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View Full Version : [PF] Kobolds Redone + Core Races Tweaked



Towa
2011-04-23, 11:36 PM
I've been elected to DM my group's next campaign, and since I have a fair amount of time to prepare (should be a few months at least), I thought it might be a bit more fun for me to brew up my own world instead of playing in someone else's.

My first step was to rework the races. I've booted Gnomes (I might bring em' back later, but for now, they're gone), and made some minor changes to the base classes (namely, consolidating the Human, Half Elf, and Half Orc races into one, and just poking around the others). I've also totally reworked the Kobold to make it a more viable PC race.

I'm just looking to make sure all this seems balanced so far. I've never really DMed before, so I wanted to get a second opinion. Thanks in advance. :smallsmile:

Races:
Kobolds
+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Strength | Kobolds are crafty and nimble, but physically weak.
Small | Kobolds are Small creatures, and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a -1 penalty to their CMB, and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on stealth checks.
Normal Speed | Kobolds have a base speed of 30 feet.
Armor | Kobolds have a +1 natural armor bonus.
Crafty | Kobolds gain a +2 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Perception, and Profession (miner) checks. Craft (trapmaking) and Stealth are always class skills for a kobold.
Darkvision 60ft | Kobolds can see in the dark up to 60ft away.
Light Sensitivity | Kobolds are dazzled as long as they remain in an area of bright light.
Weapon Familiarity | Kobolds are proficient with crossbows (light and heavy), all picks, and treat all repeating crossbows as well as any weapon with the word “kobold” in its name as martial weapons.
Languages | Kobolds begin play speaking Draconic. Kobolds with high intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common, Dwarven, Infernal, and Undercommon.

Dwarves
Dwarves have the same abilities as listed in the Pathfinder core rulebook, except for the following.: Dwarves replace the target of their Hatred ability to all humanoids of the kobold subtype, their +2 Wisdom bonus to a +2 Intelligence bonus, and lose their Defensive Training ability.

Elves
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Constitution | Elves are agile and wise, but frail.
Medium | Elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Normal Speed | Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Low-Light Vision | Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Nimble | Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Reflex saving throws.
Elven Woodcraft | Elves receive a +2 racial bonus to Knowledge (Nature) and Survival.
Keen Senses | Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
Hatred | Elves receive a +1 bonus on attack rolls against humanoid creatures of the fey and gnoll subtypes due to special training against these hated foes.
Weapon Familiarity | Elves are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon.
Languages | Elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Celestial, Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, and Orc.

Gnomes
Gnomes do not exist, at least for now.

Water Matkuh
Water Matkuh have the same abilities as Humans in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.

Earth Matkuh
Earth Matkuh have the same abilities as Half Orcs in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.

Air Matkuh
Air Matkuh have the same abilities as Half Elves in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook.

Halflings
Halfings have the same abilities as listed in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook, except for the following: Halfings lose their Sure-footed ability, and instead gain the following: Halfing Rider | Halflings gain a +2 racial bonus on Handle Animal and Ride checks.

Thoughts?

NineThePuma
2011-04-24, 02:54 AM
I demand 'Fire Maktuh' and have them based on, say, non-generic humans (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194496).

I'm interested in hearing the story behind why Kobolds are hated by Dwarves, but the reverse isn't true. Same for Elves and their hatred (in my campaign, they sorta did a fusion dance with the Fey Touched, so I'm amused by the reversal).

Kobolds seem a little light to me. I would give a racial focus on Crossbows, maybe give them Rapid Reload as a bonus feat and treating repeating crossbows as martial weapons.

Towa
2011-04-24, 09:03 AM
The kobolds do hate the Dwarves, but I felt like giving them both hatred against each other would sort of defeat the point. Do you think it'd be worth it to give them Hatred or maybe some other ability against dwarves?

As for the elves, the basic backstory is that a fairly long time ago, the Elves sort of allied with the Fey. But as time went on, the elves got pretty cocky with their magic, and decided they wanted more from the Fey, like some sort of tribute. This didn't end well for the Elves, when the Fey united the gnolls against the Elves, and together, they destroyed most of Elven civilization. Now the decedents of the survivors live largely as savages deep in the woods, clinging to their shattered past.

I'll probably mess with a lot of that fluff, but the basic ideas are that the elves have had their population decimated and society totalled, and blame the Fey and the gnolls, kobolds and dwarves are in a perpetual war to wipe the other out entirely.

Mutkuh and Halflings, I don't really know yet. Right now I just picture the halflings as compensating for their size and lack of physical prowess by domesticating and training a large variety of animals for war.


-----------------------------------

Fluff aside, I think you're right about the kobolds. I gave them their Crafty ability back (I don't really know why I took it away in the first place), and gave them a +1 to attack rolls with spears and picks.

My other idea was to give them a spell resistance of 10 or so, and then maybe get rid of the weapon familiarity, does that seem overpowered.?

Thanks for the reply by the way. :smallsmile:

Omeganaut
2011-04-24, 12:07 PM
I feel like halflings should be air Matkuh, and half elves should be water Matkuh. humans should be Fire Matkuh because of their fast-paced lives. More of a personal issue with the fact that you have everything except water Matkuh, and I feel like half-elves could fit that role. Also, I feel like darkvision to 60ft would mean dazzling in bright light, but maybe have a will or fortitude save at the end of every minute outside to end the condition for kobolds.

NineThePuma
2011-04-24, 02:22 PM
That opens up a new issue though.

In terms of 'never ending war' the Kobold vs Dwarves are clearly in favor of the dwarves. Traps are canceled out by Stone Cunning. Dwarves have Hatred, but the Kobolds have slightly better armor (Natural armor). Dwarves make better equipment. The Kobolds have a racial familiarity with melee weapons that can't be finessed. They're also carrying a weakness to bright light.

Most of the Kobold secondary advantages in combat have been nullified by the dwarves, and then you put them in melee range with said dwarves.

The only advantage they have in the open field is sheer numbers, and all of their advantages at home are nullified by dwarven abilities. It's why I'm pointing them toward crossbows; my personal favorite thing to do with kobolds is a squad of 4 level 3 experts with Rapid Reload, Light Crossbows, and precise shot (I house rule away PBS) because if they all target the same person, that person tends to fall down.

Towa
2011-04-24, 06:06 PM
That opens up a new issue though.

In terms of 'never ending war' the Kobold vs Dwarves are clearly in favor of the dwarves. Traps are canceled out by Stone Cunning. Dwarves have Hatred, but the Kobolds have slightly better armor (Natural armor). Dwarves make better equipment. The Kobolds have a racial familiarity with melee weapons that can't be finessed. They're also carrying a weakness to bright light.

Most of the Kobold secondary advantages in combat have been nullified by the dwarves, and then you put them in melee range with said dwarves.

The only advantage they have in the open field is sheer numbers, and all of their advantages at home are nullified by dwarven abilities. It's why I'm pointing them toward crossbows; my personal favorite thing to do with kobolds is a squad of 4 level 3 experts with Rapid Reload, Light Crossbows, and precise shot (I house rule away PBS) because if they all target the same person, that person tends to fall down.

Hmm, those are some good points. My only counter arguments would be that battles would most likely take place in caverns and tunnels underground, rarely would battle be fought in a wide open space.

However, you're right, toe to toe, Kobolds are clearly outclassed. What if I were to add crossbows (including repeaters) to the Weapon Familiarity list, and then perhaps homebrew some feats that make spears and picks finessable. Too much?

NineThePuma
2011-04-24, 06:22 PM
I used the term 'open field' to mean 'not in either force's respective bases' rather than the usual 'above ground combat' x3

*considers*

The issue with Spears & Picks is that those weapons are melee weapons, and dwarves are much better in melee than Kobolds. Kobolds look like they're focusing on movement and agility, compared to the Dwarves. Here's a comparison.

{table=head]Dwarf|Kobold
Medium|Small
20ft|30ft
Hatred (+1 to attack)|Natural Armor (+1 AC)
Stone Cunning (Notice Traps)|Crafty (Traps)
Darkvision 60|Darkvision 60
Weapon Familiarity (Axes, Picks, Hammers + Cultural as martial)|Weapon Training (Picks, Spears)
[b]Greed (+2 Appraise), Hardy (+2 saves vs poison, spells), Stability (+4 to resist trip/Bullrush)|Crafty (+2 Perception, Stealth as character skill, +2 Profession), Light Sensitivity[/table]

Kobolds have an advantage in being stealthy, and are faster and harder to hit. These facts lend them towards hit and run tactics more. Crossbows are simple, rarely used, and can be fired from prone (which is great for staying concealed). They've also got a slightly ridiculous range increment.

Offer proficiency in crossbows, and treating repeaters as martial weapons. I still think that Rapid Reload as a bonus feat wouldn't hurt, but it might make them too attractive.

I would also, at a minimum, give 'bolds Darkvision 90 if you're leaving them their Light Sensitivity.

Towa
2011-04-24, 06:44 PM
I used the term 'open field' to mean 'not in either force's respective bases' rather than the usual 'above ground combat' x3

*considers*

The issue with Spears & Picks is that those weapons are melee weapons, and dwarves are much better in melee than Kobolds. Kobolds look like they're focusing on movement and agility, compared to the Dwarves. Here's a comparison.

{table=head]Dwarf|Kobold
Medium|Small
20ft|30ft
Hatred (+1 to attack)|Natural Armor (+1 AC)
Stone Cunning (Notice Traps)|Crafty (Traps)
Darkvision 60|Darkvision 60
Weapon Familiarity (Axes, Picks, Hammers <br>+ Cultural as martial)|Weapon Training (Picks, Spears)
Greed (+2 Appraise), Hardy (+2 saves vs poison, spells), Stability (+4 to resist trip/Bullrush)|Crafty (+2 Perception, Stealth as character skill, +2 Profession), Light Sensitivity[/table]

Kobolds have an advantage in being stealthy, and are faster and harder to hit. These facts lend them towards hit and run tactics more. Crossbows are simple, rarely used, and can be fired from prone (which is great for staying concealed). They've also got a slightly ridiculous range increment.

Offer proficiency in crossbows, and treating repeaters as martial weapons. I still think that Rapid Reload as a bonus feat wouldn't hurt, but it might make them too attractive.

I would also, at a minimum, give 'bolds Darkvision 90 if you're leaving them their Light Sensitivity.

Hmm, you've convinced me. I'll add crossbows to the list (repeaters too). For Darkvision, I think I might as well just let them see in the dark. I think if you're sensitive enough to light to warrant penalties, it would imply that you can see well in the dark.