Kobold as Viable PC Race?

[charlesatan]

Not having my ROD in front of me, isn't there a variant class in it for sorcerer that gives you draconic heritage as a bonus feat?

mikeg

Yes. You ditch the familiar.

 

[Nazhkandrias]

Yes. You ditch the familiar.

Wait, you ditch the familiar for just one bonus feat?!? Seems like a bit of a rip-off to me. A familiar can be of MAJOR help, and I think that I'd rather burn a feat than waste +3 to a skill, a useful spy, a minor combatant, and making ALL of my touch spells ranged touch spells.

Speaking of familiars... can anyone tell me if it would be a good idea to take Improved Familiar at level 6 and get a Pseudodragon familiar at level 7? I know I lose a feat, but a Pseudodragon seems like it would be well worth it (telekinesis, good poison, flight, etc.). If I don't do that, I'm probably just going to stick with a Snake familiar.

Also... for a Kobold specializing in Fire Evocations, would anyone recommend devoting myself to the Fire Sphere (enhancement to Fire CLs, reduction to Cold CLs)? My Draconic Heritage feats already make fire a natural choice (Red Draconic Heritage), and plenty of the best Evocation damage-dealers are fire-based.

As for variant classes... I think that the classic sorcerer will work for me, unless there's been a groundbreaking new variant class I'm not aware of... KOBOLDS FTW!!!

 

[Felon]

Wait, you ditch the familiar for just one bonus feat?!? Seems like a bit of a rip-off to me. A familiar can be of MAJOR help, and I think that I'd rather burn a feat than waste +3 to a skill, a useful spy, a minor combatant, and making ALL of my touch spells ranged touch spells.

A feat won't have single-digit HP, cost you XP when it dies, and make you wait a year to replace it (just so you can go through it getting popped like a zit all over again).

For this reason, many players pass on their familiar altogether.

 

[Darklone]

Wait, you ditch the familiar for just one bonus feat?!? Seems like a bit of a rip-off to me. A familiar can be of MAJOR help, and I think that I'd rather burn a feat than waste +3 to a skill, a useful spy, a minor combatant, and making ALL of my touch spells ranged touch spells.

It's a bonus feat that allows you to get into a big feat chain faster... a feat chain which feats IIRC get stronger, the more you have.

Also... for a Kobold specializing in Fire Evocations, would anyone recommend devoting myself to the Fire Sphere (enhancement to Fire CLs, reduction to Cold CLs)? My Draconic Heritage feats already make fire a natural choice (Red Draconic Heritage), and plenty of the best Evocation damage-dealers are fire-based.

Which book is that from? I use something similar right now and don't remember where I had it from.

As for variant classes... I think that the classic sorcerer will work for me, unless there's been a groundbreaking new variant class I'm not aware of... KOBOLDS FTW!!!

I like kobold warlocks.

 

[Nazhkandrias]

It's a bonus feat that allows you to get into a big feat chain faster... a feat chain which feats IIRC get stronger, the more you have.

Which book is that from? I use something similar right now and don't remember where I had it from.

I like kobold warlocks.

I think that the spheres were in Dragon magazine at one point... but I saw it here (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/index.php), under Basic Classes, and under Sorcerers, there's a section called Spheres For Sorcerers.

As for Kobold Warlocks... ehhhh... not for me. Too much Demonic influence, not enough Draconic (important for my character and my DMs campaign). The whole Invocation thing is a little strange to me, I'll stick with a Sorcerer. So, what's this free Draconic Heritage Sorcerer called? Is the only difference subbing the familiar for a free Draconic Heritage?

If you can't think of it or I don't think it's for me (unlikely), then I might take the Draconic Ray Sorcerer (same link as above).

 

[Klaus]

I think that the spheres were in Dragon magazine at one point... but I saw it here (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/index.php), under Basic Classes, and under Sorcerers, there's a section called Spheres For Sorcerers.

As for Kobold Warlocks... ehhhh... not for me. Too much Demonic influence, not enough Draconic (important for my character and my DMs campaign). The whole Invocation thing is a little strange to me, I'll stick with a Sorcerer. So, what's this free Draconic Heritage Sorcerer called? Is the only difference subbing the familiar for a free Draconic Heritage?

If you can't think of it or I don't think it's for me (unlikely), then I might take the Draconic Ray Sorcerer (same link as above).

The Sorcerer variant is from Races of the Dragon. It's the first Dragonblooded Sorcerer substitution levels (there are two more).

At all substitution levels, you lose Craft and Profession, but gain Use Magic Device as a class skill (for those levels only).

At 1st level, you gain +2 bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks, plus a free Draconic Heritage feat.

At 4th level, you choose one of your known spells to become a spell-like ability you can use three times per day. Once you choose, you remove that spell from your Spells Known list and you lose a spell slot of the appropriate level. Whenever you gain a new spell level, you can choose a new spell to become a spell-like ability. If you do so, the previous spell returns to your Spells Known list and you get the appropriate spell slot back.

At 4th level your bonus to Knowledge (arcana) increases to +4.

At 7th level, you do not gain the usual new Known Spells for levels 1, 2 and 3. Instead, you gain new spells known based on the alignment of your Draconic Heritage:
Evil: 1st - charm person; 2nd - darkness, resist energy; 3rd - suggestion
Good: 1st - bless; 2nd - fog cloud, resist energy; 3rd - fly

At 7th level, your bonus to Knowledge (arcana) rises to +6.

 

[Darklone]

Ah thanks, Klaus!

 

[Nazhkandrias]

The Sorcerer variant is from Races of the Dragon. It's the first Dragonblooded Sorcerer substitution levels (there are two more).

At all substitution levels, you lose Craft and Profession, but gain Use Magic Device as a class skill (for those levels only).

At 1st level, you gain +2 bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks, plus a free Draconic Heritage feat.

At 4th level, you choose one of your known spells to become a spell-like ability you can use three times per day. Once you choose, you remove that spell from your Spells Known list and you lose a spell slot of the appropriate level. Whenever you gain a new spell level, you can choose a new spell to become a spell-like ability. If you do so, the previous spell returns to your Spells Known list and you get the appropriate spell slot back.

At 4th level your bonus to Knowledge (arcana) increases to +4.

At 7th level, you do not gain the usual new Known Spells for levels 1, 2 and 3. Instead, you gain new spells known based on the alignment of your Draconic Heritage:
Evil: 1st - charm person; 2nd - darkness, resist energy; 3rd - suggestion
Good: 1st - bless; 2nd - fog cloud, resist energy; 3rd - fly

At 7th level, your bonus to Knowledge (arcana) rises to +6.

Ah, perfection! You get all of that just for dumping the familiar? It's almost too awesome! Yeah, I'll take a pass on a cat; give me spell-like abilities, new spells, bonuses to skills, and Draconic Heritage anyday! I was never going to use Craft or Profession (seriously, who puts ranks in Profession) anyway. And when you say Use Magic Device is a class skill only for those levels, you mean I can only take it with 1 point for 1 rank at levels 1, 4, and 7, right? And I only lose Craft and Profession at those levels too? Wow, that's weird.

And, since my heritage will be Red Dragon, that gives me Charm Person, Darkness, Resist Energy, AND Suggestion at seventh level, right? Wow, perfect for a Charisma-monkey like me. I'll bet I can put those ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) to good use, huh? Oh, and for the record, since it's a class feature, it goes under Miscellaneous Bonuses (as opposed to ranks), correct? Just want to be sure, so I can max it out from level to level in addition to those bonuses.

So, that's the complete Dragonblooded Sorcerer, I suppose. Sounds great, I'll put it to excellent use! Fire evocations and enchantments, here I come... KOBOLD DRAGONBLOODED SORCERERS FTW!!!

 

[QuaziquestGM]

The reason that kobolds are fun to play is that it is a test of player skill.

Use MM for base adjustments, roll up a character, and ignore all of the newer alterations designed to make them "playable".

Removing the con penelty or adding a cha bonus means that it isn't a kobold anymore. It becomes something that merely looks like a koblod. I mean, do you want to represent kobolds in the olympics as a kobold, or do you want to be on the Chinese swim team?

It would be the same as giving a human darkvision, or making perfrom (dance [ballet]) a dwarven racial skill.

 

[Kurotowa]

As for Kobold Warlocks... ehhhh... not for me. Too much Demonic influence, not enough Draconic (important for my character and my DMs campaign).

Thus the joy of the Dragonfire Adept (Dragon Magic). All the fun of a Warlock, but with loads of draconic flavor. True, the kobold Con penalty is a bit painful for your breath weapon's DC, but who plays a kobold and worries about that sort of thing.