Kobold Inconsistancy

[Carnivorous_Bean]

Having the archers afraid of close combat makes sense to me. But I agree that the slingers should also have the same.

The idea of every creature having some unique feature seems like a good idea to me, though -- it'll make them seem less like playing pieces, IMO.

 

[Doug McCrae]

If it's getting boring you could arm some of the archers with slings.

Don't give the slingers bows though - that would be too crazy.

 

[Threedeesix]

Having the archers afraid of close combat makes sense to me. But I agree that the slingers should also have the same.

The idea of every creature having some unique feature seems like a good idea to me, though -- it'll make them seem less like playing pieces, IMO.

And I agree. For instance, I like the fact that Kobold Skirmishers and Dragon Shields have Mob Attack and Minions don't. It shows that Skirmishers and Dragon Shields have trained in that type of combat.

I wouldn't mind if every type of monster had its own "special feature", as long as there is some rational for it. Psycological advantages and disadvantages like the Fear effects are the trickiest.

The best rational for it would have been...

All Kobolds suffer the mentioned fear effects as a racial disadvantage. But, all except minions, slingers and archers have been trained to deal with their fear on the battlefield and have overcome it.

The problem that I see is that they are not looking at from this prospective, Instead of looking at Kobolds as a race and then building the different warrior types with that ground work. It looks like they are just looking at the miniature and saying, what ability can we give this.

I hope i'm wrong, and will wait until I have the core books to make any final judgment as to weather it is the game for me, becouse with the exception of this "small" thing, I love everything I have read so far.

Rod

 

[Threedeesix]

If it's getting boring you could arm some of the archers with slings.

Don't give the slingers bows though - that would be too crazy.

LOL, to true.

Its like the Kobolds ranged combatants begin training with Slings at first level. Then upon becoming proficient with them and reaching 2nd level, they become archers and use bows. Of course, with all the terrors they have seen on the battlefield they are now all "shellshocked".

Rod

 

[Nymrohd]

I wonder if we will get monsters that flee when bloodied.

 

[Kraydak]

I am more worried by the Kobold ACs. Just *try* and reverse engineer them, please. That and the sling pots. Putting monster special abilities into gear (and kobold gear at that, kobolds are neither clever nor wealthy) amounts to giving it to players.

 

[Nymrohd]

Your characters would wear leather or hide worn by a kobold? You know that hide and leather absorb smell right? Try using stealth on while smelling like kobold sweat (and worse).

 

[hong]

I am more worried by the Kobold ACs. Just *try* and reverse engineer them, please. That and the sling pots. Putting monster special abilities into gear (and kobold gear at that, kobolds are neither clever nor wealthy) amounts to giving it to players.

You're not _supposed_ to reverse-engineer them. The idea is that you have a table of "appropriate" ACs and bonuses by level, and how those ACs and bonuses come about, or what the exact numbers are, doesn't matter. It isn't a matter of building everything block-by-block via natural armor, armor, shield, enhancement, etc.

This is basically the culmination of the villain classes approach as seen in Iron Heroes.

 

[Lizard]

I am more worried by the Kobold ACs. Just *try* and reverse engineer them, please. That and the sling pots. Putting monster special abilities into gear (and kobold gear at that, kobolds are neither clever nor wealthy) amounts to giving it to players.

Mike Mearls has already said, in essence: "You get an AC based on your level and role, and where it comes from -- armor, hide, magic aura -- is really just special effects."

 

[Kraydak]

Mike Mearls has already said, in essence: "You get an AC based on your level and role, and where it comes from -- armor, hide, magic aura -- is really just special effects."

I know. I thought I remembered him also saying that they had gone through and made sure that the humanoid types made sense. Clearly not. Why should you care? Meepo. Imagine your party adopting a kobld and trying to put armor on him. It has happened. In 3e, it happened enough times that Meepo became an iconic figure. (Also note that for at least one of the kobolds, that "special effect" is armor *reducing* your AC )