Kobolds too weak at Level Adjustment +0?

Looking over Kobold racial traits, here's what they get:

• -4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, –2 Constitution.
• Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 those of Medium characters.
• A kobold’s base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Racial Skills: A kobold character has a +2 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Profession (miner), and Search checks.
• Racial Feats: A kobold character gains feats according to its character class.
• +1 natural armor bonus.
• Special Qualities (see above): Light sensitivity.
• Automatic Languages: Draconic. Bonus Languages: Common, Undercommon.
• Favored Class: Sorcerer.
• Level adjustment +0.

While some may disagree, I think it's easiest to compare them to an Elf:

• Ability Adjustments: Kobolds have an additional -4 Strength penalty; Advantage: Elf
• Size/Speed: Kobolds are Small (both good & bad) BUT keep a 30' move base; Advantage: Kobold
• Vision: Kobolds get Darkvision vs Elf Low-light vision; Advantage Kobold
• Skills: Both get +2 to three skills, but Elves are far more useful; Advantage Elf
• Racial Abilities: Kobold gets +1 NA but gets Light Sensitivity penalty while Elves get Immunity to Sleep, their +2 vs Ench, Weapon Profs & Secret Door Detection; Advantage: Elf
• Languages: Kobold gets Draconic without Common while Elf gets Common & Elven; Advantage: Elf
• Favored Class: Sorcerer vs Wizard; Advantage: Neither

So would you alter these if a player wanted to play a Kobold PC? If so, how?

Thanks.

DrSpunj

Yep. My campaign sees a better than average number of kobold PC's, so I worked up this for a PC kobold:

Advanced Kobold Racial Traits

What follows is a slightly expanded set of statistics for those who wish to bring kobolds in line with the strength of other core races.

· +2 bonus to Dexterity and Charisma, -4 penalty to Strength. Kobolds are both fast and agile, but they are small and physically weaker than other races. Kobolds also possess a great sense of self worth and confidence that belies their short stature and monstrous appearance.
· Small: As small creatures, Kobolds gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of medium-size characters.
· A kobolds base speed is 30 ft. Despite their small size, they are capable of scurrying as fast as any human.
· Darkvision: Kobolds can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and kobolds can function just fine with no light at all.
· +1 natural armor: The scales of a kobold are tough enough to offer some protection in combat.
· +2 racial bonus on Craft, Search and Disable Device checks that are related to traps. Kobolds are familiar with most types of traps, and possess a near sixth-sense about the intricacies of trap design.
· +2 racial bonus to Move Silently. Kobolds are light on their feet and notoriously quiet when they wish to be.
· +2 racial bonus on Craft and Profession checks that are related to stone: Kobolds are skilled miners and stonemasons.
· Automatic Languages: Common and Draconic. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Gnome, Giant, Goblin, Orc.
· Favored Class: Sorcerer. A multiclass kobold’s sorcerer class does not count when determining whether he suffers an xp Penalty. Magic runs through a kobold's veins, and they arts of sorcery come easily to them.

IMC, kobolds have the ability adjustments of -2 Str, +2 Dex and +2 Cha (since they're powerful sorcerers, and claim to be akin to dragons) and the rest of their MM traits. I thought that might be a bit powerful, but by comparison, the abilities of halfings and gnomes are about par.

Demiurge out.

Eh, I thought they were MEANT to be a suboptimal race - little annoying dog yappers that you can fight six of per low level PC...

I mean, take goblins for example. All the crudeness of the orc, none of the strength.

You have players who WANT TO PLAY KOBOLDS?

So, basically, what we have here is a small character, with a Dex bonus, with +1 natural armor, whose favored class is sorcerer. I can see the appeal, yes, I can.

Ah, but they run fast for such little guys.

That's gotta be it.

Gort said:

Eh, I thought they were MEANT to be a suboptimal race - little annoying dog yappers that you can fight six of per low level PC...

I mean, take goblins for example. All the crudeness of the orc, none of the strength.

You have players who WANT TO PLAY KOBOLDS?

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I played them more than once and I know a lot of players who do so as well.

I don't think that WotC authors consider a negative ECL something possible, and at the same time if you weight racial characteristics against the best class for the race (as I am afraid WotC usually does), you end up with very ECLs.

What I mean is that, in the case of a Kobold, if you consider its racial bonuses/penalties against the Sorcerer class, it's not a bad race at all. He doesn't suffer too much for the heavy Strength penalty or for having to use smaller weapons for example, while the natural armor bonus although minimum it is a welcome AC bonus which stacks with the typical arcane spells. Still gets to use the benefits of being small instead, as well as increased speed for the size. Light sensitivity has less disadvantage to a spellcaster.

On the other side, any combat-oriented Kobold sucks hard compared to the core races (with possible exception of a crossbowman). In fact the MM's Kobold Warrior has CR 1/4.

The con change to 3.5 is really BAD for kobold sorcerers.

Darklone said:

The con change to 3.5 is really BAD for kobold sorcerers.

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Was it +0 in 3.0? Anyway, it's not worse than for an Elf.