D&D 5E Kobold Preview

[Sacrosanct]

Some of the responses here are incredibly condescending. New DMs have never heard of Tuckers kibolds. All some of us are asking for is options. To say we are lazy or stupid or whatever, is rude. We want something different than you. And that makes us lazy? So sad.

I wasn't referring to you. I was referring to people who have said that the designers are copping out because they gave us "practically nothing" and that it's the designer's job, not the DMs, to come up with all of these things kobolds could do.

 

[Zaukrie]

But I am one of those people. The designers gave us very little interesting to work with. There are 40 yeasts of interesting things that could have been added, imo. Even just the interesting ammo would have helped.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I wasn't referring to you. I was referring to people who have said that the designers are copping out because they gave us "practically nothing" and that it's the designer's job, not the DMs, to come up with all of these things kobolds could do.

It IS the designer's job to come up with these options. The DM's job is to accept them, tweak them, add to them or ignore them completely. In fact, you may have convinced me not to invest in the Monster Manual, as there doesn't seem to be much in there that I couldn't come up with on my own. Why buy a sourcebook if it doesn't make my life easier?

 

[Paraxis]

I wasn't referring to you. I was referring to people who have said that the designers are copping out because they gave us "practically nothing" and that it's the designer's job, not the DMs, to come up with all of these things kobolds could do.

So basically you are refering to me, well the designer's job is to provide us with interesting tools to work with so that us DM's can be creative, a lot has changed over the past 30 years, people want more all this is so far is old stuff with a very thin coat of paint to try and make it look pretty. Nothing innovative or thought provoking, no advice on how to use the monsters, just sacks of hit points that do a basic attack for a small amount of damage.

 

[Sacrosanct]

But I am one of those people. The designers gave us very little interesting to work with. There are 40 yeasts of interesting things that could have been added, imo. Even just the interesting ammo would have helped.

Very little to work with? Did your preview PDF version not have paragraphs on strength in numbers, and tunnelers? Did it not have the basic stats for the species?

That's A LOT to work with. It tells me how they behave, and what type of tactics they would probably use, as well as their vital stats in combat. I certainly don't need a specific power listed out to tell me that kobolds might use something like flaming oil. That's common sense.

so yeah, I disagree strongly if you think they gave us little more than a blank piece of paper where you have to do all the work. That's just nonsense.

 

[Nilbog]

I wasn't referring to you. I was referring to people who have said that the designers are copping out because they gave us "practically nothing" and that it's the designer's job, not the DMs, to come up with all of these things kobolds could do.

I don't think anyones asking for a definitive list of all the things kobolds can do. I think people would like a few examples of things that kobolds do that makes them kobolds as opposed to say, goblins, and how these actions interact on a mechanical level with the 5e DnD ruleset.

Given that the designers are the people are made the ruleset, I don't think anyone saying its their job to provide this can be called harsh or unreasonable

 

[Sacrosanct]

. Nothing innovative or thought provoking, no advice on how to use the monsters, just sacks of hit points that do a basic attack for a small amount of damage.

There are two paragraphs giving you advice on how to use them. I have to ask, did you even bother reading them? Because responses like this make me think you didn't. Or worse, you did and chose to ignore them.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I don't think anyones asking for a definitive list of all the things kobolds can do. I think people would like a few examples of things that kobolds do that makes them kobolds as opposed to say, goblins, and how these actions interact on a mechanical level with the 5e DnD ruleset.

Given that the designers are the people are made the ruleset, I don't think anyone saying its their job to provide this can be called harsh or unreasonable

There are examples of what makes a kobold different from a goblin:

Strength in Numbers. Kobolds are egg-laying
creatures. They mature quickly and can live to be
“great wyrms” more than a century old. However,
many kobolds perish before they reach the end of
their first decade. hsicall eak, the are eas pre
for predators. This vulnerability forces them to band
together. Their superior numbers can win battles
against powerful adversaries, but often with massive
casualties on the kobold side.
Tunnelers and Builders. Kobolds make up for their
physical ineptitude with a cleverness for trap making
and tunneling. Their lairs consist of low tunnels
through which they move easily but which hinder larger
humanoids. Kobolds also riddle their lairs with traps.
The most insidious kobold traps make use of natural
hazards and other creatures. A trip wire might connect
to a springloaded trap that hrls cla pots o esh
eating green slime or ings crates o enomos giant
centipedes at intruders.

You seem to be saying that unless a specific power is listed, then these differences don't exist. That's bullocks, to be honest. They do exist, and are explicity pointed out for you.

 

[TwoSix]

I wasn't referring to you. I was referring to people who have said that the designers are copping out because they gave us "practically nothing" and that it's the designer's job, not the DMs, to come up with all of these things kobolds could do.

Well, by people, you mean [MENTION=13009]Paraxis[/MENTION]. It's no fun to passive-aggressively call people out.

And yes, the whole point of a Monster Manual (certainly in 2014) is to give us tools to plug and play to make interesting encounters. I can come up with 5 HP and a +3 1d4-1 dagger attack all by myself, thanks.

On the other hand (because I love to contradict myself), I can see an argument that the Monster Manual is also supposed to be an illustrated glossary of D&Disms, so there's value in simply presenting simple monsters in a bare bones manner to enable more entries to fit in one book.

 

[jrowland]

Dirty little secret from 1st edition: Monsters were AC, HP, and Dmg..that was about it. And yet, somehow, different AC/HP/DMG seemed different. Good DMing, I suppose, prompted with the barest fluff in a MM.

I too would appreciate a list of traps for Kobolds, e.g. (since that is how they presented them) but perhaps that is covered in the DMG and if so, I appreciate not wasting space on traps that could be used for more monsters.

In regards to things like traps...I am torn. Publishing them certainly helps in that I don't have to think about it, and it would stimulate me to emulate with my own creative designs, but there are downsides: You might get into the same rules-lawyer minutia arguments you find in Char-Op threads, players will want to take and use the same stuff, so designers have to be extra cautious and careful, and last but not least, it makes it easier for me to cop out and just use whats presented instead of being creative.

I think, in general, the player base knows kobolds well enough without a lot of fiddly bits presented. DMs, for the most part, can and will fill in the blanks. For new DMs, an adventure presenting them with all their "Tucker Kobold" glory, would go along way to enrich the MM.

For now, I think it is an opportunity to create content and post it here for free on ENWORLD. What do you say? Make this thread constructive, instead of merely critical?

Kobold Trap: Moulin Rouge (Red Mill)
The Kobolds collect bits of iron and grind them own into filings (dust) which they store in a bellows sealed with a tiny plug of wax. They position this bellows such that when a creatures activates a trip wire, the bellows blows iron filings all over a 10' cube (DC 13 Perception to notice. DC 10 to deactivate). These filings stick to hair, clothes, etc. and can not be removed except by a thorough washing or Prestidigitation/Thaumaturgy spell. They typically position many of these bellows in areas where Rust Monsters have been gathered. Increase frequency of wandering monsters rolls. If a wandering monster is rolled, use a Rust Monster. Rust Monsters always attack those covered with filings and possessing metal weapons and armor, over those without filings and possessing metal weapons and armor. Tribes of kobolds who use this trap can be spotted by their curious lack of iron weapons and armor.