How would you go about building a dragon herald?
There are several facts about this class that suggest building it around a human with racial heritage kobold.
- It gets draconic as bonus language, which kobolds speak naturally.
- it replaces the ability in which kobolds get a favored class bonus
- kobolds, being a small race, get a penalty to intimidate, one of the skills a dragon herald gets bonuses to.
Kobolds are, officially, whom this archetype was made for. So they can be seen as more fitting fluff wise. But they are rather weak and offer little to the class that a human would not. One notable exception being the jester alternate racial trait that gives a bonus to diplomacy and intimidate.
Humans on the other hand get more skills, by far better stats, medium size and a strong favored class option.
My idea is to build him as a party buffer, starting out with the flagbearer feat.
Human (kobold) Battle herald 1
STR 10 (09)
DEX 13 (14)
CON 14 (12)
INT 14 (13)
WIS 10 (10)
CHA 17 (15)
Feats: Flagbearer, racial heritage:kobold
Traits: improvised defense, golden scales
There is also the fact that the Half-Elf, Half-Orc, and Scion of Humanity Aasimar can take the Racial Heritage feat.
Right. But that would cost the only feats those races have at 1st level.
kobold or human?
Kobold.
Scion of Humanity Azata-Blooded Aasimar is pretty hard to pass up.
The favored class bonus is hard to pass up too.
Even with the wait for Flagbearer.
Just a thought.
After giving it some thought, you're right. Aasimar is better than human. About the favored class bonus I'm not sure which one I like better. But apart from that the aasimar has many benefits. And I'd have used the feat it costs me for mixed scales eventually.