Ways to Make Kobolds Challenging

[trentonjoe]

Get yourself a copy of Dragon # 127 and read the " Tuckers Kobolds" editorial. A great story with merciless kobold commandos!

Found it!

http://www.tuckerskobolds.com/

 

[IcyCool]

As has already been said, traps, traps, traps.

A couple pit traps that are my favorites:

1. A pit trap that is dug in a "V" shape (i.e. the bottom of the pit is the bottom of the V). Then put spikes that point downwards on the sides of the pit. Minor falling damage, hell to get back out. And the kobolds can be shooting you from the top of the pit the whole time.

2. Simple pit trap, but the bottom of the pit is a pressure plate that releases the big stone block above it...

3. Kobolds that are firing at the party from behind some boulders. Party charges - right into the pit in front of the boulders. Then the kobolds throw alchemist fire into the pit.

 

[tzor]

If you want to make koblds challenging I would reccomend getting a hold of the WOTC book Races of the Dragon. Read, be inspired, and of course as is normal for WOTC books, be prepared to make adjustments and wing it. But the notion of the dragon wrought kobold can add an interesting level of challenge to any given kobold group because they are relatively immortal and can be quite outside of the norm of kobold expectations.

Numbers, traps, sorcerer levels, rogue levels, all can come into play to really challenge a party. Remember that unlike some of the other monsters, especially the chaotic ones, kobolds are intelligent and organized. They coordinate well, and design their environments to their smaller size.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Is multi-grappling fun for DMs to run?

You're making a whole bunch of attack rolls there, boring yourself and the players. Kobolds have such low grapple bonuses more than half will fail to make a grapple check (DC 10).

Kobolds swarms sound like they'd be more fun grapplers, though.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Is multi-grappling fun for DMs to run?

You're making a whole bunch of attack rolls there, boring yourself and the players. Kobolds have such low grapple bonuses more than half will fail to make a grapple check (DC 10).

Kobolds swarms sound like they'd be more fun grapplers, though.

Or a kobold mob (DMG2).

 

[igavskoga]

Is multi-grappling fun for DMs to run?

Not usually, but when kobolds do it its more clinging than grappling.

Leaping Kobold Clinging Jutsu: Touch Attack.

Shake the Kobold Off Dance: Reflex Save vs Predetermined DC (off the top of my head, probably their normal AC).

Slamming Clinging Kobolds Into Things: Fun for the whole family - Attack roll, damage = 1 + str mod.

Thinking Outside the Box: 30 seconds.

Tweaking to Suit a Fun Encounter and Prepping Beforehand: Worthwhile.

Looks on Player's Faces When Monsters Do Crazy and Unexpected Thins: Priceless.

Did I provide the actual grappling condition? Partially. Years later one of my players still talks about his low level encounter with kobolds, defending a village gate, where they did just this - it is, bar none, his favorite D&D memory. Did it take a little longer to prep? Debatable. Was it worth it? Most assuredly.

I'll totally second the DMG2-style Kobold Mob/Swarm tho.