So... I've been conjuring up some more ideas involving an all-kobold adventure. And I think I've conjured up something that might be really interesting. The short version is as follows:
The Longclaw tribe of kobolds is in an uproar; found floating along the nearby river was a very loud basket. And inside that basket is the source of the noise: a human baby! With no clue of what to do with the little creature, they bring it down below to the central chamber and bring it before the chieftains. The tribe elders debate in endless yaps about what to do with it, and the decision slowly leans to killing and cooking the poor infant.
But at last, Scalesage Athraaz, the oldest and most in-tune with his dragon heritage, steps forward and performs a strange ritual on the baby, causing it to finally go quiet. After a few moments of silent tension, old Athraaz stands up and adresses the gathered tribe with his proclamation: this poor baby faces a grim, but crucial future, one that could greatly benefit the tribe, and perhaps even grant them power within the realm!
The Scalesage raises his arms and speaks to the whole tribe. "It is not our way to venture from our home, nor is it to seek out humans. But this child must survive: who among you would become it's guardians and take it to safety?"
I don't know if I'll run this; it depends entirely on how much interest there is in an adventure of this type. The focus will be chiefly on ensuring the baby reaches it's new home safely, overcoming obstacles, evading capture, and a host of other problems. Don't worry, child care will not be a big feature (unless you WANT to RP out a little band of kobolds trying to change a diaper or burping an infant).
I suppose the best way to think of it as Yoshi's Island on the SNES meets the movie Willow. If there is enough interested, I might give this a go. Otherwise... it's a cool idea?
I might be interested. I do like playing a underdog.
If you can make a good character, I have no reservations about other classes. It'll depend on how much interest this adventure drums up.
I wouldn't mind either. I love playing characters that break stereotypes. Unfortunately it will be difficult making effective characters out of kobolds. There stats restrict them to certain classes and fighting styles.
I've always had an appreciation for kobolds. I'm interested.
Not sure about class just yet. Alchemist works well but I'm tempted to try a monk.
Would I be correct in assuming that we would be the rare non-evil kobolds then?
Aww.. I thought it would be a Pathfinder equivelant of Kobolds ate my Baby. ;)
Kobold Gunslinger allowed?! :)
I love kobolds! :D
The yoshi's island reference is what really sucked me in. I think a cavalier or alchemist could be good fun.
Aww.. I thought it would be a Pathfinder equivelant of Kobolds ate my Baby. ;)
This actually initially started out as a possible Kobolds Ate My Baby game interest check, but the more I thought about it, the more I realize that a game like that is better suited for face-to-face, where you can laugh at people acting like yipping and yapping nutballs.
Also, good to see this has some interest. I might open it up as an actual game if I finish hammering out the story a bit more...
Kobold Gunslinger allowed?! :)
Yes. I have no reservations about gunslingers. And in my mind, kobolds make more sense; you have an industrious mining-based society who value minerals and metals, looking to even their odds with any tool possible? Yeah, I'm surprised kobold gunslingers are not a common character build.
I've always had an appreciation for kobolds. I'm interested.
Not sure about class just yet. Alchemist works well but I'm tempted to try a monk.
Would I be correct in assuming that we would be the rare non-evil kobolds then?
Closer to lawful neutral. They're fairly out of the way, so they don't have any trouble with humans and bigger civilized races. They're just too far removed to really care. Plus, they're doing this less out of the goodness of their hearts, and more the promise that they can get ahead in a big way. (Don't forget, they initially thought it would be better to eat the baby.)
But of course, each kobold is not bound to this. You very well could be a good-aligned kobold (perhaps a den mother or something) who legitimately cares about the baby, or see this as a big opportunity to get ahead.
But, short answer, yes, they're the rare non-evil type.
I'd just like to know whether we'd be non-evil or not. It does sound interesting! ^^
It sounds interesting
tell me more
I'd just like to know whether we'd be non-evil or not. It does sound interesting! ^^
Far as I'm concerned, you can be any alignment you want if you can give me a good reason. I will say that Lawful seems more the kobold style, with straying into neutral being an uncommon, but not unheard of thing. But like I said, if you can make a good case, I have no issue with any alignment, so long as you're willing to work with the team to accomplish your goal.
It sounds interesting
tell me more
I haven't hammered out the details quite yet, but the general synopsis is thus:
Part I: The band of kobolds cross the wilderness to find the closest human settlement and deliver the baby to safe hands, fighting off the hungry local wildlife along the way and striking a bargain with the local landlord vyaran for passage on his land. However, reaching the village, they find it utterly burned to cinders, with few clues to tell them where to go next.
Part II: Stopping at a tavern, the kobolds get caught up in a search by armed soldiers, looking for a little baby girl. Targeted, the little band hijack a horse and wagon, leading into a high speed chariot chase to escape pursuit. Just as they think they out of the woods, the kobolds are attacked by a wyvern, who swoops in and snatches away the infant from the intrepid lizards.
Part III: Without their ward, the kobolds are left aimless, and ready to go home. But a fey queen arrives to impress upon the kobolds the urgency of their mission, explain her vast importance, and implore them to rescue the infant. Directing them to the home of the thieving wyvern, the kobolds must assail the abandoned castle complex, sneak inside, rescue the baby (potentially confronting their wyvern host) and escape to return her to her family. The fate of the realm hangs in their little hands.
That's the general plan. And it looks like there's enough interest to actually make this a thing. So I'll go ahead, work on hammering out the last bits and look into turning this into a recruitment thread.
Yay. :D Sounds awesome.
Neat.
I'm looking forward to this campaign. Great concept.
Monk for me I think. Done the basics already, although I'll obviously need to adjust once the character creation guidelines are up.
Consider me interested :). I've got a concept or two in mind already. What is your stance on Words of Power?
Are we go for recruitment, then? If so, I'm in! :)
Hm. A fire oracle might actually work well with this.
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I am still interested in playing the Cavalier. Having a mounted leader style character would be good for the party. In addition I have the Order of the Dragon so me tanking a target gives other PC's bonuses to hit and damage. Too bad the -4 strength really hurts me. I hate going 18 strength and gimping my character's other stats so I went 16 which became 12 strength so that's pretty horrible for a Melee character.
@Draahzin
Alas, a pitiful strength is the price we pay to be kobolds.
Fortunately, there are ways to offset it somewhat. I'm hoping to take Piranha Strike feat at 3rd level to boost my monk attacks (Like Power Attack but using dexterity/Weapon Finesse)
Regardless, my plan is to focus on distracting opponents in melee, thus giving our spellcasters the chance to annihilate foes from a distance. We can manage high AC, but high damage output is going to be difficult.
Still, having a mount and boosting the rest of the party with your challenge will help a lot in that regard.
I think a scorc or a witch. :D
It's golden scaled Wizard for me! ^^
I'd love to play a kobold cleric totally devoted to utilitarianism. Sort of lawful with only one law, which makes him seem closer to chaotic, and definitely good, but with a single mindedness that could seem almost evil to run-of-the-mill deontologists (Full disclosure: I'm a total Benthamite in real life and I love challenging the default deontological morality of most rpgs!). He could have a total soft spot for animals, and feel angry that most humanoids don't treat all creatures that can suffer as equal, while still treating them as equal himself.
Okie dokie, sorry for the delay. I think this is officially a recruitment thread now!
I think this will take about 4-6 kobolds to pull off, so... we'll see what comes of it. As for actual character creation:
The Crunch
-Starting at level 1 (though you will level up fairly quickly)
-25 point buy
-2 traits, 3 if you take a drawback
-Maximum starting gold and HP for your class
-Any core or base class is acceptable
-Kobolds only (obviously)
-I'm going to say no neutral or chaotic evil on this one (unless you can explain why they would be willing to go along). You're doing this for the benefit of the tribe, which in turn benefits all of you, so you'll need to work together in order to succeed. Now, if you want a chaotic or neutral evil and can justify why they would want to help with this, I'll accept that. But if you try to party kill or eat the infant behind everyone's backs, you all fail. Or I will conjure something big and hungry to eat you before you eat the baby (and I will too!)
The Fluff
-Who are you to the tribe? What role do you fill? (Den mother, hunter, miner, trapmaker, etc.) What do you bring to the team when you join up?
-Why volunteer for this? Why go on such a dangerous mission?
-A few sentences will suffice; odds are you haven't been on any big adventures yet or strayed so far from home, so this will be a new experience for all of you.
-What attachment or relationship do you want to foster with this infant? Depending on how you interact with the baby, you'll leave a different impression on her towards the end, and it might manifest in certain ways toward the climax. Just throwing that out there...
My DM'ing Style
I am a fan of the rule of cool, and especially on forums when you can let the RP side shine. And even more so for kobolds, who have to be smart, witty and clever to get out of scenarios. So, if you can conjure up a plan and put it into motion, odds are I'll let you get away with it. If you want to infiltrate a castle by building a giant slingshot and parachuting safely over the walls, go for it. If you want to dispose of a boss by putting a bunch of poisoned tacks on his chair when he sits, I'll allow that. You wanna sneak past by catching a bag full of bats and letting them loose to pester the guards, by all means. Get creative; it's what sets kobolds apart from other races.
I'll leave recruitment open until the apps start to slow down. Until then, feel free to go nuts!
Here's Zapzap. :) Writing fluff for her now. :) Thought I'd suck up the -4 cause the idea of a gibbering kobold makes me laugh. :) I'll be taking Tail terror and such later.
All done, fluff posted. :D
@ZapZap: How did you get a strength of 16?
@CaptainFord: Gurlzick is pretty much ready to go. Is it okay to take the archtype 'Monk of the Sacred Mountain' (APG) or would you prefer us to keep to unmodified base classes?
I put 17 points in it. I'd check the math though, I did it like five times but I'm notoriously bad at math :)
I think you've just missed the fact that kobolds have a -4 penalty to strength, not -2. As far as I can tell, you have a strength of 14.
No, that incorporates the -4 - I did all of it on Herolab, so that part is correct. :)
*unless Herolab did the points for point buy wrong.
Pretty sure Herolab erred. Check Core rules page 16. According to the chart (Table 1-1) spending 17 pts will give you an ability score of 18. So, 18 strength, -4 racial penalty (for being a kobold). 14 Strength.
That would explain that then! :) That's alright with rage etc I suppose :)
Oh! I discovered the problem - Herolab was confused because the table doesn't go up to 20. Got it. Fixed.
Here is Zayne's submission.
Here's my (stjohnmccloskey's) submission!
Sidgiwick is a kobold with a mission. Through some strange quirk of his nature, he has become obsessed with finding the best way to live. After years of reading every scrap of parchment he could find on the subject <Linguistics skill> he's had, not a theistic revelation, but a logical one. Sidgiwick has finally discovered the answer to how to live. And it's good; it's oh so good <Good Domain, Inspired Trait>! Sidgiwick has become a non-theistic Cleric of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is the idea that the correct way to live is to make choices that maximize the net utility (pleasure - pain) of sentient beings. This way of thinking is meant to apply to any and every situation <Worldly Trait>. As such he wants to protect all sentient creatures; he has a soft spot for animals <Beast Bond Racial Trait>, in particular his beloved wolfhound Bentham <Riding Dog>, to whom he is attached to a degree that worries his fellow Kobolds <Attached Trait>. The other Kobolds seem to put up with him, and he knows when not to press his point too hard. As a utilitarian, he's grounded in reality, and won't cause rifts between kobolds for no reason. The facts of the world landed as they are by chance, and it's the job of the utilitarian to do the best possible given what luck has brought <Luck Domain>. When the baby came into the cave, Sidgiwick argued against killing it, but he certainly wouldn't do anything that would harm his fellow Kobolds, even just emotionally. He was prepared to unhappily let the issue drop when the Scalesage spoke, and Sidgiwick was so glad that he did! As soon as it was announced that there would be an adventure, Sidgiwick volunteered gladly and began to prepare. His parents were the best scrappers/scavengers/tinkerers in the warren, the kobold equivalent of wealthy, and so Sidgiwick's family has a huge pile of useful tools and gadgets that have been reclaimed, refurbished, or re-purposed from junk <Rich Parents Trait>. Sidgiwick loaded up Bentham's pack saddle (As weak as he is, he often has Bentham carry anything and everything Sidgiwick might need. These include many tools to augment Sidgiwick's meager strength), and prepared to set off on an adventure. He hopes to use this as an opportunity to show his tribe (and anyone else who will listen) the light of utilitarian idealism.
Presenting: Draz the Hatcher!
I just need to assign him some equipment and re-check his attack bonus, CMB and CMD, but otherwise, he should be good to go. ^^
Hope you guys don't mind if I comment; please comment on mine too!
Fyrenmar: I love the dragon-fire-oracle stuff going on! awesome. after reading your description I'm surprised he's lawful good instead of lawful neutral, what made you choose that alignment? Also, where is that day-raider racial trait? That sounds very very useful! On the other hand for a sneaky band of kobolds who might try to sleep all day the -1 on attack rolls sometimes might be worth not having to use lights? I'm not sure, but I'll definitely have to think about that. I could see Sidgiwick being a little intimidated by Fyrenmar, but seeing that he's good, he'd certainly want to make Fyrenmar an ally!
Zapzap: I love the idea of a chaotic kobold, and your crunch is very cool. I can see how zapzap would go a little stir crazy in a warren full of lawful kobolds! Also I love all of the vestigial draconic stuff. As Sidgiwick has taken the mirror of your alignment shift (to NG from LE, as you went CN from LE) I would say our characters might find they had a lot in common once they leave!
Gurlzick: Survivalist monk is a pretty awesome idea! Where's the wild forest kobold from? It looks like it replaces crafty; I wonder if we'll wind up with anybody who still has that trait haha, I mean I don't have it, but it is a good one. i could see craft(trapmaking) being very useful! I like the backstory!
Draz: Wizard going for party face? That's pretty neat! I like all the traits and stuff that set you up for it, it's interesting, and I like the way it sort of plays into your backstory of having to make up for all the other kobolds not liking you by default.
@stjohnmccloskey: Thanks for your comments. Nice work with the backstory (and how you've fit in all the traits into it). Your philosophical background will make some interesting roleplaying, and will probably be a source of friction with Gurlzick's moral views. That should be interesting.
I found 'Wild Forest Kobold' from the Kobolds of Golarion book (I think... don't have it on hand ATM but I can easily replace it if I've made a mistake). Yep, it replaces Crafty.
Actually I meant for him to be Lawful Evil. Thanks for pointing that out. I was using a template just so I would already have all the text formats. He is as close to a red dragon as possible, including alignment. I am not sure what book Day-Raider is from. I found it on the PFSRD.
Gurlzick: I didn't mean to suggest you made a mistake; I just couldn't find it and wanted to check it out, I'll have to go look for that! I figure a hard/fast utilitarian will cause friction in any group, which is part of why I want to play one! :D I think that s#*! is lots of fun.
Fyrenmar: Ah! well then Sidgiwick would definitely be pretty concerned about Fyrenmar, haha all the better! That would be a fun combo. Maybe I should use a text template too, I'm just such a fan of excel character sheets.
@stjohnmccloskey: I'm glad you like Draz. ^^
I've read your Sidgiwick, and he looks interesting. His philosophy looks deceptively simple, but appealing. I look forward to seeing how the interaction between our two Kobolds works out!
P.S., I found a better avatar for Draz.
Hello, Jayik here is my submission. Rate/Comment/Subscribe? :)
Here is an idea Jayik. Maybe instead of the arcane bomber you go full alchemist? Try an emulate a dragon via discoveries and flavor your mutagen to make you look more dragon like. Someone has submitted a wizard already and the further you separate yourself from another's build the better the chance to get picked. Its completely up to you but I think a Kobold could make an excellent alchemist. Never even thought about it till now.
Here is an idea Jayik. Maybe instead of the arcane bomber you go full alchemist? Try an emulate a dragon via discoveries and flavor your mutagen to make you look more dragon like. Someone has submitted a wizard already and the further you separate yourself from another's build the better the chance to get picked. Its completely up to you but I think a Kobold could make an excellent alchemist. Never even thought about it till now.
Thanks for the input! I'm still fairly new at this. The only reason I took Arcane Bomber was because of the cold bombs (and because no one plays arcane bombers), but I think alchemist will do nicely. Just have to reflavor the White Dragonbreath Grenades as white fire.