Advice on playing a Kobold Fighter

[Dannyalcatraz]

Think like a Kobold. You don't want to stand there and trade blows, you want to stick & move, stick & move.

That in mind, I'd go for a full-out dex build: use either a Weapon Finesse or Combat Reflexes build (with a Reach weapon), and while I'm at it, make sure I have a decent ranged weapon as well as "grenades" of some kind: Alchemical Fire, Tanglefoot Bags, and Trogstink vials spring to mind.

 

[Dandu]

Use poison.

 

[Runestar]

Races of dragon has the fighter sub which trades 2 feats for +2str/+2con.

You may want to consider the spring-attack route, combined with some rider-on effect on your weapon to weaken the enemy.

There is that ritual which gives you 1st lv SLA. You can consider taking ray of enfeeblement (with empower/quicken SLA later on).

Seems fairly feat intensive, even for a fighter.

 

[Herobizkit]

My question to you - what are the other players playing?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Use poison.

Definitely.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

It doesn't really matter if ToB will "confuse the newbs" in the party. As long as you and the DM take the time to understand how the maneuvers work, it should be fine. If you want to keep it simple, make a Warblade, they get very few maneuvers and are similar to Fighters, except slightly more agile (tumble as a class skill, less armor proficiencies) and cunning (int adds to several things). Ideally, I think you'd do best as a Swordsage, but they have a LOT of maneuvers to manage. I figure Swordsage is best because I'm guessing you're a fairly high dex character that would do better with skirmishing than traditional "tanking." I also think your base weapon dice and str penalties mean your regular damage output is utter crap, so the best thing to do is to find things that just plain add to damage. In a core game, that'd be sneak attack. With Tome of Battle, you can get standard action strike maneuvers to add xd6 to a hit without needing to multiclass in a class like Rogue. ToB even has maneuvers to completely replace your regular damage -- Insightful Strike and its Greater version do damage based on a Concentration check, no matter what weapon or str mod you're sporting.

I just think ToB would be the simplest way to shore up your many problems. Not to mention they're useful classes in general.

 

[parinho7]

He said he'd be pretty liberal about sources allowed since I am deliberately playing an underpowered character.

underpowered kobold? HA

kobolds can become VERY powerful (see pun pun)
since you allowed sources check this Prestige Class: Swiftblade -- Haste Personified

and this Web Enhancement: Races of the Dragon -- Kobolds: Of Traps and Perfection

if you want to stack with a pure melee class then i agree with StreamOfTheSky

I will say that in general, Tome of Battle makes everything better for a melee class, ideally if you actually play as one of those melee classes.

try crusader, it has a stance that gives +2 ac bonus vs foes bigger than you. at early levels you can achieve very high armor class.

BUT my suggestion, if you want to be the most capable melee character is to became a Sorcerer
by taking the dragonwrought kobold feat from races of the dragon you can be 120 years old (and die at about 220) with no penalties to str dex con and a +3 bonus at int wis cha.
+2 cha from the kobold paragon class

so start as sorcerer(1)
then kobold paragon(3)
and with the greater rite of passage you wont lose a sorcerer level

and then you have other options
one way to go is take 2 paladin levels and have incredibly high saves, continue as eldrich knight or abjurant champion and then swiftblade (this prc kicks ass)

an other option continue as sorcerer and don't lose spell casting classes to take the swiftblade prc as early as possible so you'll gain the perperual options and innervated speed faster (the best class features ever)

and an other option (my favorite) is the ultimate damage build,
desert kobold paragon(3)/sorcerer(1)/fighter(1)/unseen seer(2)/swiftblade(10)/spellsword(2)/sacred exorsist(1)
i don't remember the exact build very well and i don't have my notes right now
feats:
knowledge devotion
power attack
divine might
arcane strike
2wf
practiced spellcaster

traits: spellgifted (transmutation)

here is your damage output at level 20:
+5 from greater magic weapon
+1 - +5 from knowledge devotion
+8d6 sneak attack from hunter's eye (unseen seer(2) -> advanced learning (common trick))
+13 divine might (cha bonus with 5 points at level 20 and +6 item)
+7d4 arcane strike
+2d6 swift surge
+13 from slippers of battledancing (dmg2) that you MUST have
and even more with other tricks

don't waste feat slots to take imroved 2wf or greater 2wf, there is an item at magic item compedium that gives you the benefit of improved 2wf and you can also cast heroics

i'd take the domain access variation from complete champion to gain access in war domain and at the first round of combat (you'll always play first with init +19) use innervated speed and cast divine power to boost your ab. for the sneak attack you can cast greater invisibility or persistent blade