Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Uber-nasty kobold tactics?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Henry" data-source="post: 37432" data-attributes="member: 158"><p>Let's start with a passage from the SRD:</p><p></p><p></p><p>First of all, a fully-prepared large kobold tribe is going to have approximately 425 adults, with 25 of them 3rd to 8th level. Every one of them are going to have trapmaking skill, and using the ability to aid another in a skill use, the kobold lair will be brimming with traps of a high skill and high-CR nature. both nonmagical and magical. The leader is likely to be an 8th level sorcerer, and all of his lieutenants are likely to have at least some sorcererous ability - therefore, magical traps are just as likely as nonmagical ones. Lawful evil implies working together with precision and for the good of the community.</p><p></p><p>A tribe of kobolds would kiely only build passageways to accomodate them and their pets - only 3 feet high and maybe 2 feet wide? Also, they would use their dire badger pets to the utmost, especially to get flanking positions and sneak attacks. </p><p></p><p>Here's a really nasty thought - the passageways are only 3 feet tall, but the rooms are 6' high. Anyone who stands over 4 1/2 feet tall in a room triggers a trap in the room! The kobolds would have no problems bypassing these traps!<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>Without wasting a lot of space with repeat info, Check into the trap-making section of the DMG and Song and Silence. Spike pit traps, Crushing room traps, acid-floor traps, and Vaccuum Room traps are all quite nasty, and bound to wear on a party's resources. Since a one-time trap only costs some gold and 2XP, and a multi-use trap costs 20 xp, the kobold lieutenants and chieftain should have plenty of these set up to trigger around anyone over 2 1/2 feet tall. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> One really nasty trap would be one that threw dimensional anchors at the party before it triggered another part that dumped them into another trap of some sort such as a collapsing room!</p><p></p><p>Kobolds can be quite nasty just looking at the existing core rules material, but you really have to work to make them a threat for really high-level PC's - just don't ever let them come into physical confrontation, or if you do, make sure they have enough minor magics to scare a party.</p><p></p><p>--------------------</p><p></p><p>Though it doesn't work in 3E as well as it did in 2E, writer Jean Rabe once said that she had a beautiful adventure setup in which a mage in a tower once died, and because of his fearsome power, no one bothered to invade his tower. It lay undisturbed for many years, until a tribe of kobolds and goblins moved in, braved the traps, and found that the mage had left his entire stockpile of magical devices and scrolls and potions behind. THe PC's went nuts when they kept encountering kobolds and goblins that were hopped up on potions of heroism, giant strength, fire breathing, etc. and who had access to necklaces of fireballs and the like. After a while, the PC's were even afraid of regular kobolds and goblins, because they couldn't tell if they had access to such magics. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big grin :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Henry, post: 37432, member: 158"] Let's start with a passage from the SRD: [b][/b] First of all, a fully-prepared large kobold tribe is going to have approximately 425 adults, with 25 of them 3rd to 8th level. Every one of them are going to have trapmaking skill, and using the ability to aid another in a skill use, the kobold lair will be brimming with traps of a high skill and high-CR nature. both nonmagical and magical. The leader is likely to be an 8th level sorcerer, and all of his lieutenants are likely to have at least some sorcererous ability - therefore, magical traps are just as likely as nonmagical ones. Lawful evil implies working together with precision and for the good of the community. A tribe of kobolds would kiely only build passageways to accomodate them and their pets - only 3 feet high and maybe 2 feet wide? Also, they would use their dire badger pets to the utmost, especially to get flanking positions and sneak attacks. Here's a really nasty thought - the passageways are only 3 feet tall, but the rooms are 6' high. Anyone who stands over 4 1/2 feet tall in a room triggers a trap in the room! The kobolds would have no problems bypassing these traps!:) Without wasting a lot of space with repeat info, Check into the trap-making section of the DMG and Song and Silence. Spike pit traps, Crushing room traps, acid-floor traps, and Vaccuum Room traps are all quite nasty, and bound to wear on a party's resources. Since a one-time trap only costs some gold and 2XP, and a multi-use trap costs 20 xp, the kobold lieutenants and chieftain should have plenty of these set up to trigger around anyone over 2 1/2 feet tall. :) One really nasty trap would be one that threw dimensional anchors at the party before it triggered another part that dumped them into another trap of some sort such as a collapsing room! Kobolds can be quite nasty just looking at the existing core rules material, but you really have to work to make them a threat for really high-level PC's - just don't ever let them come into physical confrontation, or if you do, make sure they have enough minor magics to scare a party. -------------------- Though it doesn't work in 3E as well as it did in 2E, writer Jean Rabe once said that she had a beautiful adventure setup in which a mage in a tower once died, and because of his fearsome power, no one bothered to invade his tower. It lay undisturbed for many years, until a tribe of kobolds and goblins moved in, braved the traps, and found that the mage had left his entire stockpile of magical devices and scrolls and potions behind. THe PC's went nuts when they kept encountering kobolds and goblins that were hopped up on potions of heroism, giant strength, fire breathing, etc. and who had access to necklaces of fireballs and the like. After a while, the PC's were even afraid of regular kobolds and goblins, because they couldn't tell if they had access to such magics. :D [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Uber-nasty kobold tactics?
Top