantart.com.

[Below is a list of feats for the kobold in your 4th edition game]

Heroic Tier Feats:

Shake Off
Prerequisite: Kobold
Benefit: At the end of any turn in which you shift you gain a +1 bonus to saving throws until the start of your next turn.

Active Gambit
Prerequisite: Kobold
Benefit: When you use an action point you can shift 1 square as a free action.

Tactical Ploy
Prerequisite: Kobold
Benefit: Once per encounter, when an adjacent enemy moves away or an enemy moves adjacent you may shift 1 square as a free action.

Kobold Saboteur
Prerequisite: Kobold
Benefit: You gain a +2 insight bonus on thievery checks made to disarm or disable traps.

Mob Mentality
Prerequisite: Kobold
Benefit: You gain a +1 to hit enemies who are threatened by 2 or more of your allies.

Horde Initiate
Prerequisite: Kobold
Benefit: When aiding another you can make two rolls and use either result.

Paragon Tier Feats:

Horde Adept
Prerequisite: Kobold, Horde Initiate
Benefit: When aiding another you provide an additional +1 bonus (for example, from +2 to +3).

Shifting Ruse
Prerequisite: Kobold
Benefit: When a power would allow you to shift, you may forgo the movement to instead gain a +1 bonus to AC and Reflex defense until the start of your next turn.

Epic Tier Feats:

Lord of the Horde
Prerequisite: Kobold, Horde Adept, Horde Adept
Benefit: As a standard action you can grant an adjacent ally a minor action. He must spend this minor action immediately or it is lost.

This is the newest press release on the Gamer's Helping Haiti fund raising drive.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

In an effort to hurriedly engage publishers and fans in a charitable relief action for the people of Haiti and the Dominican Republic (following the earthquake that devastated the region), DriveThruRPG put together the single most amazing bundle of products ever seen in the RPG hobby's history. For a 20ドル donation, fans are given over 1500ドル.00 in RPG books, music, and more.

It killed their servers within hours of going live.

As one fan put it, "I've never been happier to get an error message." The generosity has been utterly overwhelming, and the collective patience of the customer base has been greatly appreciated by the folks at DriveThruRPG.

"It is an embarrassment of riches of the highest order," said Sean Patrick Fannon, Marketing & Communications Manager. "We simply had no idea how huge this would get, and how quickly it would become a massive sensation throughout the gaming world. I've never been more proud of my community or my job."

In order to resolve the server issues, DriveThru employed a "coupon solution" that enabled customers to gain a code that would let them select each of the products in the original bundle for free download. With well over a hundred products, however, this became a tedious and frustrating process, and the customers rightfully complained.

As of now, a new coding has been employed, and now customers are getting all of the products that go with the bundles automatically added to their download lists. The folks at DriveThruRPG care immensely for their customers, wanting the experience to be as easy and enjoyable as possible. While the main focus is to get help to Haiti, DriveThru also wants to leave a positive and lasting impression on everyone who comes to the site.

As of this press release, DriveThruRPG has collected well over 56,000,ドル which will be going to Doctors Without Borders for their efforts in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The "Gamers Help Haiti 20ドル Mega Bundle" will be available until January 31st. Other relief efforts may continue as needed.

For more information, contact Sean Patrick Fannon at sean@onebookshelf.com. Go to www.drivethrurpg.com to obtain the bundle and learn more about what DriveThruRPG is doing to help Haiti.
~~~

Last Tuesday Haiti was devastated by a magnitude 7 earthquake, and the Red Cross has already estimated 45,000 dead, the hospitals left standing are struggling to handle the amount of injured left in the wake of the disaster and donations are needed to get supplies and medics to the area.

To that end DriveThruRPG.com and RPGNow.com have started a fund to donate to Doctors Without Borders. Any gamer can log into their account at either site and donate 5ドル.00 or 10ドル.00 dollars towards sending medical aid to the survivors of the earthquake, and the sites will MATCH the donation dollar for dollar. If you donate 5ドル.00 dollars, if you donate 500ドル dollars it doesn't matter they will match it. Together we can truly make a difference to the people of this nation, and I want to thank all you you who donate, and DriveThruRPG and RPGNow for helping out in this time of need.

*Illustration by Christina Hans, aka avadrea on Deviantart.com.


[Below is a write up of the kobold as a player character race for 4th Edition DnD]

KOBOLD
Small and crafty soldiers,
through their veins runs the blood of dragons.

Racial Traits
Kobolds have all the racial traits listed in the back of the Monster Manual, with the following changes:

Vision: Low-light

Elusive Target: You gain a +1 racial bonus to Reflex.

The chosen children of Kurtulmak, kobolds live in in cavernous labyrinths chiseled out of the side of mountains or carved from underground. Their homes are heavily defended with good use of terrain and deadly traps.

Physical Qualities
Standing about 3' 8" on average with slim, wiry bodies, Kobolds are covered in fine scales of green, tan or red. Their red or yellow eyes have the remarkable ability to pick out details in the dimmest of light, Their face is dominated by a lizard-like snout with foward-facing nostrils and remarkable red or yellow eyes that can pick out details in the dimmest of light. Finally the skull is adorned with small vestigial horns, and ear holes...much like the dragons they claim as relatives.

Hatching from eggs, Kobolds reach adulthood at the astonishing rate of seven years. Although violence keeps most kobolds from reaching a venerable age, they are capable of living well past one hundred years.


Playing a Kobold
Kobolds are taught to do one things from the moment they are born, survive. This trait makes many see the kobold as a cowardly species, but in truth kobolds have a cautious and tactical mind that constantly weighs the pros and cons of any action in an attempt to come out on top. They also learn to take pride in their heritage as the chosen servants of dragonkind. Dragonborn may boast of their great kingdom of Arkhosia, but kobold's know that they were made by Kurtulmak himself to defend dragonkind after the dragonborn empire failed.

It is this alternating feeling of pride and powerful survival instinct that makes kobolds the people that they are. Kobolds learn to work in tandem with others of their tribe to accomplish great tasks that no single member of the tribe could, at the same time each kobold tries to do better than his peers in an effort to prove his worth to those around him. This makes kobolds one of the most industrious races. However, these bonds dissolve when danger presents itself, because each kobold is ultimately looking out for his own best interest. A mantra of "better you than me" ensures that the craftiest, most intelligent, and skilled kobolds survive to sow the seeds for the next generation.

Kobolds who go seeking adventure are usually outcasts, often filled with an inordinate amount of pride who wish to make a name for themselves apart from their tribes.

Kobold Characteristics: Agile, crafty, cunning, hard-working, industrious, organized, proud, sly, tenacious, tricky

Male Names: Albrik, Dakarnak, Deekin, Korish, Meepo, Mekrit, Mokumok, Pun-Pun, Riphahn, Sithik, Tunark, Urzican, Vavgor

Female Names: Asiph, Aupinom, Dinsa, Ixinmerik, Kiszar, Kitrak, Liriss, Minaph, Quanip, Sabahn, Sefima, Sysix, Zalicka

Kobold Adventurers
Three sample kobold adventurers are described below.
Krit the Kobold is a traveling rogue and trapsmith. By constantly pitting himself against the work of others he hopes to collect enough research to perfect his craft. Wearing a small leather jerkin and wielding daggers he collected off the corpse of a fallen adventurer Krit travels into the deepest dungeons with his companions, scouting ahead and taking notes on any hazards they encounter.
Tarkin is a kobold warlord who along with his allies travel the ruins of Arkhosia, gathering artifacts belonging to dragons. Someday he hopes to build a new empire for the dragons, this time under the vigilant protection of his people. With his mighty dragonscale shield in front, he is prepared to face any foe.
Kitrak is a mighty sorceress. She comes from a long succession of wild mages, and although she could easily take up a position ruling her tribe she has decided to travel the world in the hopes of gathering even more power. If she comes back to her people, it will be with the deep understanding of the arcane arts.

[Below you'll find a 4th Edition rendition of the Larva Crab Worm enemies from the hit role-playing shooter game Borderlands]

Larva Crab Worms
Heavily armored subterranean threat who place their habitats near areas soaked with magic.













Larva Crab Worm Tactics
With their hardy scales and territorial nature Larva Crab Worms have a tendency to rush into battle, and use their Scuttling Charge ability to push opponents into advantageous positions. Against ranged foes or opponents they can't quite reach yet the Larva Crab Worms unleash their powerful Corrosive Spittle attacks. Regardless of their tactics, Larva Crab Worms make the most of their burrow speed, utilizing it to both ambush opponents and escape from hairy situations.

Larva Crab Worm Lore
Nature DC 14: The lair of larva crab worms are often placed near deposits of crystals, most notably the magical shock crystal which they cultivate and harvest in a symbiotic relationship. Because of their strange relationship with shock crystals, larva crab worms have built up a resistance to electricity.
Nature DC 17: Despite their thick protective scales larva crab worms are extremely sensitive to pain, and any grievous injuries quickly kill the beast.

Arcana DC 17: The shock crystals that larva crab worms are renowned for farming can be used to decrease the cost of items with the lightning keyword. Each fully-formed crystal (DM's discretion) can be used to lower the cost of an item with the lightning keyword by 10%.

Encounter Groups
Although protective of their shock crystal deposits, larva crab worms are occasionally pressed into the service of young Behir Bolter Whelps.

Level 10 Encounter (2,450 XP)

• 1 behir bolter whlep (level 8 solo soldier)

• 2 larva crab worms (level 8 skirmisher)

When playing 3.5 DnD, or even the new Pathfinder, sometimes a critical hit just doesn't feel that...well, critical. Doing x2 damage is all well and good, but sometimes you want to eviscerate your foe, causing him to bleed to death, or smack him so silly he's seeing stars for a few rounds. By the same token, missing on a 1, while annoying, just isn't very descriptive. So you critical fumbled, how did you do it?

Well, thanks to Paizo's Critical Hit and Critical Fumble Decks you get a little more out of your Critical die rolls. The premise of both cards is that when you roll a 1 (for the Critical Fumble Deck), or confirm a critical threat (for the Critical Hit deck) you draw a card from the deck, compare it to what kind of attack you made (magical, natural, slashing, ranged) and that card tells you what action your critical took. Things from an extra attack roll all the way to decapitation (for the Critical Deck) or dropping your weapon to hitting yourself with your own spell (for the Critical Fumble Deck).

The Good
Besides helping busy DMs with go-to descriptions for Critical hits and fumbles, the cards keep the game lively. I use them myself and my players are always excited about a critical hit, calling for a draw from the deck almost before the threat has been confirmed. By the same token, it helps lessen the effect of a critical fumble. Sure, you are making a failure more than just an automatic miss, but from my experience the players don't mind rolling a 1 quite so much now that it comes with an interesting explanation.

The Evil
This system isn't entirely balanced. One of the critical hit cards, as mentioned above is decapitation. That is a pretty powerful thing, even when its as rare as a 1 in 52 chance already tacked on to less than 5%. A critical already has the chance to obliterate a well crafted plan by destroying NPCs and villains who were meant to live longer, adding in an additional chance for them to perish increases this problem. The other issue is that the two decks are meant to work together. You don't have to of course, you could easily use the critical hit deck or fumble decks by themselves. Keep in mind though, that in 3.5 D&D, not every monster is capable of receiving a critical hit, if you run a campaign where the players fight a lot of undead, constructs or other creatures immune to critical hits the fumble deck becomes a much more serious issue as it isn't balanced by the benefits of the critical deck.

Bang For Your Buck
Each deck costs 9ドル.99, and for that you receive 52 cards with 4 different outcomes on each one, each outcome pertaining to a different type of attack. You also receive rules with advice for how to balance the cards for use in your campaign, and some new mechanics for your game that enhance the rules presented.

The Final Verdict
I endorse these products wholeheartedly, I've been using them in my games for around a year now and they definitely keep things both interesting and fun. They are cheap, they are are well made, and they make combat a little more complex. If that's not what you want, I can see you not getting them, but if you want to make your fights a place where a man can lose some fingers, or a fighter's sword could go flying out of his grasp during a dangerous maneuver, these cards will help you make it happen.

<A HREF="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?rt=tf_mfw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&ID=V20070822%2FUS%2Fdungbrew-20%2F8001%2F3a8446b3-32b2-4023-8ba9-50c9a97467f1&Operation=NoScript">Amazon.com Widgets</A>

Francis Bousho is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Hello and welcome to Paranoia. I know you were expecting to come here for a review, but unfortunately that information is above your clearance level. But don't worry, Friend Computer is here to help.

Let me explain. In the Mandatory Bonus Fun Card Game, the players take on the role troubleshooters (people who find trouble and shoot it) in an underground complex run by a benevolent, albeit unbalanced, computer. Your job is to undertake missions all while remaining vigilant against mutants, and members of secret societies. By the way, you are a mutant and a member of a secret society. You are a traitor, a well armed traitor at that. But the problem is you are on a team of other well armed traitors, all bent on proving their "innocence" by proving you are a traitor against Friend Computer. I wouldn't worry too much though, because there will be plenty of chances for you to do the same to them, or even kill them outright.

The Good
The game is fun, the rukles are simple and mission structure keeps the game engaging with a variety of objectives to complete. Added on top of all that though is the fast paced and strategic game play where every traitor for himself and danger lurks around every corner. The game maintains a sense of dark humour with great art and quotes adorning every card, not to mention missions like "Bake the Traitor" and action cards like "Spurious Logic".

The Evil
Well the biggest problem with the game is that its out of print. Thankfully though RPGNow.com and the PDF format have come to the rescue, allowing you to purchase a copy and download it directly to your computer. Of course, this presents its own issues, mainly having to print out all the cards. While most of the cards are black and white, the clearance cards and some of the game tokens are in color. And the PDF is constructed poorly, with each card being presented on a page of its own. For the color issue I ended up using different color paperclips as tokens, and I placed a paperclip over the player reference card, sliding it up and down to denote security clearance. The other problem took a little more work, I copied each individual card as a jpeg and then placed them side by side on a .doc file. Although time consuming, this allowed me to print them out about six at a time.

Bang For Your Buck
The game costs a whopping 24ドル.95. For this you get 20 different mission cards, which act like minigames, 39 different actions cards, and a variety of tokens and player reference cards, all of which have to be printed and cut out.

The Final Verdict
I had a lot of fun with this game, I picked it up at 20% off and I loved it. My friends and I played it extensively while I worked on this article. That having been said, this game is not for everyone. If you love, or you know someone who does love, the world of Paranoia, anything Orwellian or non-collectible card games you'll love this game. For those of you who don't, you'll be better off spending it on something else.