It appears that I will have worked on one of the last 3.5 edition books to see print before 4th edition redefines Dungeons & Dragons. The Exemplars of Evil supplement features nine ready to play villains, the ambitions that motivate them, and the henchmen who execute their will. When I initially signed on, all the archetypes had already been chosen by in-house designers, but I still had my pick of which chapter to write. The fire giant queen attracted me right away. I knew she had to be a wu jen.

You can read more about Exemplars of Evil either by clicking here or on the cover image. As well, Valbryn Morlydd, the fire giant wu jen queen that I ultimately created, has been featured in an excerpt on the Wizards of the Coast web site.

Thanks to the enduring efforts of Sérgio Teixeira da Silva, the goblin paragon and hobgoblin paragon, along with the existing bugbear paragon, now comprise a trio of monstrous scions, each with their own unique role in goblinoid society. The goblin paragon is a self-serving opportunist, employing underhanded tactics. The hobgoblin paragon stands beside their brothers in arms, coordinating offensive strength.

All of these goblinoids are detailed in the races section, either as Level Adjustment +0 races or as a racial class.

Are you the kind of person who actively seeks out adventure? Does your patience dry up while other people formulate a plan? Have you already skipped over this sentence to read the next one? Well now there is a prestige class for you! Paradoxically, the swiftblade was a late-coming idea intended for publication in Complete Mage, but missed the deadline. Rather than deprive readers of this prestige class, however, Wizards of the Coast has seen fit to publish the swiftblade as a web enhancement. Let it be know that this prestige class would not have been possible without Brian Moran, who originally came to me with the idea.

A full season after my first "Dead Levels" article was published, sparking a flurry of feedback both for and against those ideas, I have dared to indulge the concept again, albeit with a substantial introduction this time. I take on the alternative core classes (archivist, beguiler, duskblade, and so on) in this article, attempting to offer thematic special abilities that fill the levels in which none are received. The "Dead Levels II" article also invites dungeon masters (or players for that matter) to adopt the material as printed or come up with their own dead level abilities. As usual, I'm always curious to know what other people are thinking.

For anybody familiar with this web site, you are well aware of how I almost pathologically rewrite Dungeons & Dragons rules. Having somehow convinced Wizards of the Coast that I can be counted on, I am finally in a strategic position to introduce my ideas through backdoor internet channels. Okay, I'm no modern day doppelganger field agent; perhaps a long term 4th edition mole? You can read my latest attempt at revisionist espionage in an article called "Dead Levels" that grants special abilities (with an imperceptible impact on game balance) during every level in which the printed core character classes gain none.

Working on Complete Mage was a whirlwind for me. I was brought on board late into development and asked to write the first chapter as if a haste spell had been cast on my brain. Let me tell you, nothing promotes inventiveness like an inflexible deadline. This book has come with a pleasant surprise. After Gwendolyn Kestrel read my turnover, she recommended that I be promoted from "additional material" to "designer with cover credit", which seems to have taken effect. Thanks Gwendolyn!

The chapter I helped develop is typically the one that gamers flip through on their way to more crunchy material. If you like flavor text, tell me what you think. You can read more about Complete Mage either by clicking here or on the cover image.

Earlier last month, the Wizards of the Coast web site hosted the multiclassing quest that I wrote for monks and paladins. This month, that multiclassing quest, "The Unwavering Path", has been beautifully edited and typeset to appear like a published book, but in PDF format. Seeing my name all by itself next to a "Design" credit is kind of a thrill. I love working with other people in a collaborative effort, but it also feels good to foster something on my own as well.

You can download the new version of "The Unwavering Path" by clicking here.

I held off posting the lizardfolk racial class until the Monster Manual IV was released, which I knew would contain a new entry for the lizardfolk. Since nobody deemed to include a racial class there, I feel that it is my solemn duty to include those levels here. The lizardfolk racial class and the lizardfolk paragon are now hosted under one roof, as well they should be.

In formatting this racial class, I also updated all the other racial classes (in keeping with current standards).

I pitched an article to Wizards of the Coast a few months ago about exchanging feats. Turns out I was thinking too small. The Player's Handbook II, soon to be released at that point, had me beat. After reading that book, I was ensnared by the chapter on rebuild quests and consequently pitched a new article. The result of that proposal grew into my latest web enhancement entitled "Multiclassing Quest: Monks and Paladins". While successfully completing this quest does not allow you to rebuild your character, it does let monks and paladins bend one of their more "strict" rules. This quest marks my first published adventure.

If you feel helpless going up against a rust dragon or rust monster, fearful of losing your greatsword and platemail to their insatiable appetites for metal, blame your own lack of foresight.

The forward thinking adventurer can now protect their equipment from these corrosive nuisances by coating their metal possessions with an alchemical substance called rustguard. For a more permanent solution, characters can also augment their magic armor, shields, or weapons with a new special quality known as rust immunity.

My contribution to Monster Manual IV, although small, was nonetheless present in this multi-authored book. I managed to sneak in there with the nagatha (pain-driven monstrous humanoids that serve their spirit naga masters) and the varag (slow-witted goblinoids that commingle dire wolves and hobgoblins), the latter of which is beautifully rendered by Steve Prescott.

This book was an experiment for Wizards of the Coast, as the artwork was solicited first and the writing second, allowing writers to create abilities that are directly consistent with the image. You can read more about Monster Manual IV either by clicking here or on the cover image.

I just returned from a three week European vacation to find that my most recent Wizards of the Coast web enhancement, "Magic Items: Transferring XP Costs", has been freshly uploaded. It appears that Research and Development barely changed a word. I guess scouring through the rule books for every exploitable mechanic was time well spent.

I am a big promoter of player-designed magic items. These rules will make it easier for the poor wizards who typically pay the XP costs for such creations.

If you thought I played favorites with kobolds before, my new web enhancment at Wizard of the Coast, entitled "Kobolds: Playing to Their Strengths", confirms it. You will find variant kobold racial traits, weapons, a domain, a ritual, and a feat therein.

I consider writing articles like this my steadfast duty as an all-watcher of kobold civilization, fueling the prestige and vitality of their labyrinth communities until they control and dominate every campaign setting in which they exist. Indeed, it is a good time to be a Small reptilian humanoid.

Excuse my giddy fan-boy tone ... but I inspired a figurine! I didn't even know this figurine was in production until checking out the Preview for April and Beyond today.

Scroll down to July and there it is, my baby, a dragonwrought kobold, slated for the War of the Dragon Queen miniatures expansion pack.

I'll say it now, you best start playing nice with kobolds because they are primed and ready to take over the world -- one ditherbomb at a time.

I admit it. I held out posting these articles at the Waking Lands hoping that Wizards of the Coast would feature them (for that added touch of credibility). This web enhancement, entitled "Kobolds: Of Traps and Perfection", features ten kobold traps and a paragon that were cut from Races of the Dragon because of size constraints.

A special thanks goes out to my friend "Jason H. Haley", a United States soldier whose ideas were crucial in helping me design the ten kobold traps. I hope your copy of Races of the Dragon shows up in the mail soon buddy!

The first artwork for Races of the Dragon has surfaced and Steve Prescott did the cover honors (placing a kobold right up front no less). Of course, the little bugger wouldn't be so bold if there wasn't a dragon at his back. Races of the Dragon was a pilgrimage of writing for me, proving to myself that I could handle a diverse subject within a set deadline. Make no mistake, I called Gwendolyn Kestrel a few times during the editing stages to make corrections, testing her boundless patience, I'm sure. (I even started worshipping Kurtulmak a little bit to get my way.)

You can read more about Races of the Dragon either by clicking here or on the cover image. The Waking Lands gets a mention in my biography!

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Races of the Dragon
Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, and Kolja Raven Liquette
A new D&D sourcebook detailing races descended from dragons.
Races of the Dragon provides D&D players and Dungeon Masters with an in-depth look at races descended from or related to dragons. In addition to exploring the fan-favorite kobold race, Races of the Dragon introduces two new races, dragonborn and spellscales, and provides information on half-dragons. The dragonborn are a transitive race, an exciting new concept that allows players to transform from their initial race into a new one. The book also includes a wealth of cultural information and new prestige classes, feats, equipment, spells and magic items.
160 page hardcover, $29.95.
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Christopher Perkins: "Say Kolja, can you write 8,000 words in five days?"

Kolja: *Cough, gag, sputter* "Um ... yes?"

Christopher Perkins: "Great! You start immediately. I'm e-mailing you the guidelines as we speak."

The Eberron book entitled Five Nations comes out today. Suffice it to say, I haven't written that quickly regarding a subject I knew virtually nothing about since university. You can read more about Five Nations either by clicking here or on the cover image.