D&D 5E Kobold Preview

[Nilbog]

Seriously guys, go back to the first page and read the Tuckers kobolds article.

You are not thinking. Kobolds don't have powers. They don't have nifty abilities. They are one of the weakest creatures in D&D. They survive in an incredibly hostile world by numbers, cleverness, hard work, and sheer bloodyminded viciousness. They are like humans only more so. They are like swarms of rats which can also fire crossbows whose bolts are coated in filth. They are terrifying.

Stop asking WotC to do all the work for you because they can't. The whole point of Kobolds is that they work with what they have. They are going to take whatever environment you put them in and then "Home Alone" it as if the kid home alone was Stewie Griffin with a toothache. Since WotC cannot peer into your brain and see your home campaign they cannot hand you this on a silver platter. If you still have no ideas read Grimtooths, or watch a horror film.

I don't think anyone is complaining that they can't make Kobolds interesting, I'm sure we can. But its more a question of should we?

I'm sure when the designers of this book play their home campaigns, the kobolds do nifty things, why not list a few of these? make things a little easier for those amongst us who don't have the time to tweak monsters?

Coming at it from a different perspective, I guess most of the people on these boards are fairly experienced DM's/Players with an exposure to various different editions and game systems, so making a Kobold a little less generic isn't too far beyond the realms of possibility. Now take it from the eyes of someone who was enticed in by the Starter set as their first RPG experience and they enjoyed it enough to 'upgrade' and create their own campaign. Is the Kobold a unique and exciting monster for them to run as is? I'd argue it isn't.

For a Monster Manual should give me monster that I can pick up and play and have a variety of options attached to them. If I wanted a framework to build monsters, that could probably be catered for in the DM's guide.

I agree WoTC shouldn't do all the work for me, but I'd prefer it if they at least took on a little more of the load.

 

[Steely Dan]

The art does not match the description "physically inept", and I do not like the weapon change, in 1st Ed they had proper weapons and wore clothes, now they are buff looking, stone age, dragon-boys.

I do like the Garl/Kurt lore.

 

[Paraxis]

Seriously how hard would it be to just give us the basic kobold and then include the following.
EDIT: format and added a couple things

Optional abilities: If you give them one increase CR to ¼, two CR ½ and give them 2 extra h.p per option.

Shifty: may disengage as a bonus action.

Draconic Ancestry: the kobold gains resistance to one of the following energy types fire, lightning, acid, poison, or cold, scale color usually matches a chromatic dragon with the same type of resistance.

Flight: gain fly speed of 30 feet, increase Dexterity to 16 which increases AC to 13, and gives them a +1 to hit and damage. They can make ranged attacks with advantage against targets on the ground.

Superior Weapons: give them a short sword 5 (1d6+2) and use the dagger as an off hand attack for 2 (1d4).

Special Sling ammunition: typically carry 2 of these, range for them is half normal (15/60)

Blackscale Acid Pot: 5 (2d4) acid damage, and 2 (1d4) acid damage to anyone within 5 feet of target. If the target is missed it takes 2 (1d4) acid damage and no damage to anyone else.

Redscale Fire Pot: 2 (1d4) fire damage and ongoing 2 (1d4) fire damage at the start of the targets turn until it can extinguish itself with an action Dex save DC 10, or other plausible action DC 10.

Greenscale Poison Pot: 2 (1d4) poison damage and target makes a DC 10 Con save or gain the poisoned condition, can remake the save at the end of each of the targets turns.

Whitescale Ice Block: 5 (2d4) cold damage and the targets speed is reduced by 10 feet for a minute.

Bluescale Stone: 5 (2d4) lightning damage and the target can’t take reactions until the start of it’s next turn.

Thunderstone: 3 (1d6) damage and target and all adjacent creatures make a Con save DC 10 or be deafened for 1 minute, on a miss no damage but still need to make save.

Tangle Goo: no damage, but the target gains the restrained condition, can end by using an action to make a DC 10 Str save.

Live Rat: no damage but now a live angry rat is adjacent to the target, if miss lands 10' away.

Live Snake: see rat.

Tactics:
Traps: Kobolds are notorious trap makers, they are usually crude but effective and well hidden.

Darkness: Kobolds dislike the sunlight and use darkness to their advantage when they can, hiding in ambush, gaining advantage on attacks from being hidden, they will use actions to attempt to knock torches or lanterns from enemies hands dousing them, a successful attack that does no damage but forces a Str save DC 10 to avoid dropping the item.

Kobold Heroes: Kobolds leaders are often sneaky rogues, dragonblood sorcerers, or shield bearing fighters. Increase CR by 1 category, normally ¼ (50 xp)


Kobold Sneak: +4 h.p, +1d6 damage once per turn when they have advantage, +4 to stealth and athletics rolls.

Kobold Dragonbloods: +4 h.p, +3 AC, Cha 10(+0) spell attack mod +2, spell save DC 10
cantrips: prestidigitation, minor illusion, and one of the following: acid splash, chill touch, fire bolt, poison spray, ray of frost, or shocking grasp.
2/day can cast the shield spell: as a reaction can gain a +5 to AC.

Kobold Dragonshield: +6 h.p, +2 AC, uses a short sword 5 (1d6+2) and shield, protection: as a reaction give an enemy disadvantage on an attack against an adjacent ally.

 

[Mouseferatu]

The problem isn't that it's hard to do, [MENTION=13009]Paraxis[/MENTION]. But what would you like them to have cut to make room for it?

What you have there is (going by averages) over a half-page of text by word count. Actually a bit more, because lists aren't space-efficient.

(Well, over half a page by 3e and 4e formatting. I can't swear they're using the same figures in 5e, but I can't imagine it's too different.)

So which monsters should be cut back a similar amount?

I'm not being snide. I would love to see more options/suggestions of the variety you've suggested. But where do you draw the line? Do all humanoids get that? That's going to massively impact word count.

I would also argue that there should be some monsters that are dirt-simple. Sometimes the DM just wants to throw a handful of sword-wavers at the party. And new DMs need to work up to more complex options.

Now, if you feel the monsters in 5e have too many simple options, that's certainly something to be discussed. But I don't think the fact that kobolds (who have always been cannon fodder unless they had a trapped complex to work in) are simple is necessarily a bad thing.

You know what, though? "Combat Tactics" would be a great recurring feature in a reborn Dragon Magazine. Kobolds one issue, krakens the next, vrocks the issue after, etc.

 

[Nilbog]

The problem isn't that it's hard to do, @Paraxis. But what would you like them to have cut to make room for it?

A very valid concern, and i suspect there is no correct any its just individual preference.

Me personally? I'd rather see 150 monsters in the style of the Paraxis kobold than 200 of the WoTC one

 

[Minigiant]

The problem isn't that it's hard to do, @Paraxis. But what would you like them to have cut to make room for it?

What you have there is (going by averages) over a half-page of text by word count. Actually a bit more, because lists aren't space-efficient.

Interesting conceern.

But in the current state, the kobold page is halfway a waste of space to many DMs. You could practically merge this kobold stat block with the goblin page and say:
"Some goblins are greenskinned and monkey-like. Some goblins are red and scaly. The green ones are sneaky. The red ones use traps".

 

[Steely Dan]

Me personally? I'd rather see 150 monsters in the style of the Paraxis kobold than 200 of the WoTC one

"…I'd rather stick needles in my eyes…" *as said by Jack Nicholson in Terms of Endearment*

 

[Leatherhead]

So, the issues:
That kobold is way too buff.
The stat block doesn't have enough in the mental stats for a clever race.
As pack hunters they should be using some reach weapon. Whips would benefit them greatly.
They should have some sample traps, and some crude consumable items.

I'm actually rather OK with the baseline kobold not having any powers of note, they are supposed to be the meekest of the meek. But I would like to have some special kobold bosses all the same. This is the first monster I want to see broken down to it's raw building-blocks so they can be built up in different ways.

 

[jadrax]

New Kobold Ability that should solve everyone's concerns.

Hands: Kobolds have special five fingered appendages they can use for multiple purposes. The may take a 'Use an Object' Action just like a PC. Some fearsome Kobolds have been known to use their 'hands' to Grapple, use Improvised Weapons or even engage in rude gesticulations.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

New Kobold Ability that should solve everyone's concerns.

Hands: Kobolds have special five fingered appendages they can use for multiple purposes. The may take a 'Use an Object' Action just like a PC. Some fearsome Kobolds have been known to use their 'hands' to Grapple, use Improvised Weapons or even engage in rude gesticulations.

And maybe we could add this:

Abilities: Kobolds have hit points, skills and they can attack you, presumably using weapons. And if that's not enough information for you, it's because you don't understand the POWER OF IMAGINATION.