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Slings, crossbows, shortbows... keeps them out of harm's way. Reach weapons, as well.
Natural attacks, TWF high crit weapons, teamwork/dirty tricks for melee.
They do have a relatively decent racial Fighter archetype (that stacks with Dawnflower Dervish for added movement stuffs), that can be made quite effective with the addition of 5 levels of UnRogue (Vexing Dodger).
Example:
Kobold
... Day Raider
... Shoulder to Shoulder
FCB:
Fighter Add +1/2 to damage rolls the fighter makes with weapon attacks against an opponent he is flanking or an opponent that is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC.
Swarm Fighter
1. Athletic Prowess
1(class): Mobility
1(level): Combat Reflexes
2. Safety in Numbers
2(class): Precise Strike
Vexing Dodger UnRogue
3. Finesse Training
3. Sneak Attack 1D6
3. Limb Climber
3(class): Weapon Finesse
3(level): TWF
4. Evasion
4(class): Improved Dirty Trick
5. Finesse Training
5. Sneak Attack 2D6
5. Underfoot Agility +1
5(level): Double Slice
6. Debilitating Injury
6. Rogue Talent
... Weapon Training (Weapon Focus Kukri)
6. Underfoot Trickster
7. Rogue's Edge
... Climb
7. Sneak Attack 3D6
7(level): Iron Will
Swarm Fighter
8. Burst of Speed
9(class): Imp. TWF
9(level): Dirty Fighting
10. Share Space
11(class): Distracting Charge
11(level): Quick Dirty Trick
12. Desert Stride
13(class): Greater Weapon Focus Kukri
13(level): Two-Weapon Rend
14. Strike the Underbelly
15(class): Coordinated Charge
15(level): Greater Dirty Trick
16. Rapid Attack
17(class): Dirty Trick Master
17(level):
18. Always Underfoot
18(class): Step Up
19(class): teamwork feat
19(level):
20. Lightning Strike
At 20:
BAB +18
Base saves +10/+9/+8 (w/ Iron Will)
FCB +7 DMG against an opponent he is flanking or an opponent that is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC.
Athletic Prowess +7 Arcobatics & Climb
Underfoot Agility +1 Acrobatics & Climb
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Slings, crossbows, shortbows... keeps them out of harm's way. Reach weapons, as well.
Natural attacks, TWF high crit weapons, teamwork/dirty tricks for melee.
They do have a relatively decent racial Fighter archetype, that can be made quite effective with the addition of 5 levels of UnRogue (Vexing Dodger).
I'm specifically thinking more of a tribal thing but im guessing they all could be coopted for that purpose.
They're miners; picks would naturally be used. Especially to deliver the coup de grace to sleeping enemies.
They're usually depicted as having a higher tech level than the tribe stereotype, not that real tribes are necessarily averse to using whatever they can get their hands on.
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the only correct answer is of course; scorpion tied to a string, tied to a stick
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Ranged attacks that don't depend on Str for damage, so bows and crossbows.
This bit isn't entirely true. Bows do depend on Strength, just not the usual way.
If your Strength bonus is less than the strength rating of the composite bow, you can’t effectively use it, so you take a –2 penalty on attacks with it.
If you have a penalty for low Strength, apply it to damage rolls when you use a longbow.
Bows are terrible for most kobolds.
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Kobolds size and dex bonuses make them pretty good at throwing stuff, so acid flasks or alchemical fire or tanglefoot bags seem like decent alternatives, for the initial volley, followed by slings, crossbows, etc. If the kobolds are of a specific scale color that have a tiny bit of resistance to acid or fire, they might be even more prone to use those particular alchemicals, as their own would be less likely to be blowed up by splash damage.
Combining these ranged throwables with longspears, for reach, could help keep their front-liners out of splash effects, and also allow for tons of AoOs on someone attempting to close with one of the front-liners (as all other longspear users in 10' might get an AoO as the PC closes).
Caltrops could also be a handy way to slow down the enemy.
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So, there are a lot of ways I can look at this question.
What weapons would a kobold realistically use?Well, none. Kobolds aren't real. They are fantasy monster people. They aren't real, so their weapons aren't real.
I felt like that needed to be addressed.
This is both untrue and offensive. Kobolds are both real and scions of dragonkind.
Now, if you'll just stand a little to the left...
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Artofregicide reminds me that the most realistic weapon I'd use if I was a kobold would be a dragon. Or at least drakes, wyverns or whatever other sort of dragonkin I could 'realistically' tame the way humans have 'tamed' elephants.
"Drakaris!"
Hmm, yes... like a Tatzlwyrm with four levels of Bandit/Kidnapper UnRogue to guard the entrance to their gold mine. He hides in the vines and ivy planted to hang in front of the opening. When he isn't guarding the entrance, he plays with the Kobold children (and the 6 Mites the Kobolds are raising as their own).
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Kobolds aren't real. They are fantasy monster people. They aren't real, so their weap
That's argumentum ad fireballum; we're talking about verisimilitude. The APPEARANCE of being real.
Dragons fly with wings, like birds and bats.Gravity in the vast majority of S&S worlds works basically like ours.
Skeletons are animated with magic, but still need to use their feet to walk and their hands to swing a sword.
Kobolds are scaly little lizard people. They're cowardly and devious and obviously have the APPEARANCE of a culture with traditions, etc.
the only correct answer is of course; scorpion tied to a string, tied to a stick
This, 100%. They fight dirty, and they don't rely on their physical might.
What sort of setting, environment or encounter are your planning, though? I've seen tribal kobolds in the mountains or on the plains that were just barely into the tool age. I've seen jungle kobolds that were the same, and others that were similar to the Aztecs, Mayans and Toltecs, with advanced mathematics and astrology. And I've seen them steampunk-esque, with net cannons and coal-burning machine guns.
In their most classic form, I'd say crossbows, longspears, pits and tiny monstrous centipedes.
Kobolds use modern firearms, obviously.
Better question: What would use kobolds as weapons? Not metaphorically, but literally instruments of bludgeoning.
Ogres or Hill Giants immediately come to mind. Maybe the party Barbarian of they get really mad.
No mention of blowguns yet? Light, silent, poisonable... they seem right up a Kobolds' alley. Or down a Kobolds' mineshaft.
No mention of blowguns yet? Light, silent, poisonable... they seem right up a Kobolds' alley. Or down a Kobolds' mineshaft.
can you use a blowgun without lips? Do kobolds have lips? Most reptiles don't, right?
great choice nonetheless (if the lips thing is a "thing" they just hook it up to a forge bellows!)
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now I want an assault blowgun hooked up to a bagpipe!
The last set of kobolds I ran into had tower shields and the shield wall teamwork feat. I think they may have had shortswords which didn't do much damage, but that doesn't matter so much when the PCs can't hit you - they were happy to nibble us to death.
The previous group had heavy ballistae.
My point is, what they are is a matter of artistic interpretation and game mechanics, not a matter of observation.Kobolds aren't real. They are fantasy monster people. They aren't real, so their weapThat's argumentum ad fireballum; we're talking about verisimilitude. The APPEARANCE of being real.
Bless you for pointing this out. There was great confusion and dismay prior to your clarification, but thanks to your timely intercession I think we're good now!
Now, if you'll move just a little bit more to the left...
now I want an assault blowgun hooked up to a bagpipe!
Wish granted!
By the book, kobolds use slings and spears. They are also noted as trap makers and often portrayed as accomplished miners. So, as others have already mentioned, crossbows (as they have the mechanical aptitude) and picks (for mining) should be commonplace. I also agree with the notion of longspears to help avoid close melee but can also see these being a burden in narrow, twisty tunnels. Other than that, nets, whips and anything else that limits opponents movement, particularly bolas would be used. Caltrops, oil and other equipment that can be used to block movement is also likely to be carried.
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I believe longspears can rule the day in narrow, twisty tunnels... especially narrow, twisty tunnels of one's own design.
What if there were, say, little holes in the ceiling/floor/walls one may stick said Longspear through to jab at foes in neighboring passageways?
What if there were larger passageways specifically cut to lure larger prey along a certain path, whilst a network of neighboring Kobold sized tunnels fascilitates Kobold transit?
I do believe our little Kobold friends would make great use out of Longspears. As previously mentioned, the utility aspect of using a Longspear as a tool for leverage also gives Kobolds a reason to have them around.
A Longspear could be used as a balance pole for crossing a rope bridge over a deep chasm within their mines... little acrobatic lizard person scampers right across, then turns around and hides to stab/trip the Human in heavy armor as they try cross. Maybe the bridge is 25' across with an overhead blockage, making jumping difficult, at best. If all else fails, the Kobold can cut the rope, but he has faith in his trusty Longspear...
For a the Challenge Rating, I mean possible reward, it is not worth risking death at the bottom of a pit... the Human turns around and leaves. The inner nest is safe, and the tribe lives another day.
Kobold swashbucklers using heavy picks as their one handed piercing weapon of choice.
I believe longspears can rule the day in narrow, twisty tunnels... especially narrow, twisty tunnels of one's own design.
What if there were, say, little holes in the ceiling/floor/walls one may stick said Longspear through to jab at foes in neighboring passageways?
What if there were larger passageways specifically cut to lure larger prey along a certain path, whilst a network of neighboring Kobold sized tunnels fascilitates Kobold transit?
I do believe our little Kobold friends would make great use out of Longspears. As previously mentioned, the utility aspect of using a Longspear as a tool for leverage also gives Kobolds a reason to have them around.
A Longspear could be used as a balance pole for crossing a rope bridge over a deep chasm within their mines... little acrobatic lizard person scampers right across, then turns around and hides to stab/trip the Human in heavy armor as they try cross. Maybe the bridge is 25' across with an overhead blockage, making jumping difficult, at best. If all else fails, the Kobold can cut the rope, but he has faith in his trusty Longspear...
For a the Challenge Rating, I mean possible reward, it is not worth risking death at the bottom of a pit... the Human turns around and leaves. The inner nest is safe, and the tribe lives another day.
You are absolutely correct in that the utility value of the longspear would be great.
There's nothing in the rules that says it cannot be done. But I imagine the longspear would be difficult to maneuver through some tunnels as it is too long to hold vertically and too long to get through the twisty tunnels held horizontally. In 'reality' it would keep getting jammed and would slow the carrier.
That is why you have two sizes of tunnels with the holes... just walk down the big hallway and slide it backwards through the hole into the small hallway. They can pretty much be left if place once set. It's not like you have to carry them around throughout the mine, just leave them where they need to be.
Slaver's crossbows seem like a good fit. I've put pyrogrenade squads against players, that would be basic kobold warriors throwing unlit oil flasks to provide fuel for the squad leaders who use alchemist fire. Ideally this attack takes place in a rubble caltrop covered section of the tunnels.
Slings can be used to trigger pressure switches from a safe distance.