Making the Kobold a playable race

[ThoughtBubble]

Nifft:

The kobold seems just a touch on the weak side (to me) still. Not much, as that energy resistance could potentially be very useful, but the -4 str really hurts. Using the standard array, the best you could get to start is what, an 11? Poor guys. Oh, wait! Natural armor. It's close, anyway.

The PrC seems perfect. It offers a lot of potential neat stuff, but at enough of a cost to make it a difficult choice. Is it worth diluting levels of sorcerer or rogue for those abilities? Hm...

And finally, would adding a +2 to swimming be out of place? You know, assuming I was to like, I dunno, steal this or something, and alter it a smidge here and there.

 

[FrankTrollman]

Here's the basic 3e Kobold:

-4 Strength
+2 Dexterity
+1 Natural Armor
Small Size
30 Movement rate anyway
+2 to Trapmaking and Mining
Automatic Language: Draconic

That's not all that bad - as a spellcaster.

You get a +3 total AC bonus - the highest of any playable race. You lose strength - which as an Enchanter means precisely nothing at all. The skill bonuses, at least to me are simply not sufficiently good or flavorful to be worthwhile - but as a Wizard or Sorcerer you can make a pretty good case for playing one.

Now, the only thing I would do is make the character good as a Rogue/Bard/Ranger type and then it would no longer be a one dimensional character race. The only real problem, in short, is that if a PC is a Kobold you automatically know that they are playing a spellcaster.

I suggest the following:

-2 Strength
+2 Dexterity
+1 Natural Armor
Small Size
30 Movement rate anyway
Stonecunning (as a Dwarf)
+2 on Disable Device and Profession: Miner checks.
+1 Racial Attack bonus against Gnomes and Aberrations
Automatic Languages: Common and Draconic

With those changes the race would make a very acceptable Rogue or Ranger character - so a PC who was a Kobold could plausibly fit into any of the basic archetypes in the party.

---

Remember that making the character better as a Sorcerer doesn't aid the playability of the race in any way as they are already sort of pidgeonholed into that play style and more Sorcerer bonuses just type casts them more.

-Frank

 

[Halivar]

Haha! No metallic kobolds, eh? Well, to sate the desires of my Exalted Deeds friends I feel obligated to post a metallic version your kobold. Let's just say they hail from the upper planes, eh?

It's somewhat more powerful because it's an outsider and because it isn't subject to light-blindness and has smite evil once a day. I'd suggest a +1 ECL over the regular kobold.

The PrC has d8 HD and clerical abilities. I balance this by reducing the natural armor bonus by 1 at levels 2 and 4.

Metallic Kobold
Small Outsider (Good)
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

Racial Abilities:
- Smite evil 1/day

Draconic Heritage: Choose one metallic 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:
- Gold: Fire
- Brass: Fire
- Bronze: Electricity
- Copper: Acid
- Silver: Cold

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

Favored Class: Cleric

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


Metallic kobold PrC
HD: d8
BAB: Two-thirds (as Cleric)
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, Spell Power (Good) +1
 2	+1	+0	+3	+3 	+1 Level Divine 	Sneak Attack +1d6, Natural Armor +1
 3	+2    +1	+3	+3     --			Draconic Ability, Spell Power (Good) +2
 4	+3    +1	+4	+4	 +1 Level Divine 	Breath Weapon, Natural Armor +2

Special Abilities:

• Energy Resistance 10 (Ex): This replaces (does not stack with) the racial energy resistance that the metallic kobold chose at character creation. His scales take on a more reflective, metallic sheen.
• Natural Armor (Ex): The specified value replaces the metallic kobold's racial Natural Armor bonus.
• Spell Power (Good) (Su): When casting good divine spells, the character's Caster Level gains the indicated bonus.
• Draconic Ability: The metallic kobold gains one ability based on its scale color as follows:
  - Gold: Extra +1 Natural Armor bonus (Ex)
  - Bronze: Water Breathing (Ex)
  - Brass: Create Water (Sp): 3/day, caster level = character level
  - Silver: Cloudwalking (Su)
  - Copper: +5 save vs. poison (Ex)

• Breath Weapon (Su): The metallic 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:
  - Gold: 15 ft. cone of Fire
  - Brass: 15 ft. cone of Fire
  - Bronze: 30 ft. line of Electricity
  - Copper: 30 ft. line of Acid
  - Silver: 15 ft. cone of Cold

 

[Nifft]

Draconic Ability: The metallic kobold gains one ability based on its scale color as follows:
- Gold: Extra +1 Natural Armor bonus (Ex)
- Bronze: Water Breathing (Ex)
- Brass: Create Water (Sp): 3/day, caster level = character level
- Silver: Cloudwalking (Su)
- Copper: +5 save vs. poison (Ex)

Okay, these aren't balanced.

Cloudwalking is useful for critters who can fly -- not for critters who have to walk. Consider Water Walking at will (self only) instead.

Also, IMHO the benefits are kinda weak for a +1 LA. Give them Blindsense 10 ft. to reflect their uber draconicity, or Stone Cunning -- it's a nifty idea, but doesn't fit into the LA +0 limitation of my class.

-- N

 

[Halivar]

Cloudwalking is useful for critters who can fly -- not for critters who have to walk. Consider Water Walking at will (self only) instead.

Ack! I forgot to put up flavor text! I was thinking silver kobolds might live in cloud communities, perhaps to serve as attendants to silver dragons, or perhaps a food source for cloud giants. If that's dorky, it can be changed.

Also, IMHO the benefits are kinda weak for a +1 LA. Give them Blindsense 10 ft. to reflect their uber draconicity, or Stone Cunning -- it's a nifty idea, but doesn't fit into the LA +0 limitation of my class.

Well, with the -4 Str one could certainly convince me the ECL of the metallic kobold is still 0. If it's higher than 0, that's ok, since while you're limited to LA +0, I just wanted to throw out something nifty (no pun intended) that you reminded me of.

 

[Nifft]

Suggestion #2: if the Racial PrC gives spellcasting, make it spellcasting in the favored class. Frankly, that makes the PrC stronger, since losing two levels of Cleric isn't quite as bad as losing two levels of Sorcerer.

(Errata: your "block" says 3/4 BAB, but the "table" gives 1/2 BAB.)

Giving 3/4 BAB makes the Metallic Kobold PrC a bit better -- consider giving it a +2 Wisdom bonus at level 4, to make up for the +1 LA. Also, give Spell Power (Good) instead of Elemental Spell Power -- Cleric spells are less elementally inclined, and celestial scions are good at Good stuff.

I like the idea of an LA +1 race, but it's gotta be worth that +1.

-- N

 

[rpgHQ]

Just so you have something to referance:

Dragonstar by FFG has kobolds as a player race in their Galatic Races supplement.

+2 DEX
-4 STR
Small(+1ac/+1attack/+4hide/use smaller sized weapons/carry/lift is 3/4ths human/yadda yadda and everything else that goes with having size type small)
30 base speed
Darkvision 60'
Light Sensitivity
+1 nat. ac
+2 on craft(trapmaking), gather info, Profession(mining), repair, search
Auto Languagesraconic
Bonus Langs:Common, Orc, and Goblin
Fav. Class: Sorcerer

Then there is the Chromatic Template in The Slayers Guide to Kobolds, but I dont have it with me so I cant give oyu detials, but it basically gives them an immunity based on dragon type i think their nat ac goes up by +1 and they get a +2 to STR/INT/CHA, and effective sorcerer caster level +1, some other immunities I cant remember and extra skill points per level. Darkvision or low-light out to 120(?) feet, not sure if its both types or not and I know its over 90 feet but not sure if its 120. And either one or two bonus feats. The ECL was +2 I think.


The Slayers Guide also had a neat writeup on a Winged Caste Kobold, a medium sized dragon type kobold. Pretty nifty stuff but I havent a clue on its stats.

There was some other book besides Galactic Races that had Kobolds writ up in player race format but I cant think of it right now.

EDIT: It hit me right after I hit the submit button, AEG's Monster. Basically same as FFG's dragonstar kobolds, but on skills no gather info or repair. auto langs are common and goblin no bonus langs.

 

[rpgHQ]

The Book of Templates Deluxe Edition has two templates that fit in with talks here, dragon-blooded and half-kobold. The dragon-blooded is a ECL+1 template and theres two feats in the write-up that dragon-blooded can take dragon's breath and dragon hide(as in skin). The half-Kobold template is ECL+0

 

[Darklone]

I use the 3.5 kobold... as a ECL -1 race.

 

[Halivar]

Suggestion #2: if the Racial PrC gives spellcasting, make it spellcasting in the favored class. Frankly, that makes the PrC stronger, since losing two levels of Cleric isn't quite as bad as losing two levels of Sorcerer.

Typo! I definitely meant to do +1 level divine spellcaster. My mistake. Fixed.

(Errata: your "block" says 3/4 BAB, but the "table" gives 1/2 BAB.)

Another typo. I forgot 4*(2/3)=1 (huh? well, PHB says so).