Kobolds too weak at Level Adjustment +0?

[Nifft]

Feel free to steal my Kobolds:

Kobold 2.0
Size: Small (+1 attack, +1 AC, +4 Hide, -4 Grapple, 3/4 carrying capacity)
Speed: 30 ft.
-4 Str, +2 Dex
Darkvision 60 ft.
Natural Armor bonus +1
Daylight Blindness: Dazzled by Daylight spell or natural sunlight, no save vs. Flare spell

Draconic Heritage: Choose one chromatic Dragon type, which is your ancestor. Your scales are tinged with this color, and you have Energy Resistance 5 against damage of this energy type:
- Red: Fire
- Green: Acid
- Blue: Electricity
- Black: Acid
- White: Cold

Skill Bonuses: +2 Climb, +2 Jump, +2 Move Silently, +2 Spot, +2 Search, +2 Craft (Trapmaking), +2 Profession (Miner)

Favored Class: Sorcerer


Special: Kobolds may take a 4-level Racial Prestige Class. (As a PrC, these levels cannot cause an XP penalty.)


Kobold PrC
HD: d6
BAB: Half (as Sorcerer)
Good Saves: Reflex, Will / Bad Save: Fortitude
Skill Points: 4 + Int bonus
Class Skills: Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowlege (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis) and Swim (Str).

[u]Level   BAB   Fort	Ref	Will	Spellcasting		Special Abilities[/u]
1	+0	+0	+2	+2	--			Energy Resistance 10,
                                                                Elemental Spell Power +1
2	+1	+0	+3	+3	+1 Level Sorcerer	Sneak Attack +1d6, 
                                                                Natural Armor +2
3	+1	+1	+3	+3	--			Draconic Ability, 
                                                                Elemental Spell Power +2
4	+2	+1	+4	+4	+1 Level Sorcerer	Breath Weapon, 
                                                                Natural Armor +3

Special Abilities:

• Energy Resistance 10 (Ex): This replaces (does not stack with) the racial energy resistance that the Kobold chose at character creation. His scales become more vibrant in color.
• Natural Armor (Ex): The specified value replaces the Kobold's racial Nagural Armor bonus.
• Elemental Spell Power (Su): When casting spells with the energy descriptor that matches the Kobold's energy resistance, the character's Caster Level gains the indicated bonus.
• Draconic Ability: The Kobold gains one ability based on its scale color as follows:
  - Red: Extra +1 Natural Armor bonus (Ex)
  - Green, Black: Water Breathing (Ex)
  - Blue: Create Water (Sp): 3/day, caster level = character level
  - White: Icewalking (Ex)
• Breath Weapon (Su): The Kobold may use this special attack up to 4/day as a standard action once every minute. The DC is 10 + 1/2 the Kobold's character level + Con bonus, and the breath weapon deals 4d8 damage in the type & shape indicated:
  - Red: 15 ft. cone of Fire
  - Green: 15 ft. cone of Acid gas
  - Blue: 30 ft. line of Electricity
  - Black: 30 ft. line of Acid
  - White: 15 ft. cone of Cold

-- N

 

[Darklone]

Thanks Nifft. You're a true kobold lover. We love you too.

 

[jgsugden]

I think kobolds are fine at +0. They'd be horrible as fighter types, but they are excellent rogues and spellcasters.

They have 30' movement - a huge advantage over other small size creatures, especially for rogues that need to get to foes to sneak attack them while they're flat-footed.

They have darkvision, a rather useful ability for spellcasters (who nned to see to target their spells) and rogues (who operate well when they can see and foes can not).

They get +1 natural armor. Combined with size and dexterity bonuses, they get a nice AC for a 1st level rogue or sorcerer.

Their disadvantages are fairly pointless to a sorcerer or rogue.

The strength penalty makes little difference to a rogue with weapon finesse. They'll lose a few points of damage, but the majority of their damage comes from sneak attacks. Sorcerers may have to hire someone to lug around their gear, but that doesn't make a big deal. For these classes, a -4 is only slightly worse than having no penalty at all.

The con penalty hurts, but not so much that it can't be handled.

Light sensitivity is a hassle, but to an extent, it is a joke. The kobold gets +1 for size and +1 for dexterity to hit (assuming weapon finesse for melee), so it is still better at attacking in light than a human is.

I think the kobold works well.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Too weak. The 3.0 version was a fair deal. This isn't.

As a practical matter even a small character needs at least a 10 Str to get away with wearing studded leather. The +1 Nat Armor is more of a bandaid than a benefit to a rogue kobold because his long term armor options are limited.

 

[jgsugden]

Too weak. The 3.0 version was a fair deal. This isn't.

As a practical matter even a small character needs at least a 10 Str to get away with wearing studded leather. The +1 Nat Armor is more of a bandaid than a benefit to a rogue kobold because his long term armor options are limited.

Most rogues, by high levels, end up with some enhancement bonus to strength.

Even with strength 6, a small rogue can carry 15 lbs and be in light encumberance. A small rapier is 1 lb, a small dagger is 1/2 lb and a small suit of studded leather armor weighs 10 lbs. A small light crossbow is 2 lbs. He can't afford to carry much beyond his basics, but he can still operate in full combat capacity with a strength of 6.

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Most rogues, by high levels, end up with some enhancement bonus to strength.

Even with strength 6, a small rogue can carry 15 lbs and be in light encumberance. A small rapier is 1 lb, a small dagger is 1/2 lb and a small suit of studded leather armor weighs 10 lbs. A small light crossbow is 2 lbs. He can't afford to carry much beyond his basics, but he can still operate in full combat capacity with a strength of 6.

10 small light crossbow bolts: 1/2 lbs. Small waterskin: 2 lbs. Oops, you now have 20 foot movement. If you can't get the 30 movement, then Halfling becomes an immensely better choice.

It is clearly easier to build a solid Small Rogue from as a Halfling or a Gnome. Darkvision is the only major difference. There is no comparison between -4Str +2Dex -2Con and -2Str +2Dex or -2Str +2 Con. A four stat point differential is pretty big in the game. Would you trade four stat points for +10 movement and Darkvision subbed for Lowlight?

If a straightforward build of the character + race does not work at low level, it is flawed mechanically. Even the lousiest +LA monsters from Savage Species are playable at some lofty high level. Saying magic and levels will solve everything is not much of a counterargument.

 

[pawsplay]

The Kobold rogue's long-term armor options are worse than anyone else's, that I can see. Small mithril chainmail weighs ten pounts. I'd hope that a kobold rogue or fighter would shoot for higher than a 6 Str.

 

[Old Gumphrey]

Not being able to carry all your gear is really, really annoying and not very practical at all. The thing is kobolds are not intended to be PC races. ECL +0 is tricky. Looking at how powerful PHB races are in comparison it's hard to tell whom is too strong and whom is too weak.

...and I completely agree with Dark One; dwarves make far better wizards than elves nowadays.

 

[Ferret]

Kinda off topic: I also dislike that WotC added things to dwarves to make people play thm more and have half-orcs as simple (and in this definition weak) because it is a beginner race.

 

[Darklone]

Guess this worsening of kobolds as PC race is due to the many players who really liked that race. Sue WotC.