When the umbral kobold owner of the Exploding Herb alchemy shop is questioned about a magical gem that he may or may not have enchanted, both danger and bombs fly. Will Kurdag find a mortal enemy among the Hookblades? Will the neighbor’s wagon be smashed to splinters or explode into woodchips?

The Gem That Caught Fire is the second in the Shadowsfall Legends line of short tales taking place on the Plane of Shadows. This amazing story is written by infamous Ed Greenwood. It is now available in PDF, ePub, and mobi (Kindle) formats. Download today at DriveThruRPG/DriveThruFiction/RPGNow, Paizo.com, Amazon.com, BN.com, Smashwordsand many more.

Also check out the first in the Shadowsfall Legends series: Pawn, Deception and Sacrifice written by Mur Lafferty. Download it today at DriveThruRPG/DriveThruFiction/RPGNow, Paizo.com, Amazon Kindle Store, Smashwords, B&N Nook and more in the near future. Download today in ePub, PDF and now in mobi (Kindle) formats. Read it today on your computer, phone or tablet.

The annual GM’s Day Sale begins TODAY at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow. We at Jon Brazer Enterprises wanted to let you know what we are offering at 25% off. If you have been eyeing these, this sale is not to miss.

Pathfinder

Book of the River Nations: Complete Player’s Reference for Kingdom Building (as well as the three PDFs that were compiled into this book).
Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations
Book of Beasts: Wandering Monsters 1
Book of Friends and Foes: Under the Mountain
Book of the Faithful: Power of Prayer
Book of the Faithful: Worshipping Swords
Encounters and Maps: Cave of Kobolds

Traveller

All of our Mech Tech ‘n’ bot line including
Mech Tech ‘n’ bot: Fighters and Small Ships and
Mech Tech ‘n’ bot: Mech Squadrons
Player Career Pack 1
and most especially, our
d66 Compendium

Be sure to grab these and take advantage of this amazing sale while you can. Its on until March 7th so don’t miss out.

We’ve recently got some excellent reviews of some of our books and every last one was a 5-Star review! So I thought I would share excerpts and links to them for you.

First up, we have the book that everyone loves: the Book of the River Nations: Complete Player’s Reference for Kingdom Building. The first review comes from a gentlemen named Gregg Helmberger. Here are some of the highlights from his 5-Star review:
“Therefore, anything that can make your life easier as a GM is something to buy, treasure, and recommend to others.”
“If you plan to feature a lot of mass combat, you NEED this.”
“this is excellent stuff that you will make use of”
“Overall, this is a truly exemplary resource for players and GMs using the Kingdom Building subsystems in their games.”
Thank you Gregg for your kind words. I really appreciate them.

Next up is John Benbo‘s 5-Star review of the same book. His review is much shorter, but is no less filled with love for this book. To show exactly how he felt, he titled the review “Indispensable!” I’m just going to reprint the whole review here:

When I decided to start up my Kingmaker campaign, I knew I had to have this book from the reviews I’ve read and it hasn’t let me down. My group is still slogging away through book 2 but they have already gone through 4 and half years of kingdom builing. The players have enjoyed the extra buildings and, as the GM, I’ve really enjoyed the expanded random encounter section. Additionally, being available in print makes it more convenient to flip through at the table. What also impressed me was the community support of this product by creating an excel spreadsheet that incorporated the extra material in this book. This has made the kingdom building aspect a breeze to keep track of.

The last 5-Star review we’ve received recently is for the Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Shadow Plane from “Stark Enterprises VP“. He described this book as:

“this is a spectacular little collection of monsters.”
“There’s not a single beast in this thing that isn’t well-worth your purchase dollars.”
“The flavor text of this thing is pretty awesome too.”
“I can’t wait to see the other books in this line, just on the quality of this stuff.”
“In the final analysis, Jon Brazer’s knocked another one out of the park”

Despite all these wonderful things, its the last line in Stark’s review that really says it all, I think. Despite having received the PDF as a review copy he said, “I’ll be buying this myself when the print/PDF combo goes live … it’s that good!” Thank you. Truly, thank you.

Be sure to pick up your copy of Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Shadow Plane, Book of the River Nations: Complete Player’s Reference for Kingdom Building and others at JonBrazer.com, Your Local Gaming Store or at your favorite gaming website.

Longtime followers of JBE will know that I run a Kingmaker Pathfinder game at home. We’re currently playing in our alternate adventure path (Carrion Crown) while I do a rewrite of adventure 4. Short of the long, the group has gone a little off the very loose AP rails and adventure 4 is being tossed for my campaign. While I’m using some of it as a basis, I need new material. The Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations is a great place to start, but I need more. So I’m generating my own adventure and some custom monsters during this break. Today I created this monster and I thought I would share it with you. So here you go, one free monster. Enjoy.

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Slime Beast

Translucent with a blue-green color, this creature jelly-like body is vaguely humanoid-shaped but possesses no eyes in the head.
Slime Beast                  CR 12
XP 19,200
NE Large ooze
Init +8; Senses blindsight 60 ft., tremorsense 120 ft.; Perception +24

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Defense

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AC 23, touch 13, flat-footed 19 (+4 Dex, +10 natural, -1 size)
hp 178 (17d8+102)
Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +12
Defensive Abilities acid body; Immune acid, piercing, slashing

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Offense

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Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft., swim 60 ft.
Melee 2 slams +21 (1d6+9/19-20 plus 4d6 acid)
Ranged acid glob +15 (4d6 acid)
Space 10 ft., Reach 10 ft.

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Statistics

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Str 29, Dex 18, Con 22, Int 11, Wis 25, Cha 2
Base Atk +12; CMB +22 (+24 bull rush); CMD 34 (cannot be tripped, 36 vs bull rush)
Feats Awesome Blow, Critical Focus, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack (-4/+8), Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills Climb +17, Perception +24, Stealth +17 (+25 when under water), Swim +17; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth when under water

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Ecology

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Environment cold or temperate marsh or swamp
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none

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Special Abilities

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Acid Body (Ex) The physical form of the slime beast is a gelled acid. It is immune to all damage from piercing or slashing weapons . Additionally, all objects that strike the slime beast sustain 1d6 points of acid damage. Creatures that strike the slime beast with a natural weapon or an unarmed attack sustain 1d6 points of acid damage.
Acid Glob (Ex) Once every 2 rounds, a slime beast can produce a ball of slime in its hand and throw it at a range increment of 10 ft. to a maximum of 60 ft. Those successfully struck by the blog of slime sustain 4d6 points of acid damage and must succeed a DC 24 Fortitude save or sustain an additional 4d6 points of damage the following round on the slime beast’s turn. Producing the glob of slime and throwing it  is a single standard action. Being completely submerged in water will reduce the second round’s damage by half.

The great adventurer, abjurer and researcher, Riyal Starlight, has explored much of the world. Throughout his travels he documented many of the dangerous and unusual hazards he has lived to tell the tale. Now within these pages, he shares his findings with you.

Riyal’s Research: Haunts brings you two dozen new haunts for you to endanger your player characters’ very lives. These haunts range in CR from 1 – 15 and include haunts inspired by movies and books throughout the fantasy/urban fantasy genre. These haunts detail the power behind deadly chants, talking skulls, cliffs of insanity and flooding rivers. These murderous menaces will enhance your world and your adventures.

Check out a preview of the haunts within right here. Grab these haunts at Paizo and DriveThruRPG/RPGNow.com.

Also be sure to check out Riyal’s Research: Traps, the first installment in the Riyal’s Research line. Download it today at Paizo and DriveThruRPG/RPGNow.com.

Earlier today, the Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Shadow Plane picked up its FOURTH 5-STAR review. We figured we’d share a few of the wonderful things being said about the book and the monsters inside with you.

Thilo Graf (aka Endzeitgeist)
“prime example of stellar monster design”
“they feel wholly distinct from any regular creatures of the same CR. Kudos!”
“Grognards … get a nice blast from the past/homage”
“this book … contains a wealth of cool creatures and ideas.”
“I look forward to seeing more supplements for the plane of shadows”
“a final verdict of 5 stars and a definite recommendation for this excellent bestiary.”

Dark Mistress
“vast majority [of the monsters] very good to outstanding”
“I really can’t wait for [the Shadowsfall books].”
“You won’t regret it.”

The Alfred Effect:
“It is this attention to detail that really makes these creatures stand out in my mind and it will help any GM add them to a campaign.”
“Dale and Jon Brazer Enterprises put together an excellent product every time and this is no exception.”
“this is the book for you.”

KTFish7
“a fantastic collection of creatures.”
“raising the stakes for all creatures after it.”
“treasure trove of diabolical deliciousness.”
“solid 5 stars rating, and highly recommending it”

We would like to give an extra big thank you to everyone involved in the creation of this book. All these wonderful things being said about it would not be possible without you.

Pick up the Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Shadow Plane today! Order it from your local game store or favorite gaming website or order it from JonBrazer.com

The first Riyal’s Research covered Traps. The second in the series discusses Haunts. These 24 new haunts ranging from CR 1 to 15 with a page of the great researcher’s notes on the subject will be released Tuesday, February 14th, but we’re giving you a special sneak peak today. We hope you enjoy these haunts.

Misty River CR 2
XP 600
CE persistent haunt (5 ft. by 10 ft. river between old pilings)
Caster Level 2nd
Notice Perception DC 20 (to hear wood breaking)
hp 9; Trigger touch; Reset 1 day
Effect Long ago, a wooden bridge that crossed this 10 ft. wide river broke and fell away drowning a family. A path still leads to both sides of the river. When a creature touches the water just beyond the path where the bridge once crossed, a mist forms over the water (20 ft. radius, centered on where the creature touched the water) as per the spell obscuring mist. The mist lasts for 2 minutes.
Destruction A new bridge must be built crossing the river.

Breathless Gasps CR 6
XP 2,400
NE haunt (10 ft. by 15 ft. pool of water)
Caster Level 6th
Notice Perception DC 25 (the sound of water splashing and someone gasping for air)
hp 14; Weakness susceptible to water; Trigger touch; Reset 1 minute
Effect Deep in a cave long ago, an elf and drow war came down to last pair of warriors. They struggled until the elf was tripped and landed in a small pool of water. Filled with rage, the drow strangled the elf face down in the water. Whenever a creature touches that same pool, the water rushes into creature’s lungs as if affected by a suffocation spell (see Section 5 of the Advanced Player’s Guide). Any spell with the water descriptor (other than control water) damages the haunt equal to twice the spell level. Control water neutralizes this haunt.
Destruction During a full moon, the water must be completely drained and replaced with holy water. During the following new moon, a bottle of air must be shattered below the surface of the holy water pool.

Words of Asmodeus CR 9
XP 6,400
LE persistent haunt (15 ft. by 15 ft. altar dedicated to Asmodeus)
Caster Level 9th
Notice Perception DC 35 (to hear the sound of chanting in Infernal)
hp 40; Weakness vulnerable to sonic; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 hour
Effect It is said that the spirit of Asmodeus’s priest protects the altar against thieves even though no one worships there any longer. Those that have encountered one of these haunted altars tell of the powerful chants. Any creature that approaches sees the haunt manifest as a spectral cleric. Its chanting words cut deep causing creatures within 20 ft. of the spectral cleric to take 4d8 points of damage and are staggered for 1 round. Worshipers of Asmodeus sustain 9d6 points of damage and are stunned for 1d4 rounds. Half of the damage is sonic; the other half is negative energy damage. A successful DC 16 Fortitude save halves the damage and negates the staggering/stunning effect. This is similar to a rebuke spell (see Section 5 of the Advanced Player’s Guide). The spectral cleric can move up to 60 ft. away from the altar.
Destruction When the moon turns as red as blood, a cleric of any god other than Asmodeus must cast consecrate or desecrate on the altar. Within one day, the altar must be pulverized into tiny rocks and powder. Praises to any deity other than Asmodeus need to be sung or chanted during both phases of this destruction.

Grab out Riyal’s Research: Trap today and watch for Riyal’s Research: Haunts next week. Get these and more Pathfinder PDFs at Paizo and DriveThruRPG/RPGNow.com

Personally, I feel there are not enough traps in the Pathfinder Role Playing Game. With parts of the game like monsters and archetypes getting stronger support, traps feel like they do not have enough “sex appeal” for a more prominent place in the game. So we at Jon Brazer Enterprises are here to help traps reclaim their mojo in your game. Below are three traps from our recent Riyal’s Research: Traps. We hope you enjoy them.

Kobold Razortooth Trap CR 1
Type mechanical; Perception DC 29; Disable Device DC 15
Effects
Trigger location; Reset automatic; Bypass small or smaller creatures do not set off this trap
Effect tooth tipped spears (Atk +0 melee, 1d4 spear plus poison [black adder venom])
A favorite among kobolds, a razor-sharp, tooth tipped spear extends from a small hole in the wall when this trap is triggered. In order to set it off, the creature must be a medium or larger creature. Small creatures do not weigh enough to set off this trap. Since the trigger requires a creature of so much weight for the trap to go off, the spear’s aim is not terribly great. Many creatures experience the rush of air as the spear extending out mere inches in front of them. Trap cost: 1,250 gp. Construction DC: Craft (traps) 25.

Acid Shower Trap CR 6
Type mechanical; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 20
Effects
Trigger location; Reset repair
Effect acid shower (save DC 29 Reflex negates, 2d10 acid damage, touched creature takes damage for 3 rounds)
Acid pours down from a hole in the ceiling and begins to burn the creature if it did not make the save. It is believed that the creator of this trap got the kobold’s acid dump trap and decided to make a more sophisticated version. This trap is most common in labyrinths or in 10 ft. wide hallways where all those normally there know to avoid the trigger. Trap cost: 7,500 gp. Construction DC: Craft (traps) 25.

Lightning Storm Trap CR 8
Type mechanical; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 15
Effects
Trigger sound; Duration 2 rounds; Reset repair; Bypass hidden lock (Perception DC 25 to locate, Disable Device
DC 30 disarm)
Effect alchemical device (5d6 electricity, save DC 25 Reflex half, creatures in metal armor take a -4 to this save); multiple targets (all targets in a 30-ft.-radius cone)
Used to protected treasure rooms, this trap sprays electricity from a suit of armor in the corner. Since it is triggered by noises as quiet as two coins clanging together, thieves fill up their bags with coins will set it off. However the trigger is disabled when the fingers of the suit of armor’s right fist are pointed out. Because the suit of armor is metal, failing the Disable Device check by 5 or more sets off the trap. Trap cost: 8,000 gp. Construction DC: Craft (traps) 25.

If you like these, be sure to check out Riyal’s Research: Traps today. Also watch out for Riyal’s Research: Haunts coming out next week. These deadly dangers will enhance your world and your game.

Fight the Dark Side

The Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Shadow Plane details the deadly and frightning monsters that go bump in the night. More than 50 brand new monsters for your Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, these monsters will frighten players and challenge their characters in new and exciting ways. This monster book is the latest in the award-winning Book of Beasts series and is the bestiary to the Shadowfall series, premiering in 2012.

The PDF is now available to DriveThruRPG/RPGNow as well as Paizo.com. The print book can be ordered at your local game store or your favorite gaming web retailer. Order the print book today and get the PDF for free.

This whole week we’ve been previewing the Book of Beasts: Monsters of the River Nations. Earlier we took a look at the unquiet giant, darkling, appendixes and the Monsters from the Bestiaries. As our final installment we’re showing you the Table of Contents. Click on the image to see the enlarged version of the page.

Look through and you will see a wide variety of CRs from low to high level monsters. We’ve got sub CR 1 monsters like the Dull Mite and the Monkeybat and we’ve got high level monsters like the Champion Helblar and the Starak. We wanted to make sure all levels of play were supported with this book, not just the early levels. We hope that this monster book will be invaluable to those that have been asking for high level support while still enhancing the low and mid level games.

One last thing we have been saving. We raised enough to print enough quantities of our Free RPG Day adventure to get 3 in every box! That’s right. So now there is more than just the one copy that goes to the store’s best Game Master. Now there is enough for others to that have been excited about this or those that have never heard of us to grab yourself a copy.

I hope you have been enjoying these previews as much as we have had sharing them with you. Tell your local game store today to preorder you a copy. Don’t forget our PDF Guarantee allowing you to get an electronic copy when the buy the print version.

PS: Oh and look what just arrived!