Wolfgang Baur's page

I'm happy to say that Kobold Press has published version 1.0 of its Community Use Policy. Full details and the first package are now available.

Yep, this is the coolest combat caster since Wayfinder #5. Oh, wait, this is an expanded, corrected, and updated version of the Battle Scion from WF #5.

Looking forward to people's comments on this one!

Lost Magic is a contest brought to you by Kobold Press, and it promises to enrich campaigns with more magic—magic designed by some of those who choose to enter.

If you wish to show the world your mighty arcane or divine spellcrafting abilities by using the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or 13th Age system, write and submit a spell of no more than 500 words by noon Pacific, March 29. A panel of industry professionals will pick five finalists from these submissions, and the voting public will choose the winner from among those
five.

This contest is an open call contest! We will take pitches for both 13th Age and Pathfinder RPG. You can flavor your spell to suit the Midgard Campaign Setting if you wish, but it’s not required.

Now, you have the basics, right? What do you need to do next? More details at Kobold Press.

Wow, an absolutely MASSIVE sale for GM's Day and not a word in the comments?

Maybe everyone is too busy picking up the deals, but let me just say "THANK YOU PAIZO!" This is a great sale from all the big and little names in our field. And every GM appreciates being remembered at least once a year....

I have my eye on a few things--but what great deal have YOU found?

My original goal for Courts of the Shadow Fey was the not-terribly-modest ideal of finally doing the adventure on the Plane of Shadow that I have wanted to run since I first heard about that plane, back in the days of AD&D and the Manual of the Planes.

This particular adventure has gone down a couple wrong turns but has been completely rewritten and updated to bring it up to snuff for Pathfinder--and gained about 30% in length in the process. It is meaty enough to run for several levels, but with notes on how to speed play if that's desirable. Most of all, it achieves the original design goal of "still waters run deep" and a sense of strange mystery to unsettle players who visit this dark realm and its (literal) demons.

My sincere thanks to all its playertesters, the deft development of Gold ENnie-winner Ben McFarland, and the folks who made the Shadow Fey look good. It's about time Pathfinder fans got to visit this twisted version of the First World, or rather, its dark Shadows.

Ok, while reading through the Round 2 submissions, I could not help putting together a class breakdown of all the Top 32 + 4 Alternates archetypes. With Paizo's kind permission, I'm posting it here.

The archetypes are these:

Alchemist = 4
Cavalier = 2
Druid = 2
Inquisitor = 3
Fighter = 2
Gunslinger = 1
Magus = 1
Monk = 3
Oracle = 1
Paladin = 2
Ranger = 7
Rogue = 5
Witch = 3

There are no submissions for the bard, cleric, sorcerer, summoner, or wizard. A full 10 of the archetypes are water-or-river themed (for obvious reasons, but still).

This is a massive update to the original Elven Archer base class by designer John Ling, Jr. It includes new spells, expanded archetypes, and clarified class tables and tracking sheets.

If you play any kind of archer or sling-oriented character, the feats alone are worth it. If you play a druid or ranger, there's some archer-style spells to add to your arsenal. Give it a look!

The full Table of Contents was listed here, and I'll copy-paste:

• What is Setting Design? – Wolfgang Baur
  
• Different Kinds of Worldbuilding – Monte Cook
  
• Worldbuilding Inside Out and Outside In – Chris Pramas
  
• How Real is Your World? On History and Setting – Wolfgang Baur
  
• Bringing History to Life – Keith Baker
  
• Apocalypso: Gaming After the Fall – Jeff Grubb
  
• Here Be Dragons: On Mapmaking – Jonathan Roberts
  
• How to Design a City State, Tribe, or Nation – Wolfgang Baur
  
• They Do What, Now? On Creating Societies and Cultures – Michael A. Stackpole
  
• How to Make a High-Magic World- Keith Baker
  
• Worlds and Technology – Wolfgang Baur
  
• Why No Monotheism? – Steve Winter
  
• Designing a Pantheon – Wolfgang Baur
  
• It’s a Mystery! Designing Mystery Cults – David “Zeb” Cook
  
• How to Design a Guild – Wolfgang Baur
  
• How to Write a World Bible – Scott Hungerford
  
• Playing in Someone Else’s Backyard – Janna Silverstein
  
• The Limits of Design: Kitchen Sink Design – Wolfgang Baur

Do you love the RPG Superstar contest to start? Yes? Then take a look at Valhalla Calling, the adventure design contest over at Kobold Press. The winner has their adventure published!

I am rather proud of this strange little adventure. I decided to design a low-level scenario as if the PCs were not just some noobs, but as if they were characters of destiny who could meet a lich-queen or hear the songs of the sirens, and live.

Probably one of the wilder low-level adventures you'll see for Pathfinder, and that's saying something!

I have to say, this is one of those issues that is both really dark and really entertaining. I know I'm biased, but ... Well, lots of great Pathfinder material here.

As Monte Cook said yesterday:

If you're a D&D gamer of any edition (including Pathfinder) and not getting Kobold Quarterly, you are sooooo missing out.

Welcome to Midgard, folks. The shadow road starts right over... here.

That's an awesome list of good stuff, and I like the fact that Paizo is highlighting some newcomers like Abandoned Arts.

There's now a cool expansion for the Dark Roads & Golden Hells book, called Shadow Planes & Pocket Worlds. Also, one extra plane that didn't make it into the print book!

Ok, I know everyone is excited about 5E and the playtest. But hey, players for 4E deserve some 4E content in this forum too!

So, just a heads-up that the Midgard Bestiary is being made available for 4th Edition D&D, with 150 monsters. The book is designed, playtested, edited, and the presses are ready to roll--it just needs help funding a print run.

Please support 4E gaming with the Midgard Bestiary Kickstarter today!

The kobolds are doing the monster dance, and everyone is invited!

This contest is a straight-up monster design gig, which has been won by such gaming luminaries as Adam Daigle and others. You've got 800 words to write a cool new monster!

The winner will be published in a future issue of Kobold Quarterly.

The judges this time out include Ben McFarland (Streets of Zobeck), Adam Roy (Journeys to the West), and Sigfried Trent (Complete Advanced Feats). They'll choose 5 nominees, and the gaming public picks the winner!

Deadline? Friday, May 18, noon Pacific.

Details? King of the Monsters

Richard Pett is a mad genius. There, I said it.

First review is up and it is five stars, and I have to think the elven archer is a big part of that. The derro had an Ecology about them in Kobold Quarterly #1, and they're back in this issue with Ooze Magic, which is disgusting, yet vile.

So, what do people like in this issue?

Many thanks to all the Paizonians who contributed to this issue, and for the nod to the Cthulhu adventure Red Eye of Azathoth as well.

What's your favorite article from KQ#19? Mine is probably the Tian Xia preview, but I'm also quite happy with the Arch Devil Lau Kiritsu.

The biggest badass of the Divine Favor series arrives with a bang. The Inquisitor offers something for everyone who likes kicking down doors and taking names.

Also, a pretty good short-short story about the Inquisitor over on the KQ site. Reminds me a lot of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.

It's in print, and I still can't believe some of the designers who shared their experience and tips in this book. And there's a review out on another site that mentions its value for design of other tabletop sorts of games, not just board games.

The first of the Divine Favor series is here! And yes, we're covering most or all of the divine classes. This one offers slew of archetypes and some great paladin-specific spells.

I look forward to what the Dark Mistress or others have to say about the Shiny Good Guys. :)

Well, sure I'll kick things off. This issue includes the new Savant base class for Pathfinder for advanced players, plus cavalier orders, dragon lairs, a dragon encounter, and Pathfinder advice from Skip Williams.

My personal favorite is either the Tim Connors Pathfinder RPG adventure "The Exorcists" (with one of the GREAT twist openings ever, it should be in the Pathfinder movie) or the Synergistic Magic, which sets up a method for spellslingers to combine spells into new and better combos. The examples are amazing.

Anyway, lots to love here.

There's an error in the product listing; this actually includes three new monsters. The lindwurm is also included.

This is, of course, a supplement for the Northlands book. Everything that we couldn't quite fit into the first book.

Six classes in the Advanced Player's Guide = six PDFs packed with feats, commentary, and 20-level character builds in the Advanced Feats series!

Yep, the first run is complete, and I think it has gone from strength to strength. What do you think of Sigfried's series for the new classes? And what would you like to see next?

Well, it's my design, so I guess it's up to me to quote this review: "The guys at Wizards of the Coast could learn a thing or two about adventure design with this dark beauty."

As a former Wizard of the Coast, I think that's quite amusing.

Quite a nice review: 5 stars!

This is a small but fierce compilation of material for any temperate forest... But especially those where Baba Yaga might prowl.

Ah-HA! I knew there was an alchemist's lab around here somewhere!

This is Open Design's first take on character design and expansion for the APG. There's more coming to cover the whole APG, so .... let me know what you think!

Back from Gen Con and the first thing I see about the new issue is a 5-star review! There's 96-pages of goodies in this one, meaning that it is as long as a Pathfinder Adventure Path --- at less than half the price!

Lots to enjoy here, but I'm also open to criticism. What do you all think of the newest, biggest KQ yet?

The True Story of a tribe of kobolds abducting the Tall and Burly Jason Bulmahn for a night of beer and game talk is retold in the Kobold Quarterly PaizoCon report.

Also, a few shaky pics. Man, I need to get a better cameraphone.

Man I love this lost-world stuff. Can't wait to pick up my copy at PaizoCon!

Oh, and tell me there are new dinosaurs in it.

People asked for a Pathfinder version of this popular title, and whaddya know, here it is. The original OGL stats are revised and expanded, and there's new material well beyond the Empire of the Ghouls sourcebook as well.

Print edition will hit in about 10 days.

For the latest Pathfinder project from Open Design, Paizo authors Tim and Eileen Connors are leading the charge. It's an anthology-style project, so up to 8 project patrons will be published designers by the end of it.

It covers levels 1 to 10 and the theme is the Deep Dark Forest: Tales of the Old Margreve. Currently seeking patrons.

Thoughts?

The first Pathfinder monster has shown up in the Top 10 of the King of the Monsters contest: the CR 23 Grave Linnorm!

He's got a hell of a breath weapon. Find some mints, dude. :)

Now available in print right here at the Paizo store, with art throughout by the talented Hugo Solis.

Kobold Quarterly has posted some variant rules for sanity/madness, using a Mind score and different forms of temporary and lingering madness.

It's a freebie written by Scott Gable.

Linkie. Part 2 goes live tomorrow.

Thoughts?

Yes indeed, KQ has launched its second Pathfinder-friendly issue, number 11. This one contains GM advice from Jason Bulmahn, plus an article by Paizo intern Hank Woon.

And probably Monte Cook's best "Game Theories" column to date. So.....Thoughts? Favorites? Traps and diagrams for future installments?

Let's hear it!

The second patron project using the Pathfinder RPG rules has been announced — and the project may also wind up using the Golarion setting, exploring a set of lost Azlantean ruins!

For more details or to contribute to the project with your own ideas, take a look at the adventure summary and sign up as a patron.

Participation in this project is likely to be capped to a limited number of patrons, so please sign up today.

Yes, Paizo's own James Jacobs is on the second installment of the Open Design Podcast! I got to chat with him about game design, editing, his work on Kobold Quarterly #5 and future issues, and other topics.

Give the show a listen, and subscribe on iTunes or subscribe to the RSS feed.

Wesley gets all diabolical talking about the Princes of Darkness book, plus some other scoops about free Pathfinder stuff on Free RPG Day.

And, you know, more.

Interview is at koboldquarterly.com, natch.

Hey all!

Today we unveil the launch of the Open Design podcast, a monthly discussion about game design and game mastery. Ed Healy and Rone Barton join me co-hosting each show, and Monte Cook and Skip Williams appear in regular feature segments, covering game design and dispensing game advice respectively. And we're extremely OGL/3E friendly.

In episode one we talk with Jeff Grubb about world building and the joys of collaborative design, RPG Superstar finalist Clinton Boomer about monster design, and Brandon Hodge spills about patronage and his work on Halls of the Mountain King

Because we believe in bribery, we’re also having a prize giveaway. Listen in and find out how to win.

Two weeks ago KQ ran an interview with Jason Bulmahn; this week, it's SKR's turn to tell the kobold diplomats about the Pathfinder RPG, WoW, and other topics.

Interview is linkified here.

Yes, after a bit of a wait, the KOBOLD Guide to Game Design, Volume 2, is now available.

The subtitle is "How to Pitch, Playtest, and Publish", and it is probably a book of interest to Superstars because of the essays on "How to Pitch" and "How NOT to Design a Magic Item".

There's art and a bit of Paizo inside story over at the Friday Funny on KQ.com today.

Yes, Mr. J is on the road to artistic fame!

So the first monsters loosely tied to Osirion, Qadira, etc are now available in Kobold Quarterly #7. James Jacobs was a particular fan of the torthune (not surprising, given the alien/Mythos overtones of that beast).

Which of these monsters would you most want to see appear in a Legacy of Fire adventure?