Has anyone played a Kobold pc? How did it work out? It seems like a good option if someone wanted to try out a nontraditional class and not have a level adjustment.
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I am preparing to play a kobold ranger who rides a dire weasel in an upcoming game. He is pretty cool although the strength penalty hurts. Kobolds are cool.
Last Christmas-time, I ran a one-shot in The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb where one of the players was a kobold sorcerer. It worked just fine, and to tell the truth, I forgot about his race for half the night and thought he was a halfling (since he'd toyed around with a halfling sorcerer concept at length before).
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Kobolds are a little weak as a PC race, due to them being designed as low-level Cleave fodder. I've given my players the option of ignoring one of the kobold's negative stat adjustments if they chose it for a race, although a special background story had to be explained. The same might be said for goblins.
Kobolds are a little weak as a PC race, due to them being designed as low-level Cleave fodder. I've given my players the option of ignoring one of the kobold's negative stat adjustments if they chose it for a race, although a special background story had to be explained. The same might be said for goblins.
Then why bother? I'd look to give them something else to compensate like racial skills or some such. Making Kobolds that are not weak stat wise is not really true to the race and seems rather pointless.
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Kobolds are a little weak as a PC race, due to them being designed as low-level Cleave fodder. I've given my players the option of ignoring one of the kobold's negative stat adjustments if they chose it for a race, although a special background story had to be explained. The same might be said for goblins.
I have to disagree in saying that they are a weak race. Granted they are not the most powerful race or even the top half of a choice of a race, but they are the ONLY race I know that gives a +1 natural armor bonus that doesnt include an ECL, and they are one of a handful of small races that grant a movement rate of 30 feet(goblin and whisper gnome are the only other 2 I can think off the top of my head that do that). Its all in the manner of how you play the creature. Granted a kobold PC isnt going to be the fighter of the group, but if you play in a group that doesnt min-max or power-game they can be a fun fighter.
If a DM plays they correctly, 5 kobolds can be deadly to a party of 3rd level PC's.....just ask my players. ;)
I agree with DmRostarr, kobolds can be truly deadly if played right. I usually ignore the -2 to constitution becuase it seems like they would be hardy little guys.
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The reason I bother to change the stats for a kobold PC is to give my players another racial option without penalizing it by numbers. If they wanted to play a more powerful race because it appeals to them from a role-playing perspective, I would probably give them some negative adjustments for balance. It depends on what class they are playing as well as the races and classes of the other PCs. Natural armor, darkvision, and 30ft movement are all bonuses, and I admit that not everyone would agree that a kobold with an extra +2 somewhere is balanced. On the flip side, it would be hard to argue them as superior to a core race. A half-orc has the advantage of being stronger than most other base race PCs, but a kobold is no more nimble than a halfling or elf.
To sum up, it's basically my opinion that a kobold with an extra +2 in the penalized ability scores is more equal to the base races than a kobold without it.
I ran a one-shot for 6th level PCs with a Kobold character. I treated the Kobold as having an LA of -1, and so created the character as a Rogue 4/Sorcerer 3. Between the weak Kobold stats and the unoptimal multiclass option, the character worked out very well indeed.
Lesse, I DMPCed a Kobold Rogue for about 6 months, have run a 3 week mini campaign of all kobolds, and have a kobold sorc in my party currently. They freakin ROCK!!! NOt big damage melee types to be sure, but as casters and rogues, they are hard to beat. Dark vision and 30' movement underground are worth the weight of the kobold. The fighter types tended to go dex based or high con/AC and just block attcks while the casters and flankers did the deed. The STR pen eats up point buy, but overall I think they're fairly balanced. And they have cool russian accents, and like to eat moose and squirell....
Well, in my game the Kolbod gods were all killed and eaten by other stronger gods during a big race war in which the Kobolds lost; many sat down dejected and wandered; some just committed suicide; some found other dieties; some where rescued and given hope by the party that witnessed their final battle so about 3000 kobolds were rescued,(with about a half million exterminated and a quarter million taken as slaves) and given safe haven and got training from some party members; it didnt go over easy and more or less created a big rift in the party, so some of these kobolds became fanatically loyal to the party and some began to worship some of the player dieties regardless of whether or not the pcs or dieties want or accept that and mimic their religions twisted in with kobold culture and outlook.
So, this is how kobolds became a player race in my game, they are outwardly very self effacing and will tolerate any abuse from other player races as part of their religion, but inside are plotting diabolical ways to use this to gain power and assure their survival; they greatly fear the enemy that practially destroyed them and their dieties so know that their survival depends on getting others to fight their enemies and give them protection. It helps that their enemy is bad, very bad, powerful and unreasonable and they dont want to share the planet with any dominate life form and consider all mammals as food. So, after the generic and true tale of woe and watch out they are coming; the generally get accepted with reservations and whoa be unto the kobold that messes up this deal as the other kobold will tear him apart if there is even any suspicion about that individual from other races; ie, they are really scared and individual lives mean very little to kobolds. So; is interesting, working out well, and lends to a great game that the players are enjoying.
These kobold tend toward LE and LN as alignments and there are no Chaotic kobolds in this group; they are killed on sight.
I am playing a Kobold Rogue now, who just made it to 7th level. I'm having a lot of fun with him.
He is very intersting in mentality to play from an RP stand point becuase they are not your typical PC race. Races of the Dragon gives some intersting abilites and such and a decent mindset for them.
If you are worried about the Koblod being too wimpy, check out this on the Wizards page. Kobolds: Playing to Their Strengths They help to push the little nippers up a smidge but they are still an underdog.
I am playing a kobold artificer in our Eberron campaign. The basic story is that the tribe was deep enough down to avoid the worst of the cataclysm, but since then the Lord of the Blades has enslaved the softies. The str and con have been difficult, but as was mentioned above a caster/rogue (even an archer) is less affected by those. That being said at 7th level my hp is only 11 (con of 5). It was difficult for me (as a player) to remember to stay out of combat and by out of I mean standing outside the room, though I have made it to 7th level. Only two others of the original party can say that.
The running joke is for the fighter/bbn to say 'before escaping the Mournlands, XukZux looked like me.' O:)
One of the players in my STAP game is playing a kobold spelltheif. He took the Dragonblooded feat (I think thats what its called) and the Wings feats. He really likes the character and so far I haven't felt it is any weaker than any of the other characters.
about half the characters i play are kobolds, in fact one of the most powerful characters i've ever had was a kobold warmage. he killed everything before the party even had a chance to ask, and once took on 3 night hags by himself with 1 str and 4 hp and still managed to kill them all. honestly i don't think that kobolds are weak as a race, just play to thier strengths to minimize the weaknesses they have.
I have a Kobold Sorcerer in my current SCAP party I am DMing. He is probabaly the most effective character in the game. He has taken some of the options from Races of the Dragon (Dragonwrought Kobold and Draconic Wings), and is heading towards the PrC that gives you bonus Draconic Heritage feats.
Basically he plays him as a slightly insane (WIS 5) mini dragon. He like nothing better than wading into melee with the last combatant left standing (but preferrably entangled or otherwise imobilised) and finishing him off with his natural weaposn (which with his 6 STR do a whole 1 point of damage each)
What is it about mages that they like finishing off guys with melee?
As mentioned, kobolds are a little on the weak side for a PC race. I give them bonus skill points like a human and eliminate their light blindness.
Light blindness on kobolds and orcs and such really irritates me. Mind flayers don't have it, but they live totally underground and have a racial mission to extinguish the sun. However, orcs and kobolds, who live only partially underground, get light sensitivity and blindness? WTF?
As mentioned, kobolds are a little on the weak side for a PC race. I give them bonus skill points like a human and eliminate their light blindness.Light blindness on kobolds and orcs and such really irritates me. Mind flayers don't have it, but they live totally underground and have a racial mission to extinguish the sun. However, orcs and kobolds, who live only partially underground, get light sensitivity and blindness? WTF?
Mine wear sunglasses.
I merely remove the light sensetivity which brings them close to the standard power level for the level. In a high powered campaign I sometimes give them a bonus feat.
kobold's rock out loud, chck out stuff in the races of the dragon.
Like the Dragonwrought feat. the kobold now looses the dragonblooded subtype and changes to dragon, there for is not affected by the negatives of ageing but still the positives, so allready for te price for 1 feat you git +3 to int, wis, cha. then have him be magic-blooded(+0LA tempate gives -2 to wis and +2 to cha) now you have +5 to cha. take Versatile Spellcaster and and Practiced spellcaster, this is easy to do with 2 flaws 3 feats at lvl 1 so there are your 3 feats and now you have a very kick ass sorc