Kobolds: Too powerful?

[Mistwell]

Originally Posted by Aservan

Rogues are already the best striker in terms of shear damage output (at low levels anyway).

I disagree. Rangers have that title.

[DevoutlyApathetic]

Originally Posted by Kobold Avenger

How much of the balance could change if they could only use Shifty once per round?

No one seems to say that Goblins are too powerful, when they can shift 1/round as an immediate reaction from a melee attack. So does restricting shifty to 1/round make Kobolds "balanced".

This wouldn't change anything. You only have a single Minor action a turn and nothing in their rules stops them from using a Move (or Standard) to shift as normal. Unless your intention was to limit their shifting to less than a normal creature.

[SadisticFishing]

Sure, shifting as a minor is decent, but move actions really are rarely that important.

Kobolds should be +2 dex, +2 cha, but then their shifty power would be worth even less (because of Elusive Target).

Bugbear, Drow, Longtooth Shifters - these are the overpowered races. Kobolds are okay.

[eamon]

Originally Posted by SadisticFishing

Sure, shifting as a minor is decent, but move actions really are rarely that important.

Kobolds should be +2 dex, +2 cha, but then their shifty power would be worth even less (because of Elusive Target).

Bugbear, Drow, Longtooth Shifters - these are the overpowered races. Kobolds are okay.

Bugbears, certainly. Longtooth Shifters? Being a player who's looking at a pitfighter build, potentially ranger, potentially fighter, I'd say definitely not. They're rather weak, really; their ability boost are only useful for a handful of few builds, their regeneration isn't particularly high and stops once they're no longer bloodied (and can only be used once an encounter), and they don't have awesometastic elven rerolls, or human action surge + extra defenses + extra at-wills, nor the dragonborn's brilliant (for a fighter) marking breath. With a strength boost, they're fight fine as a meleeer, but nothing particularly great.

[Cailte]

Make Shifty and Goblin Tactics Encounter Powers and they are probably going to be pretty balanced compared to the PHB PCs. Maybe make them useable 2x per encounter.

Make the Drow's Lolth Touched power usable once per day and it will still be ok, but not as strong as it currently is. Plus they will still have Darkvision which is useful.

For the Shifters put "Sustain: Minor" on their powers and the issue is gone if you feel they are to strong.

Remember the MM stuff is really there for making NPC monsters, those powers are pretty much the standard monster powers written up like PC powers, as such they are really balanced to be used in only one encounter ever, and so some of them are significantly better than the PHB's multi-encounter powers.