Presenting my third review article this week, we move on to Wolfgang Baur’s projects Open Design and Kobold Quarterly.  This is an exciting week for both as 4E content accelerates as Halls of the Mountain King moves into the 4E conversion phase and Kobold Quarterly releases more 4E content then ever before. It looks like votes from last week are in and the 4E Halls will be for levels 8-11 ushering in Paragon play.

Note I am going to leave out the duplication of content and announcements.

Open Design

Note that these articles require a subscription to Open Design to access.

Playtest Reports

More playtest reports come in for the 3.5 version of Halls of the Mountain King. Each of these encounters reported on sound exciting and unique. The senior patrons who have designed these encounters sound like they’ve done a terrific job. I hope to get both the 3.5 and the 4E version of both Halls and the Gazetteers so that I can report on all content from the project.

• Heartsblood Forge
• Dark Was the Night
• Dark Was the Night (2)

Iron Gazetteer ~ link

While design on the Dwarves of the Ironcrags Gazetteer for 3.5 continues with Wolfgang writing the entirety, the Iron Gazetteer kicks off this week.  Discussion begins with suggestions on the content to include. It looks like many people are looking for paragon paths, rituals, and equipment.  Wolfgang has indicated that he does not want to include any of the culture pieces from the Ironcrags Gazetteer so this will be all fresh content. Join now and you can join in on the discussion.

Monster Conversions

The first of the senior patron work for 4E has been delivered to all supporting patrons in the form of three creatures. Discussion is raging on each of the creatures already, but I can tell that the patrons are getting into the swing of things with 4E design.  All of these will pass through Wolfgang’s development once the community has provided feedback.

• Fledgling Roc – a large roc that can pick up opponents and drop them prone
• Cavelight Moss – an obstacle or a soldier, you decide in discussion
• Gilded Devil – a controller that wields a golden flail and is covered in golden armor

Kobold Quarterly

Note Kobold Quarterly links are open content.

Kobold Quarterly #9 was released this past week and it is a phenomenal issue which will be reviewed in a subsequent review.  What was nice to see was additional 4E support in the magazine. Wolfgang has run an article in issue 7 and a few on the site, but this issue had 3 and now additional support online.

Monster Monday – Maenad [4E] ~ link

Presented in depth in the print magazine, the Maenad is given a 4E monster treatment by Matthew Hanson online. Matthew gives us the Maenad Warrior and Maenad Wilder as opponents for your PCs. They are interesting low level heroic tier creatures that provide an alternative to the more primitive humanoids in the Monster Manual.

Kitsune [3.5E] ~ link

The Kitsune are presented in the print magazine as a player race for 4E.  Scott Gable gives us a 3.5 version of these 9-tailed foxes of Japanese folklore as a player race as well.  Along with the stats to play these sneaky tricksters, Scott gives us details on the Star Ball as a wizard spell and Fox Possession as a ritual.

Interview with Aeryn Rudel ~ link

Well known creature crafter Blackdirge is interviewed by Jeremy Jones on his recent work with Goodman Games and his history with creating some of the most detailed and nasty creatures for 3.5.  Aeryn has written many products for his own PDF publishing company but was recently hired on as a staff writer for Goodman Games. At Goodman he has been given the position of senior editor for the new Level Up! magazine for 4E.  I look forward to seeing the fresh content that Level Up will bring to the 4E 3rd party publishing world with a dedicated magazine for this edition. I also learned a new word that I’m not sure I want haunting my head any more ~ autophagia.

Monster Monday – Buggane [3.5E] ~ link

Richard Pett returns to Kobold Quarterly with the latest Monster Monday. The buggane is a devilish looking creature from the folklore of the Isle of Man. Buggane gather in the cacophonous Great Hunt in the forest wielding scythes as they chase their chosen prey.

Until tomorrow when I’ll tackle some of the blog posts from the last week that have caught my attention that I’d like to promote and discuss.

The ash mephit is a small winged humanoid composed of ash particles. An ash mephit is from the Quasi Elemental Plane of Ash in the Elemental Chaos. The stifling plane is difficult to breathe in as the cloying cold ash seems to seek out warmth. This impish creature enjoys suffocating beings with its ashes.

Created with Monster Maker 3.5 by Asmor.com

Ash Mephit Tactics

The ash mephit starts a battle by sneaking into a position that it can catch a number of breathing opponents with its cloud of ash. It will then breathe on any close opponents before running away to hide again.

Ash Mephit Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful Arcana check.

DC 15: The ash mephit is an elemental humanoid from the Quasi Elemental Plane of Ash. It delights in taunting breathing creatures as they suffocate.

DC 20: The ash mephit finds a suitable location to unleash a cloud of ash that remains in place suffocating those caught in it. The mephit can also breathe on opponents close to it.

DC 25: The ash mephit is resistant to both fire and cold.

Encounter Groups

Ash mephits delight in causing havoc and suffocating their opponents and are sometimes found near volcanic regions filled with magma and ash.

Level 4 Encounter (XP 850)

• 1 Ash Mephit (level 4 controller)
• 2 Magma Claws (level 4 brute)
• 1 Magma Hurlers (level 4 artillery)
• 1 Ashbeast (level 3 lurker)