Kobolds

[Dracyian]

I find it odd how Kobolds are always portrayed as weak miniscule beasts. After read Terry Brooks “Magic Kingdom For Sale - Sold” I got thinking about this. C&C and Magic the Gathering, if I am remembering correctly D&D all portray them as weak, low hit die monsters while the pair of Parsnip and Bunion are quite formidable. Bunion having taken down a timber wolf, a bog wright and other creatures with relative ease all while remaining hidden from a the king following him in the woods. So I was wondering if anyone else runs kobolds differently or as more than 1/2 hd monsters and has anyone considered them as a player race?

[Arduin]

So I was wondering if anyone else runs kobolds differently or as more than 1/2 hd monsters and has anyone considered them as a player race?

AD&D 1st Ed DMG had a section of humanoids having Shamans. Kind of Magic user/cleric hybrid. Gave detailed info you can directly port into C&C.

[mgtremaine]

I know 2 famous ones off the top of my head.

Gygax ran the "Old Guard Kobolds" in Castle Greyhawk.

The other was Tucker's Kobolds which was from a Dragon Article by Roger Moore I think.

Google those and you'll have fun.

-Mike

[Omote]

In one of my C&C games some years ago, the party encountered a tribe of Kobolds while trekking through the mountain lowlands. When they defeated the tribe, one of them was carrying some sort of random phat loot (I don't remember what it was). The party decided to go looking for the kobold lair to raid if for the sheer fact that if the tribe out in the wilderness had one valuable item, the lair must contain even more wealth. Little did the party know that once they found the lair, it was inhabited by the kobold elder (7th level cleric, and a chief that was a 10th level fighter. These kobolds made their own lair within the lair of 8-headed hydra which they somehow befriended, as well as a random wereboar (got to love ramdom encounter tables). The party lost 2 characters of 8 that night as I recall.

Kobolds can be very deadly.

~O

[KaiserKris]

The kobolds in my campaign are pretty much as vanilla kobolds, with their clever yet weak natures- with one important difference. I decided to actually go with the 'draconic' nature of kobolds in later editions. The standard kobold has fire resistance of 10. This means they can use most forms of ordinary, and even some magical fire without a risk of harming themselves. Kobolds in different areas might have a different resistance, of course ...

[NJPDX]

Three words, "low tunnels" and "traps."

[Relaxo]

Fireproof kobolds! I never got that memo... sounds interesting.

I think I used to make the common mistake of having 5 kobolds wiht their THAC0 of 20 and 2-3 hp charge the PCs... why bother? weak things know they're weak and would fight smarter. (which is what you're all saying). it should be more like, "oh thank god they only have 3 hp!" ... kobolds send the 10th level fighter fleeing in terror because he can never get 'em. that's fun.

[Arduin]

Three words, "low tunnels" and "traps."

Yep. New players in my game find out the hard way that when creatures tunnel through rock it is so THEY can move about. Dwarven tunnels tend to be no higher than 5'. Most humans & elves can't run in them and long bows are completely useless. Kobold tunnels would be smaller still.

[Treebore]

"low tunnels", "traps", and "flaming oil". Give the Kobolds about 10 flasks of oil to burn, in their tunnels, with their traps, and character parties will be suffering serious losses. They will lose HP faster than their clerics can heal. I hate Kobolds to this day, as a player. Love them as the CK.

[Arduin]

"low tunnels", "traps", and "flaming oil". Give the Kobolds about 10 flasks of oil to burn, in their tunnels, with their traps, and character parties will be suffering serious losses. They will lose HP faster than their clerics can heal. I hate Kobolds to this day, as a player. Love them as the CK.

Yep, even higher level PC's will be in for a VERY rough time. Tactics can make ALL the difference.

[Sir Ironside]

I play almost everything RAW. What differs is I give each Kobold it's own personality and survival instincts that can vary as much as we human's do. Rarely do I GM a pit-o-death where they slug it out till everyone is dead. Some might run away early, some leaders may try to rally the troops, some might submit or use tactics like falling back to another defensible line. There is almost always a runner that tries to make it back to the Kobold town/cave/whatever to alert his brethren.

Makes it more interesting and seeing the runner the PC's usually try to chase him down before he gets to his target.

[Go0gleplex]

Kobolds can be lethal. Especially if taking them on on their home turf. I took out (as in almost a TPK) a 6th level party with no more than 11 kobolds in four small to medium sized caves. Pit trap and flaming oil, stone spikes from the ceiling, trap doors in the floor and crossbows, parallel passage and spears, oh what joy! They never dissed the kobold again after that.

[kreider204]

Dungeon Crawl Classics #2 ("The Lost Vault of Tsathzar Rho") does a nice job with making kobolds challenging - worth checking out for ideas.

[Relaxo]

Suddenly I'm thinking Amazing Adventures... some magical maguffin brings Kobolds into the Nazi war effort... hmm......

[Dracyian]

Don't tell John, we are having enough trouble with Nazis as it is

[Relaxo]

Illinois Nazis?

[Dracyian]

Illinois Nazis?

Nein
Des Fuehrer's Nazis

[Relaxo]

Natch.

No love for the Blues Brothers?

OH! Have you seen Frankenstein's Army?! Sick s#!t! great inspiration for AA madness! (I've only seen the preview but it's a great concept)

[tadkil]

This is total 3.5 rules fu, but... Kobolds with the swarm template... Not quite the RAW but fun!