"Lotsa Blocks!" Price Reduction

After a decent response to the sale on our Lotsa Blocks! pdf, we've decided to permanently set the price at $4.00 (a 50% savings from the original price)! You can grab this pdf at any of our online stores: Paizo, OBS, or YourGamesNow!

Happy Cyber Monday!

We're offering two of our higher priced pdfs at a great discount for today only!

BtS: Compendium is 50% off for a price of $7.50: http://www.rpgnow.com/index.php?discount=47098

Lotsa Blocks! is an astounding 75% off for a price of $2.00 (that's just 2 cents a block!): http://www.rpgnow.com/index.php?discount=7872

Facebook Fan Page

We've had a couple small discussions at the RP Media Network but now you can also give us some fan love at our Facebook Fan Page!

Join Us!

Come on down and visit Tricky Owlbear's page on the brand spankin' new RolePlay Media Network!

BtM: Roper released!

Available now at RPGNow is the 9th pdf in the Behind the Monsters series, this one focusing on the Roper! Written by the talented and prolific Stefen Styrsky, this pdf puts the roper back where it belongs--in the aberration category!

Edit: we're now live at Paizo.com!

Abbey Review

The first review of Abbey of the Golden Sparrow has appeared at OBS!

BtS: Compendium compatibility update

Several folks have inquired about a Pathfinder-compatible version of our popular Behind the Spells: Compendium pdf. I suspected there would be little to update and, indeed, was proven correct as I combed through the book today. 99% of the work is compatible already but, of course, there's always a couple things that need attention due to some minor changes from 3.5 to Pathfinder. Thus, I decided that I would simply post the "errata" to make the Compendium Pathfinder-compatible right here...

Dispel Magic: remove the "Area Dispel" section from the second spell secret

Shield: replace the Strength check with the combat maneuver bonus when attempting the bull rush for the first spell secret

Web: replace the Strength checks with combat maneuver bonuses (the DC for these and Escape Artist checks is the DC of the spell)

Wish/Limited Wish: ignore the spell secrets dealing with XP

Aside from these fixes, you must also account for skill changes such as Spot = Perception, Decipher Script = Linguistics, etc. These are seldom encountered as most skill checks in the book deal with Spellcraft and Knowledge.

That's it! Now, you needn't hesitate in picking up BtS: Compendium to bring your spellcaster up to full potential.

Paizo FTW!

Abbey is now live at Paizo.com!

Abbey of the Golden Sparrow released! (Pathfinder compatible)

Abbey of the Golden Sparrow is the first in our line of “locale” supplements featuring information for players and Game Masters alike. Locales are places of interest that can be dropped into any fantasy campaign that help bring the setting to life for the already harried GM. Abbey of the Golden Sparrow is designed especially with an eye toward monk characters but there is no reason that another character class might not be living at or visiting the abbey (or make use of many of the new rules presented). No matter the class, players using this text will be able to give their characters that much more background which only enhances the roleplaying experience. Likewise, GMs will find plenty of plot hooks and adventure ideas that can occur either inside the abbey or outside, using the locale as a springboard for adventures nearby.

The supplement begins with a short narrative describing the typical life of an initiate at the abbey. This is followed by the locale’s physical description, history, two local myths, and sample doctrines. Then we get to the rules. New feats as well as new character traits are featured. Following these are a new special material (obsidian), three new magic items, and two signature NPCs of the abbey. In short, you get a grab bag of material that can be used together or separately without hindrance.

This 17-page Pathfinder-compatible pdf is available from OBS, YGN, and (soon) from Paizo for $4.95!

A Matter of Faith released!

Is Your Faith Strong Enough?

In 12th-century England, the Welsh-English border is an unstable place. But one Christian outpost is determined to make its stand--with the PCs help, of course! Part adventure and part setting, A Matter of Faith is a 1st-level adventure designed for beginner Game Masters and brings 3.5/OGL fantasy adventure to medieval England. Once the adventure is completed, the outpost will make the perfect home for the new adventuring party.

A Matter of Faith provides...
* A murder-mystery featuring equal parts roleplaying and combat
* Detailed maps of the Malbank Outpost, its church, and the English landscape around it
* Over 20 fully-detailed NPCs that bring the Malbank Outpost to life
* Numerous adventure possibilities that use the outpost as a backdrop (including a quest for a religious item of biblical proportions!)

Will your novice characters have enough faith both in their abilities and in their hearts to overcome the forces of evil and save the outpost from certain doom?

A Matter of Faith retails for $5.95 and is available from OBS, YGN, and Paizo!

'Abbey of the Golden Sparrow' preview

I wanted to show something of our very first Pathfinder-compatible product and decided on this image from Tricky Owlbear regular artist David Hamilton. This is an interior b/w but I believe we'll also feature it on the cover. As I've mentioned on my blog, the Abbey is a mountain locale for monks and the product details a typical life there as well as all the requisite new crunch (new feats, items, 2 sample NPCs, new Character Traits as featured in Paizo's Player's Companion: Second Darkness). What kind of locales would you like to see Tricky Owlbear tackle? We'd like to develop products in this line that are reusable and we think Abbey fits that bill nicely and is a great first product.

Below is the symbol of the monks--the golden sparrow--and is seen on the medallions they wear. These tokens are also one of the new magical items, allowing the monks to magically message nearby monks.

2nd Anniversary!

We've been pretty quiet lately but bigger and better products are in the works. See my post on ENWorld regarding our status HERE!

BtS ends its KQ run

With today's article--Unseen Servant--Tricky Owlbear's mini-series for koboldquarterly.com comes to an end. We've had a fun 11 issues with Wolfgang and company but now the series returns to the nest where it will continue in its normal, longer format. As always, you can stay tuned to Tricky Owlbear on twitter, via my blog, or here on the TO blog. Thanks for your support!

BtS: Compendium at Amazon!

Yes, you read that right. Grab your copy right here! Come and see for yourself what the reviewers are squawking about...

"These pdfs were one of my favorites..."

"In game, this book should be in the library of any serious mage or magic college worthy of the name; in the real world it's well worth having in yours!"

"These tidbits are great fluff to add depth to any campaign world."

"...most named spells aren’t really created by the pretentious blowhards who add their names to them. Things like this really make the book a joy to read."

BtS: Instant Summons (KQ)

We've now hit the tenth article in our series for KQ: Instant Summons: http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/article750.php

This time around there's a brief sidebar by the spell's real-life creator, former TSR luminary Jim Ward!

BtS: Explosive Runes!

Issue #9 is now live: http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/article594.php Can you guess the race of this spell's creator before clicking the link? I'd bet not. :)

Medieval adventure!

So I finally got off my duff and finished editing A Matter of Faith--an adventure set in medieval England in the early 12th century. You can call it an alternate history since it takes v3.5 rules and shoves it into the setting. Magic is around but not overly used since its users are always initially distrusted by others.

Scot has the manuscript and the maps and illustrations so hopefully it won't be terribly long before we can offer it for sale. Did I mention that it's for 1st level PCs and geared for newbie GMs?

BtS: Entangle

Check out #8 in the BtS series for KQ.com--http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/article333.php

Spiritual Weapon at KQ.com

http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/article191.php

Enjoy this tale of self-sacrifice and power-up your next casting of this spell with your favorite domain.

GMs Day Sale!

Only at the ENWorld storefront, Tricky Owlbear is offering 25% off all products through the GMs Day week! Missing some Behind the Spells or Behind the Monsters issues? Maybe you need a quiet 1st-level mystery adventure offered by The 11th Hour? Or perhaps you just need some good old-fashioned stat blocks to speed up your 3e game with Lotsa Blocks! No matter your 3.x/OGL needs, check out Tricky Owlbear's wares to take your game to the next level of fun!

Sale site: http://enworld.rpgnow.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=2158

A Special Stimulus Offer!

We at Tricky Owlbear Publishing want to help you stretch your gaming dollars as far as they'll go. To that end, we're offering a special deal from now through Saturday, Feb 28th. Here's how it works...

Step 1: You buy Behind the Spells: Compendium at any online vendor. PDF format is available at Paizo here: http://paizo.com/store/downloads/trickyOwlbearPublishing/behindTheSpells/v5748btpy83z0
YourGamesNow here: http://www.yourgamesnow.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&manufacturers_id=64&products_id=2267&zenid=2e6f0d0c513df6099be57fe7c12e918f
OBS here: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=56664 Print format available via our Lulu.com storefront here: http://stores.lulu.com/trickyowlbear

Step 2: When you receive an email confirming the purchase from one of these sites, send us a copy of that email to: stimulus@trickyowlbear.com

Step 3: We email you the 4 "Behind the Spells" pdfs produced after the Compendium was published. These include Vampiric Touch, Sanctuary, Feather Fall, and Darkness.

Buy 1 book and get 4 products for free. It's that easy and you'll then have the entire "Behind the Spells" collection as of this date! Not a bad deal to own all the facts behind your favorite SRD spells. Take advantage of the Tricky Owlbear Stimulus Offer today!

Water Breathing

No need to hold your breath any longer, issue #6 is now ready for your enjoyment: http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/article172.php

Are these spell histories and their accompanying magics tickling your fancy? Let us know here or over at the KQ forums.

Traveller Meeting

I had a productive lunch meeting today with Chuck Cuthbert (co-author of BtM: Terror Turkey) and have tapped him to do most of the writing legwork for our first Traveller adventure. He's much more familiar with the material than me and has a great eye for detail when it comes to science and technology. He and I hammered out the basic plotline for this adventure geared toward first-time Traveller GMs and it's not bad. Needs something which I'll have to think about for our next meeting. Still, a very fun way to spend 2-1/2 hrs at Pizza Hut.

More KQ goodies

Yeah, I really don't update this very often. Since the last post, we've produced one more Behind the Spells mini-issues for koboldquarterly.com. That one was Summon Monster and the follow-up I'm nearly finished with is Water Breathing. It is a follow-up in the sense that both spells surface in the BtS timeline at the same Magefair contest (you'll just have to read them to find out which one comes out on top).

We're also prepping an introductory adventure for 3.5/OGL aimed at new GMs which takes place in medieval England (1104 to be exact).

Floating Disk now up at KQ

The newest Behind the Spells for Kobold Quarterly is now ready for your perusal: http://www.koboldquarterly.com/k/article149.php

Is my take on Tenser too far out there? Or would you like similar spins on these classic casters as they come up? Feedback is always welcome.