Breath Weapons for Kobolds

[mc.jesus]

I've searched the forums and found a few threads asking if there are feats to get a Kobold a breath weapon. The general consensus is "No, unless they're a sorcerer" or "No, but look at these cool classes!"

Unfortunately neither of those answers are satisfactory. The character concept I have is a Silver Dragonwrought Kobold Detective/Vigilante (maybe or maybe not the PrC). This will be a NPC in a campaign I'm running. So while I could just say I'm the DM so he has a breath weapon, I'd rather justify it with rules and have those rules open to my players.

If I were to design my own feat for this it would look something like this:

Dragon's Breath Weapon
Prerequisites: Dragonblood subtype, Con 16

Benefits: Once per day you may use the breath weapon of your draconic forebears. The breath weapon is a line or cone appropriate to your size based on the table, Dragon Breath Weapons, on page 69 of the Monster Manual. The breath weapon deals the same damage a a Wyrmling of your forbear's type and increases by this amount every 3rd level. If the breath weapon of your draconic forbears does not deal damage your breath weapon instead has the same effect as that breath weapon for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round every 3rd level. Any creature in the area can make a reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Con modifier) for half damage, or make a fortitude save to negate effects other than damage. This is a supernatural ability.

Special: If your draconic forbears possess multiple breath weapons you may select this feat multiple times. Each time allows you to access effects of a different breath weapon. The effects do not stack, you must declare which breath weapon you are using prior to rolling any dice. Selecting this feat multiple times does not increase the amount of times per day you may use a breath weapon. If you use a breath weapon granted by this feat possessing one effect, you may not use any other breath weapons granted by this feat until the next day.

If there is a feat or template or something other than a class I've overlooked, which could work instead, I'd appreciate your bringing it to my attention.

Tips on improving my homebrewed feat are also welcome.

[Axier]

When you can look like any humanoid, see invisibility, and be invisible for 24 hours, I can't see why Dragonfire Adept wouldn't be able to fit your seluthieness, but I do like the feat.

[Dairuga]

Hello there, Mc. Jesus. I will have you know that I have -just- about asked the -exact- same question two or so months earlier, hah.

I am playing a Platinum Dragonwrought Kobold (Huzzah for kinship), and he is wanting to be more like a dragon, and thus seeking a breath of his own, etc, etc.

Now, I have found a few things that you can do. Yes, the most obvious one would be being a sorcerer and using the Dragon breath spell. That is not very useful now, if you do not wish to be a sorcerer.

The second, however, very useful item to have, would be a graft. A dragonic graft, from the draconomicon, which grants you the breath attack of your choice that deals 8d6 damage, If I recall correctly. (This will however, tinge your teeth black, which might or might not be ruled away).

I found this way to be, admittedly, the best one available for Kobolds, aside from actually homebrewing things yourself.

Now, yes. classes and templates. You could add "Half dragon", to a kobold, to automatically grant him a breath attack once per day as well as wings (and you can take a feat, improved Dragonic breath, to make him able to use that breath once every 1d4+1 turns), or you could take a few levels in Dragon shaman to gain an inherited breath weapon that you can use every turn.

[Person_Man]

Any race can become a Dragonborn (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1), which grants can a breath weapon. It's essentially an LA +0 template, where you give up your normal racial benefits and gain new ones, while retaining your size, type, and ability modifiers.

[mc.jesus]

When you can look like any humanoid, see invisibility, and be invisible for 24 hours, I can't see why Dragonfire Adept wouldn't be able to fit your seluthieness, but I do like the feat.
I was seriously considering it for a while, but the Investigator class in Penumbra's Crime and Punishment fits much better. To further explain the character, he's a quick to act comedic relief version of Sherlock Holmes. In his own mind he is the God-dammed Batman, tracking down villains and bringing them to justice. To the outside observer, however, he seems like a child who idolizes these characters and is play acting them out. Yet if he actually took the time to analyze the evidence properly he might actually be a competent detective.

His having a breath weapon, or any fighting prowess, is not especially important to the character. I just thought it would be nice flavour for my players to encounter this deranged and poorly trained crime fighter and then suddenly be taken aback by his use of this powerful attack. Or vice versa.


Any race can become a Dragonborn (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1), which grants can a breath weapon. It's essentially an LA +0 template, where you give up your normal racial benefits and gain new ones, while retaining your size, type, and ability modifiers.

The one problem with becoming a dragonborn is it would drop the benefits of venerable age. (Why else make him dragonwrought?) Which are fairly important to an investigator.



As for that graft option, however. Which page is it on? I'm having difficulties finding it.

[hydraa]

I let a player have a psuedo breath weapon.
Using his draconic rite of passage and learning the spell orb of acid, lesser. He was able to perform the somatic componets with the tongue and it would appear to come from his mouth

[mc.jesus]

Found the grafts, they're in Races of the Dragon, page 126.

Normally the graft which grants a breath weapon requires a previous graft already be taken, but one of the grafts grants some of the exact same stuff a DW Kobold already has and nothing extra. So I'm thinking I'll rule being a DW Kobold as "Good Enough" to qualify.