D&D 5E A Better Kobold

Yunru

Banned
Banned
So this is Volo's Kobold:
KOBOLD TRAITS
Your kobold character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Strength score is reduced by 2.
Age. Kobolds reach adulthood at age 6 and can live up to 120 years but rarely do so.
Alignment. Kobolds are fundamentally selfish, making them evil, but their reliance on the strength of their group makes them trend toward law.
Size. Kobolds are between 2 and 3 feet tall and weigh between 25 and 35 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Grovel, Cower, and Beg. As an action on your turn, you can cower pathetically to distract nearby foes. Until the end of your next turn, your allies gain advantage on attack rolls against enemies within 10 feet of you that can see you. Once you use this trait, you can't use it
again until you finish a short or long rest.
Pack Tactics. You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.

And it's an affront to the Kobold. So I tried to fix it up a bit. I removed the horrible -2 Str, and the awfully un-thematic Grovel, Cower and Beg, leaving:

KOBOLD TRAITS
Your kobold character has the following racial traits.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Kobolds reach adulthood at age 6 and can live up to 120 years but rarely do so.
Alignment. Kobolds are fundamentally selfish, making them evil, but their reliance on the strength of their group makes them trend toward law.
Size. Kobolds are between 2 and 3 feet tall and weigh between 25 and 35 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Grovel, Cower, and Beg. As a Kobold you have proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills.
Pack Tactics. You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.
 
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Sacrosanct

Legend
In the middle of combat?
Or even worse: once per rest? :p

I would think the grovelling is especially useful during combat, and fits the theme very well. Ie., kobolds then to grovel whenever they feel threatened with a risk of losing---which is pretty much the definition of most combats. Also, there is nothing that says a kobold can only grovel once per rest. Grovel as much as you want. The only thing that ability does is guarantee you a specific result when you choose on a limited basis. But nothing remotely suggests that a kobold can't grovel whenever he or she wants, with an effect appropriate to the scenario.

TBH, your response reminds me "if it's not written explicitly, then it can't happen", and to be frank, that's an attitude that needs to die in fire. Not picking on you specifically, because I've seen a lot of people seem to take that position.
 

gargoyleking

Adventurer
I'm playing a Kobold now, and based much of his personality on the very things that you're spurning. Honestly, it's more entertaining this way.

Squirrels are evil!
 

Yunru

Banned
Banned
TBH, your response reminds me "if it's not written explicitly, then it can't happen", and to be frank, that's an attitude that needs to die in fire. Not picking on you specifically, because I've seen a lot of people seem to take that position.

It's more the opposite: Being written explicitly implies that's the only way it can happen.
 

Quickleaf

Legend
What I want to see (er...as a DM ;) ) is a single kobold go to parlay with the PCs. The kobold naturally uses Grovel, Cower, and Beg.

And then his 15 pals jump out from behind the rocks with slings and short bow and throwing scorpions...with advantage. :devil:

That's a better kobold!
 

Sacrosanct

Legend
It's more the opposite: Being written explicitly implies that's the only way it can happen.

No it doesn't. If that's the only time and way a kobold can grovel by using that trait, then that's the same as saying that no one can beg or grovel because they don't have the same trait. And I don't think that's the interpretation of most people. Rather, all that trait does is allow the kobold to have a predetermined auto-effect to happen when the PC chooses to enact it (like any other power or ability). It doesn't mean or imply that that is the only time a kobold (or anyone else) can grovel.

For example of how I would probably handle it, I'm guessing any attempt at a grovel would probably be handled via a persuasion check, with an effect dependent on the scenario you're dealing with (easier to beg a humanoid than an animal, for example). And since kobolds are known for grovelling and are generally the best at it, that can be manifested by granting the PC to use their prof bonus to persuasion checks when begging or grovelling.
 

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