D&D 5E A Better Kobold

[Yunru]

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.

Very nice point, updated the above.

 

[Leatherhead]

I am convinced that the vast majority of gnashing about PC kobolds being "wrong" is due to the name (and thus flavor) of the ability Grovel, Cower, and Beg. Not the mechanics of it. After all, you are supposed to be playing a Hero, even if they are a monster.

The rest of it comes from grognards who want chihuahua-men back.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[cbwjm]

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

Once per encounter would be better. That way, the kobold grovels and then the next time they try it, the enemy is all "Not falling for that again!" but the next group gets thrown off by the kobold grovelling.

 

[GreenTengu]

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.

This ability is too powerful. Yes, it is on their monster manual entry and the incompetent idiot who wrote the Volo's book left it in, but that is just so that the DM will be encouraged to have this 1-hit kill minion type behave differently than the other 1-hit kill minion type. Its really more like a class ability than a race one.

Volo's guide really has the crappiest PC races of any they have done to date. Every single one is utter crap through-and-through to the point of being effectively unusable to being just ridiculously and comically overpowered. I don't know that there is a single one in the whole book that actually hits the sweet spot of coming across as a valid, functional alternate option to those found in the core book.

Honestly, one of the huge flaws of the Monster Manual is the lack of Dwarf and Elf entries that similarly have a class-like ability that would make fighting Dwarfs feel like actually fighting Dwarfs and not fighting some random indistinct humanoid that might as well be human. But, apparently the idea that the PCs would ever be at war with a Dwarven kingdom is just so absolutely unthinkable and unconscionable that they really didn't feel it was worth the effort to put any thought or effort into the concept.

Anyway, getting the point-- a racial trait should not be "you get advantage on all attack rolls of all sorts ever so long as you have an ally in melee with your target."

First, any RACIAL trait that entirely relies on a character controlled by another character to correctly position themselves for you to have an effect is already bad. It is guaranteed to cause issues at the table.

Second, racial traits should either be additional options or modifiers to rolls that come up infrequently (no more than once an encounter/20 rounds). Sure, the High Elf could spam their cantrip but it is usually not the best option and while the Dwarf could be targeted with poison damage every turn of every combat, that is unlikely to happen. Here we have a trait that is could, if everyone does things right should, in effect every single round of combat without exception.

A constant modifier to every attack roll you ever make with the character that basically encourages the player to take control of the movement and position of other characters on the battlefield. It seriously strikes me that whomever was put in charge of making the racial traits in the Volo book was some week 1 intern that hadn't the slightest clue in terms of game design and sure as heck didn't remotely comprehend the basic rules the races designed up until this book had relied on in order to be functional. Why does every edition of D&D insist on putting their least experienced, least intelligent, least skilled person in charge of designing the basic non-standard races? And if it wasn't the least experienced person on the team, that person needs to quit and find a line of work that they can actually manage to do without screwing things up. Its at least clear why they aren't working in the M:tG department where such monumental mechanical screw ups would cost the company considerably. 4th Edition was the closest any edition has come to getting them right, but races in that edition had such little effect (up until racial feats were a thing) and were such a rigid template that it was nearly impossible to screw up.


What is the closest we could get to this trait without it being utterly broken and intrusive?


Just without putting a huge amount of thought into it...

On your turn you may target a creature within 5' of you and use a bonus action to make a Deception (Charisma) check against the target's Sense Motive (Wisdom). If successful, the next attack made against this target by an ally is made with advantage.

It is still more of a class skill than a proper one that belongs on a race. It is at least an option, an option that gives no guaranteed certainty of success, as there may well be superior things you could do with your bonus action rather than choosing to try to give advantage to an attack. Though it is still a bit too good of an option so I imagine low-level characters would be using this all the time. It would also allow you to use a low-level Kobold to grant a much more powerful character advantage, but that is mitigated with the skill check to some degree.

However, it is also a trait where if you are alone on the field, the trait disappears entirely. I am not sure if having a major defining trait for a race being so entirely dependent on whether or not one is alone is a good idea. However, I suppose there are many other racial traits that are dependent upon less certain things than there being at least one other party member.

Still, despite the flaws it is a VASTLY better way to accomplish effectively the same basic idea while still remotely coming across as what could be considered a proper racial trait and without having the player of the Kobold being concerned every single turn with making sure his allies stay in melee of his targets.

It also properly removes the need and function of that whole "grovel" ability which is similarly absolutely ludicrous. Giving all allies advantage against all enemies so long as they can see you for a single turn? And without this being resistible by any of the enemies? That's the equivalent of a solid mid-level spell you can cast once every single combat. The closest you can come with a cantrip is giving advantage to 1 ally for 1 attack.

So, yes-- by all means that should be removed from the game and simply replaced by giving them a basic proficiency in a skill.

You might also consider something that involves working with traps. Either an appropriate proficiency bonus or simply a bonus on Dexterity saving throws to avoid traps or a standard "advantage on rolls to detect or disarm traps". D&D doesn't have a subsystem for building or laying traps and it wouldn't be a good idea to tack that onto a race, so one can only use the options available to give them advantages when dealing with traps.

 

[Yunru]

Pretty sure the reason it's kept in Volo's is the same reason I kept it: It only grants advantage outside of sunlight, otherwise it's just compensating for Sunlight Sensitivity.

 

[GreenTengu]

Pretty sure the reason it's kept in Volo's is the same reason I kept it: It only grants advantage outside of sunlight, otherwise it's just compensating for Sunlight Sensitivity.

Except, well.. it doesn't. Also, Drow has no similar "advantage on every single attack" ability.

Again, the problem is that it is an absolute pressing concern for the player on every single turn of combat and it is almost designed to cause strife at the table as the Kobold player takes a significant reduction in effectiveness if someone in the group isn't within 5' of the target at all times. This is going to naturally cause the player to complain and try to negotiate the movement of other PCs so as to be able to use this ability.

You have to know that at least every single game session you are inevitably going to hear at least once, if not multiple times, "no, don't move there! I need you over here so I can hit this guy before he kills us." No trait that every single member of a PC race is going to have should ever cause that to be a constant pressing concern.

The Sunlight sensitivity trait can also be mitigated in more than enough creative ways so that it is a less pressing concern.

But if you are so concerned with giving them advantage on every single attack ever and will avoid causing strife among the players, just give then "Beneath Contempt: You have advantage on attacks against opponents larger than you."

But I still maintain that BOTH having a race that potentially gets advantage on every attack roll they ever made just be virtue of their race as well as requiring the player to be all too concerned about where the rest of the party is on the battlefield in order for their character to ideally function are bad, but the later thing is so very much worse.

Its fine if all the Kobolds and all the Kobolds allies are controlled by a single player (i.e. the DM) as how and when the trait comes into play is solely dependent upon that single individual with the players having the ability to disrupt it. But expecting all players at the table to revolve the way they handle every combat encounter around a single player's choice of race lest that player be down roughly 15-20% chance of success on every roll is just quite bad game design.

 

[gyor]

Just rename the grovel thing to tactical deception, which is what I'd do if I had a Kobold character.

 

[Kobold Stew]

I'd prefer if the strength penalty were -4 instead of -2.

It wouldn't diminish my eponymous love of kobolds in any way.

 

[Ancalagon]

My biggest problem with kobolds is that I just like goblins better.