You play a kobold to give the monsters a chance of surviving past the first round of combat. It's just being fair, after all.
I have to admit I have never played a kobold. But I wouldn't be averse to it, for the cool factor. Kobolds (and goblins to a lesser extent) are the most abused monster in the game. As a race, they are small, weak, lazy, not overly intelligent and cowardly, and they have died in hordes at the hands of adventurers over the years. That makes them great underdogs. I would be happy to play a kobold just to be able to mock the BBEG with: "Yeah, I'm a kobold, but I still kicked your ass. So what does that make you?"
So why do people use them & why did pazio make them a playable race?
Presumably because people enjoy playing them.
there have been some popular write ups on kobolds that have made them popular like tuckers kobolds. also 3.x released a source book that cast them as a super race that using what's I'n the book they should havoc taken over everything. this did lot to make them more popular.
Kolbolds are nasty little bastards. Build a caster and charm or burn anything that moves.
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I'm currently playing a Kobold named Merlokrep Vreggma, a sneaky barbarian that's a flurry of claws, teeth, kicking, and he's pretty clever to boot. Using trapmaking to make simple traps at the start of combat is fun and effective, not to mention the fact that, when raging, he does the damage of a fighter of equal level (well, maybe a little lower). He's a tough little guy though, sitting on 43 hit points at level 3. Sure, his AC is crap, but he's a barbarian!
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Because if kobolds were in the core book, nobody would play anything else. :P
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Because if kobolds were in the core book, nobody would play anything else. :P
WORD!
Unless I'm mistaken, they have the extra advantage of being a Small race whose speed is 30' / round. That might be a deciding factor as well.
The unarmored AC of a level 1 kobold with base 14 Dex would be 15. Add in a rogue's leather armor for 17 or Mage armor for 19, and the +1 to hit over a similar Medium character on top of the extra mobility and it could make quite the difference.Optimal? Probably not, but it sounds like fun!
That's my take.
Yes, that. Their favored class was sorcerer, and they make pretty good ones; keeping up with medium characters and being a little harder to hit makes up for the miserable str. and con.
I totally plan to throw a kobold Dragon Disciple at my group, eventually.
They also ride giant ferrets/weasels ^^
You could make a less underpowered kobold type - -2 to Strength, and a +2 to a mental score. You could say they are a kobold paragon, only born in every 10th clutch.
Unless I'm mistaken, they have the extra advantage of being a Small race whose speed is 30' / round. That might be a deciding factor as well.
The unarmored AC of a level 1 kobold with base 14 Dex would be 15. Add in a rogue's leather armor for 17 or Mage armor for 19, and the +1 to hit over a similar Medium character on top of the extra mobility and it could make quite the difference.Optimal? Probably not, but it sounds like fun!
That's my take.
Wait, how'd you gt 15?
10 + 2 Dex + 1 Size + 1 NA = 14.I don't really think Paizo's interested in supporting monstrous races. Especially not kobolds. It's funny, because I assumed goblins were the new fodder in Pathfinder, but kobolds are a lot less useful.
Kobolds have seriously miserable abilities. Even without the strength penalty, they're below other races. A -4 is as nasty as a +4 is...well, nasty. And their only real advantages are a small AC boost and speed (the latter of which goblins also have). Darkvision isn't exactly unique (I'm still wondering why kobolds have as effective night-vision as a race that largely lives aboveground and thrives on fire).
Goblins have an insane Stealth bonus, a +4 and a good speed. They're actually on par with other races.
I have to admit I have never played a kobold. But I wouldn't be averse to it, for the cool factor. Kobolds (and goblins to a lesser extent) are the most abused monster in the game. As a race, they are small, weak, lazy, not overly intelligent and cowardly, and they have died in hordes at the hands of adventurers over the years. That makes them great underdogs. I would be happy to play a kobold just to be able to mock the BBEG with: "Yeah, I'm a kobold, but I still kicked your ass. So what does that make you?"
Kobolds aren't lazy. They've been often portrayed as industrious miners and builders and they do these things pretty well, making up for their strength deficiency with sheer numbers and animal handling skills.
Aside from that the kobolds aren't that weak either, when they fight on their own terms. Kobolds aren't dumb and they make a good use of their natural speed and traps. Try fighting them in a tangle of kobold sized tunnels where they can pepper you with poisoned crossbow bolts and run away to approach from a different angle and repeat this. Needless to say that they can do it in complete darkness thanks to the darkvision. Add traps and pets and you have a nightmare even for players well above typical kobold levels.
Kobolds are miserable as standard melee combatants, but they are little wonders as rogues and work well as other dex-based fighters (I once played a kobold guide - a ranger four levels below the group - and I still felt quite useful by setting up flanking situations and otherwise surviving). They are also quite useful as casters (often overlooked and quite surviveable).
I meant a useful character
If they enjoy playing it, and it doesn't ruin the enjoyment of anyone else around the table, it's a useful character.
Because if kobolds were in the core book, nobody would play anything else. :P
+1
Someone in our current group is a kobold and he rides on my character's shoulder. We're both fighter types so I think it makes for a nice visual.
Also in 3.5 it was the best excuse to kill gnomes.
I would love to play a kobold dragon disciple in PFS.
I am glad there is infact a race that is inferior to the core races, having them all balance out perfectly might make the people that want to play monsters happy, but it stretches credibility sometimes.
Kobolds are just pathetically weak and survive by skill, numbers and general cowardice.
I for one support an Ultimate Races supplement to add in monster races as playable characters, with feat support and the things we've seen from APG.
The two I want to see the most are Tengu and Kobolds. The frog people can come too.
So why do people use them & why did pazio make them a playable race?
In a monster based game, I played a kobold barbarian, who was fully able to hang in a party with his larger co-conspirators.... not to mention the humor factor.
The kobold would charge in, raging, screaming his battle cry of "Pasterieeeeeeeeeeee!" (in a very high, squeaky voice).
That's one of the great stories that my group of players tells, and it's all because of the option of playing a kobold.
Great games aren't necessarily made by great heroes.
Str: Dark vision, +1 Armor, +2 Dex & the virtually unused crafty
Weaknesses: Light sensitvity, -4 Str & -2 Con
So why do people use them & why did pazio make them a playable race?
Because there are some people out there who play RPG to actualy play a character and not a math game. And it not a bad thing to play a race or class that is not optmized out to the gazoo...actualy I personaly find it funner to play such races and classes.
Personaly though it seems that people I know personaly who want to play kobolds just want to annoy people. They are usualy the same people who played or wanted to play kender. Not saying everyone is that way just the people I know personaly.
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Imo kobolds were always the underdogs of the D&D world. I would play one just because it is different and because they are imo a interesting race. I would as a DM and as a player as the DM to reduce the Str penalty to -2. A -4 is just too much overbalancing and its not like what they have in terms of abilites is even broken.
Imo kobolds were always the underdogs of the D&D world. I would play one just because it is different and because they are imo a interesting race. I would as a DM and as a player as the DM to reduce the Str penalty to -2. A -4 is just too much overbalancing and its not like what they have in terms of abilites is even broken.
Not like the current version of Tengu.. Prof with all swords. :D
I've never played a kobold myself, although some of my best friends are kobolds.
The question 'why play a kobold' carries with it the assumption that the single reason for playing a character is the amount of raw power that it has. Maybe, though, your rationale for choosing a race is something like "wouldn't it be cool to have a tail", or "I want to emulate the kobold from Order of the Stick", or even, I dunno, something really bizarre like, say, role playing?
I would agree with you but their was this one character I made bassed on acrobatics 10str 22 Dex 12 ranks in acrobatics, we were fighting demons, but here is the best part, no weppon except hands, barbed devil + unarmed attacks= LOL, died in three rounds..., thats why I don't make my characters for fun, well yes their fun but I don't try new stupid ideas.
That's not an inherent problem with the character, that's either a problem with poor encounter design on the GM's part, or poor strategy on yours.
From the tip of its lashing tail to the serrated features of its fang-filled visage, this fiery-eyed sentinel bristles with barbs.
I know I'm not going anywhere near that, if there's anything approaching an option. Imagine punching a rose bush!
No thank you sir... I'm going to sit back and let my ranger/wizard/priest buddies have fun mowing that guy down from range.
Don't be afraid to try new and different things. Some of the most fun, and most memorable role-playing experiences I've had are the direct result of "odd" character choices.
I would agree with you but their was this one character I made bassed on acrobatics 10str 22 Dex 12 ranks in acrobatics, we were fighting demons, but here is the best part, no weppon except hands, barbed devil + unarmed attacks= LOL, died in three rounds..., thats why I don't make my characters for fun, well yes their fun but I don't try new stupid ideas.That's not an inherent problem with the character, that's either a problem with poor encounter design on the GM's part, or poor strategy on yours.
From the tip of its lashing tail to the serrated features of its fang-filled visage, this fiery-eyed sentinel bristles with barbs.I know I'm not going anywhere near that, if there's anything approaching an option. Imagine punching a rose bush!
No thank you sir... I'm going to sit back and let my ranger/wizard/priest buddies have fun mowing that guy down from range.
Don't be afraid to try new and different things. Some of the most fun, and most memorable role-playing experiences I've had are the direct result of "odd" character choices.
Barbed Defense (Su) A creature that strikes a hamatula with a melee weapon, an unarmed strike, or a natural weapon takes 1d8+6 points of piercing damage from the devil's barbs. Melee weapons with reach do not endanger a user in this way.
Any melee attack w/o reach would be a pain.
I would agree with you but their was this one character I made bassed on acrobatics 10str 22 Dex 12 ranks in acrobatics, we were fighting demons, but here is the best part, no weppon except hands, barbed devil + unarmed attacks= LOL, died in three rounds..., thats why I don't make my characters for fun, well yes their fun but I don't try new stupid ideas.I've never played a kobold myself, although some of my best friends are kobolds.
The question 'why play a kobold' carries with it the assumption that the single reason for playing a character is the amount of raw power that it has. Maybe, though, your rationale for choosing a race is something like "wouldn't it be cool to have a tail", or "I want to emulate the kobold from Order of the Stick", or even, I dunno, something really bizarre like, say, role playing?
"I flip really well" is not a character concept. Were as scrappy underdog with something to prove, both for himself and for his race is at least the beginning of a character concept.
gods I hate it when a player hands me a character and I ask him the concept and they tell me something along the lines of "I hit hard" or "I wield two swords"...your character should be more than what they do in combat or their off time.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Read the monster ecology article in the Dragon magazine. It is all flavor, with just a dash of mechanic, but it explains that kobolds are not the stupid cannon fodder we often think them to be. They merely use natural selection to their benefit.
Also, kobolds might not make great melee combatants, but they make great support characters. In the game I am currently playing we have a Kobold bard, and he has saved our skin many times. Also, kobolds make great trapsmiths, spies, and scouts.
Just because kobolds are weaker then the core races, doesn't make them any less of a good choice for a PC.
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So you’ve been to school for a year or two
And you’ve memorised the SRD.
But when it comes to kobolds
That don’t mean sh1t to me.
Quoting EL, xp and CR,
On the Paizo message board
Doesn’t help you invade
A defended cave
And steal a real kobold’s hoard!
It’s time to face
What you most fear!
Appeals for help
Won’t help you here!
What you need, my so-o-on,
What.
You need.
My So-o-on!
Is a holiday in Koboldia
Where they make you wade in cack!
A holiday in Koboldia
Dropping scorpions on your back!
(Surf guitar break)
You’re an optimised sneak,
But your Fort is weak,
And your Will is made of fail.
We’ll see how you smile,
Dropped in the dung pile,
Skewered on a rusty nail.
Oh, you’ll sweat harder
With a spear in your back
From a hidden murder-hole!
You’ll regret
Getting out of your bed
Without your ten-foot pole!
It’s time to go
Where they use their brains!
It’s time to go
Where they deal out pain!
It’s a holiday in Koboldia
Where you do what you’re told!
A holiday in Koboldia
Where PCs get pwned and sold!
Ko – Bold!
Ko – Bold!
Ko – Bold!
Ko – Bold!
Ko – Bold!
Ko – Bold!
Ko – Bold!
Ko – Bold!
(Koboldkoboldkoboldkoboldkoboldkoboldkoboldkobold)
It’s a holiday in Koboldia
Where you do what you’re told!
A holiday in Koboldia
Where PCs get pwned and sold!
So why do people use them & why did pazio make them a playable race?
This bears repeating: Kobolds are not a PC race.
Any Bestiary Sidebar that says "(monster) Characters" is included for the GM to scratchbuild NPCs. By RAW, there are no PC races in the Bestiary. Please pass this information to anyone else you know laboring under this false assumption.
So why do people use them & why did pazio make them a playable race?This bears repeating: Kobolds are not a PC race.
Any Bestiary Sidebar that says "(monster) Characters" is included for the GM to scratchbuild NPCs. By RAW, there are no PC races in the Bestiary. Please pass this information to anyone else you know laboring under this false assumption.
OR you can ask your DM if you can play one. Why is this important? Because the DM will have the ultimate say with what is and is not available to players when they generate their characters.
Please pass this information to anyone else you know.
In addition, there actually is mention of monstrous player characters in the Core Rulebook. I don't have the book on me, but I'll look it up later.
So why do people use them & why did pazio make them a playable race?This bears repeating: Kobolds are not a PC race.
Any Bestiary Sidebar that says "(monster) Characters" is included for the GM to scratchbuild NPCs. By RAW, there are no PC races in the Bestiary. Please pass this information to anyone else you know laboring under this false assumption.
OR you can ask your DM if you can play one. Why is this important? Because the DM will have the ultimate say with what is and is not available to players when they generate their characters.
Please pass this information to anyone else you know.
With paizo's way of doing things none of the core book races are PC races either. They are just the most heavily suggested races, they are still just as legal as playing a kobold or a dragon. It is all up to DM discretion.
It is never "I'm going to play an elf!" it is always "hey can I play an elf?"
