More Monsters -- Kobold Miners (and friends)

[Lizard]

Another experiment idea. All of the various 'active terrain' concepts in 4e are neat, but come with a catch -- you need to draw the maps. The following creatures, in combination, actually *create* terrain obstacles as the fight progresses. I am interested in feedback and balance suggestions.

The biggest problem I have with 4e monster design is keeping it simple. I could have given each of these guys 2 or 3 more powers each, and a whole lot more special rules and limits. I decided to "Think 4e" and not bother. Their abilities are designed for a specific environment. A kobold miner in the middle of a wheatfield can't bring down a shower of rocks or open up a pit, no matter how hard the Mine Boss yells at him. I didn't include paragraphs of detail to this effect, as it ought to be obvious.
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Kobold Miner Level 1 Minion
Small natural humanoid XP 25
Initiative +5 Senses Perception +1; darkvision
HP 1;
AC 15; Fortitude 13, Reflex 13, Will 14
Speed 6
Pick (standard; at-will) * Weapon
+5 vs. AC; 4 damage.

Tunneling (standard, at-will) * Weapon
If the Kobold miner is underground, one square adjacent to the Kobold Miner becomes Difficult Terrain.

Shifty
A Kobold can Shift 1 square as a minor action.

Fear Of The Lash
Kobold Miners are immune to Fear effects so long as a non-minion kobold has LOS to them. If there are no non-minion kobolds in LOS, the Kobold Miner must save every round or flee.

Alignment Evil Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Athletics +4, Dungeoneering +4
Str 8 (-1) Dex 16 (+3) Wis 12 (+1)
Con 12 (+1) Int 9 (-1) Cha 10 (+0)

Kobold Miners are responsible for digging, tunneling, and working the mines. They are basically cowardly, but fear being punished by their overseers more than they fear even death. They also know the mines and tunnels in which they live very well, and can bring down a shower of stones which creates uneven footing, slowing foes so that their allies can pick them off.


Kobold Overseer Level 2 Skirmisher
Small natural humanoid XP 125
Initiative +4 Senses Perception +2; darkvision
HP 36; Bloodied 18
AC 16; Fortitude 14, Reflex 13, Will 14
Speed 6
M Whip (standard; at-will * Weapon
Reach 1, +7 vs. AC; 1d10+3 damage.

R Lash Pull (standard, recharge 5,6) * Weapon
Ranged 2, +7 vs AC, 1d6+3, and the target is pulled 1 square

Necessary Sacrifice (Encounter, Immediate Interrupt)
Trigger: An attack hits the Kobold Overseer
Effect: The attack instead hits an adjacent kobold minion.

Shifty
A Kobold can Shift 1 square as a minor action.

Alignment Evil Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Dungeoneering +7, Intimidate +7
Str 16 (+3/+4) Dex 12 (+1/+2) Wis 12 (+2/+3)
Con 14 (+2/+3) Int 10 (+0/+1) Cha 10 (+0/+1)

Kobold Overseers are large (for a kobold), scarred, and heavily muscled specimens who take great delete in bullying those smaller and weaker than themselves. This is typical for a kobold, but they're especially good at it. They greatly enjoy pounding on anyone who is already injured, believing it is best to kick 'em while they're down. They wield an exceptionally long whip, studded with sharp metal spikes. They usually whip and move back, forcing opponents to suffer an OA in order to close again.

Kobold Mine Boss Level 3 Controller (Leader)
Small natural humanoid XP 150
Initiative +2 Senses Perception +2; darkvision
HP 44; Bloodied 22
AC 17; Fortitude 15, Reflex 16, Will 15
Speed 6
M Short Sword (standard; at-will * Weapon
+8 vs. AC; 1d6+4 damage.

R Crossbow (standard; at-will) * Weapon
Ranged 10/20, +8 vs AC, 1d8

Sudden Drop (minor, recharge 5,6)
The Kobold Mine Boss targets any minion within 10. The minion and a single enemy adjacent to the minion fall into a 20' pit, which now occupies the squares they occupied. Resolve the fall as usual.

Shower Of Stones (Standard, recharge 5,6)
Close Burst 3 within 10; Attack +8 vs. Reflex, 2d6. Special -- the Mine Boss must select a kobold minion as the center of the burst, the minion is attacked as well.

Get Him! Him! (free; encounter)
The Kobold Mine Boss targets any enemy within LOS. For the remainder of the encounter, all kobold allies of the Mine Boss get +2 to attack that target, and -1 to attack any other target so long as it is still alive.

Shifty
A Kobold can Shift 1 square as a minor action.

Alignment Evil Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Dungeoneering +7, Intimidate +8
Str 14 (+2/+3) Dex 16 (+3/+4) Wis 12 (+2/+3)
Con 12 (+1/+2) Int 12 (+1/+2) Cha 14 (+2/+3)

Mine bosses are what happens when a miner gets lucky and survives a few years in the mines. They know the tunnels and caves inside and out, and can take advantage of every weak point. They can direct a minor to open up a boarded-over pit, or cause a partial collapse of a roof. That this often kills the miners as well is not of great concern; they're competition for his job.

Typical Encounter: 1 mine Boss, 1 overseer, 1 slinger, 8 miners

Tactics: Kobold miners aren't considered warriors, and are almost never seen outside the mines -- indeed, their abilities only work in such locales and are basically meaningless anywhere else. However, attacks on the mines are common -- from goblin, orc, or human invaders, and so, a mining team knows how to defend itself. The boss will hang back to direct the fight, sending minions after whoever he judges to be the most dangerous opponent while also having some plummet foes into a bit or bury enemies beneath falls of rock. The Overseer will use his shiftiness and reach to harry an enemy while staying out of range, and will use lash pull to yank foes into any pits created by the mine boss's Sudden Drop power. Both the slinger and the mine boss will use ranged attacks to wear down foes when their special abilities are not available.

 

[djdaidouji]

Some very interesting ideas, I especially like basically using kobold minions as ammunition. These may very well be in my game later on.

The only problem I have is Sudden Drop. I don't particularly like this ability, because it is basically ret-conning a pit trap into existence. Usually, a rogue would be able to disable the pit trap (keeping it closed), but since it doesn't exist until the ability is used, that can't be done. Also, it should be a reflex attack, or allow a save or something, that would allow the PC to shift 1 square or otherwise prevent him from falling, just as a regular pit trap would. Plus I think it unbalances the math a bit; usually a pit trap would take the place of a creature, but here a pit trap takes the place of a minion (assuming it dies from the fall).

I know the point is to not have to make the map beforehand, but I think to not would be to deprive the rogue of what he does best.

 

[Lizard]

I'll need to look at the math on pits. This is a fairly weak pit; a creature should, overall, do more than 1d10 damage over the course of a combat. I'd say the pit could be negated by a DC 15 Dungeoneering or Thievery check as a standard action, representing tossing boards, etc, over it.

 

[shinmizu]

I can't find the Kobold Miner's "You No Take Candle!" power...

 

[Lizard]

I can't find the Kobold Miner's "You No Take Candle!" power...

Immediate Interrupt, Trigger:The kobold miner is killed.
The kobold miner may immediately make a basic attack against an adjacent enemy.

(Alternatively)
Move, Encounter
The kobold miner's move increases by 6. The kobold must end the move adjacent to an enemy.

(I can't remember if they said that when they died or when they aggroed, so pick the appropriate one...)

 

[Lizard]

OK, looked at the pits in the DMG.

I see the Kobolds power as, basically, a one-shot "do 2d10 and target is knocked prone". However, it is more than that -- there's the action cost of leaving the pit, the tactical options of pits in narrow tunnels, etc.

So.

A 2*2 pit, covered, is worth 100 XP, or four minions.

So let us rewrite the power as follows:
Sudden Drop (standard, recharge 4,5,6)
The Kobold Mine Boss targets any minion within 10. The minion targets a single adjacent enemy. A pit which occupies the same squares as the target forms beneath it. The pit makes a basic attack of +6 against Reflex. If it hits, the target falls into the pit, takes 1d10 damage and is prone. If it misses, the target shifts to the nearest unoccupied space. Either way, the minion is killed.

If a 2*2 pit is worth 100 XP, a 1*1 pit is worth 25 XP. The mobile hazard of the minion is replaced by the immobile hazard of the pit. Since it's a small pit -- much smaller than the default -- it is much easier to jump over/avoid/negate, and thus more balanced. Because it is so small, I increased the recharge rate so that there's more pits likely to form during the encounter.

In essence, this gives the Mine Boss the power "Standard action, +6 against reflex, 1d10+target is prone", at the cost of a minion, roughly every other round. This seems balanced to me. Thoughts?