Ben McFarland

Confront Secrets Stirring in the Dust. . . .Enter devasted lands torn asunder by ghastly creatures and chaos magic. These wastes hide ancient treasures, potent magic, and abandoned cities waiting to be discovered—or refusing to stay buried. Tales from the Wastes brings you fast-paced 5th Edition adventures set in twisted locations packed with memorable NPCs.Inside this tome, find:-15 new single-session adventures, suitable for levels 1–18, playable separately or in sequence-New environmental hazards to face, mysteries to unravel, and encounters with terrifying villains-15 full-page, full-color maps and dozens of illustrations-New monsters, NPCs, magic items, and easy prep for your next game!Enter the wastes and embrace full metal mayhem!

In this companion volume to the Southlands Worldbook for 5E, players will find dozens of rules options to build characters who hail from this sprawling continent or embark upon adventures set there. From racial traits for catfolk, gnolls, jinnborn, minotaurs, lizardfolk, trollkin, and more; to magic options including hieroglyphs and lotus blossoms; to class options including the Circle of the Desert druid, the aeromancer wizard, the caravan raider rogue, and the paladin’s oath of the ancestors; this book is the definitive source for players who want to bring their Southlands characters to life. Rounding out this book’s offerings is a section of weapons and items that originate from this storied region.

The Times Best Food Books of the Year 2021'Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham bring a much-needed lightness of touch to what can perversely be a very dry subject.' The TimesNo matter what day of the year it is and regardless of the occasion, there is always a very good reason to enjoy a drink. Responsibly of course.Aimed at discerning drinkers keen to broaden their booze horizons and those looking to become more adventurous in their elbow-bending, this enlightening and alternative almanac celebrates every day of the year with an appropriate alcoholic drink - featuring everything from Absinthe and Zinfandel to Martinis and Monastic beers.It's a cocktail of cultural history, eccentric events, unlikely anniversaries, recipes and recommendations infused with all manner of 'interestingness', several dashes of drinking did you knows, fascinating facts, famous folk, unsung heroes, lesser-known legends from all walks of life and major weird, wonderful and well-known moments from our past.

A World From Dust describes how a set of chemical rules combined with the principles of evolution in order to create an environment in which life as we know it could unfold. Beginning with simple mathematics, these predictable rules led to the advent of the planet itself, as well as cells, organs and organelles, ecosystems, and increasingly complex life forms. McFarland provides an accessible discussion of a geological history as well, describing how the inorganic matter on Earth underwent chemical reactions with air and water, allowing for life to emerge from the world's first rocks. He traces the history of life all the way to modern neuroscience, and shows how the bioelectric signals that make up the human brain were formed. Most popular science books on the topic present either the physics of how the universe formed, or the biology of how complex life came about; this book's approach would be novel in that it condenses in an engaging way the chemistry that links the two fields. This book is an accessible and multidisciplinary look at how life on our planet came to be, and how it continues to develop and change even today.

When the infamous captain of the Magpie Prince sails into port with a bizarre treasure map and the promise of fantastic riches, scalawags of every stripe fight to join her crew. With the heroes aboard, the pirate vessel sets forth on a race around the treacherous isles of the Shackles, dodging enemy pirates, scouring shipwrecks, and bilking the denizens of the deep. But treachery and danger lie beyond every horizon and it’s up to the heroes to decide whether they’ll win their promised treasure or a watery grave! Plunder & Peril shares in the stories of the new Pathfinder Adventure Card Game: Skull & Shackles, giving Pathfinder fans three exciting, new quests that can stand alone or build upon either the award-winning card game or the swashbuckling Skull & Shackles Adventure Path. Includes a giant poster map!

Friends or Foes? A Game of Shifting Dangers The Shadow Fey arrive and turn the city upside down - and their ambassador demands that the player characters explain themselves, for interfering in a legitimate assassination So begins the looking-glass adventure that takes adventurers to the Plane of Shadows. This inventive take on courtly combat and sandbox roleplaying includes: More than 60-location map of the Courts, fully detailed with 100+ NPCs More than 40 combat and roleplaying encounters Dozens of new monsters your players have never seen Demon lovers and dangerous liaisons for those who seek them Jealous rivals, a quick-play dueling system, and the King and Queen of Shadows New Status system to track player character prestige Enter the world of shadows, and play the Pathfinder RPG on a whole new level 120 pages of real action and adventure by Award-winning designers Wolfgang Baur and Ben McFarland A free PDF poster map of the Courts is also available on the Kobold Press site "The adventure impressed me so much that I felt like I had to write my first review. Even though I knew it would be a solid adventure, I was unprepared for being wowed by it the way I was... I consider it a must-buy." -Review by Carlos Ovalle