[Race] Kobold. Throw them [PEACH]es, they are still malnourished.

[Xerlith]

So. Kobolds. That poor, poor race that has 5 Race Points and an abysmal count of abilities. this is basically a series of small tweaks, but it's still - i hope - significantly more useful than the original. Stands at ~9RP if anyone cares.

What changed: Gave them a +2 to int and -2 to cha, to better fit the whole

Though they are hardworking, clever, and blessed with a natural talent for mechanical devices and mining, they spend their days nursing grudges and hatreds instead of celebrating their own gifts. schtick.
They also lost the -2 to Constitution (they are small, but resilient even if they seem fragile, dammit!). -4 strength stays, but they now gain Weapon Finesse as a racial feat to rectify this.
Racial traits are mostly untouched, although I've given them some new ones.

Inspired by the 3.5 Web Enhancement, I gave them a bite attack as a base, not Alternate Racial Feature. Same with Swarming, which is "Shoulder to Shoulder" in the original.
Anyway - I call them "Playable Kobolds" to differentiate from the original kin.



Standard Racial Traits

Ability Score Racial Traits: Kobolds gain -4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, and -2 Charisma.
Type: Kobolds are humanoids with the reptilian subtype.
Size: Kobolds are Small creatures and thus 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.
Speed: Kobolds have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Kobolds begin play speaking Common and Draconic. Kobolds with high intelligence scores can choose from the following: Dwarven, Gnome, or Undercommon


Defense Racial Traits

Natural Armor: Kobolds have a +1 natural armor bonus to their Armor Class.


Feat and Skill Racial Traits

Crafty: Kobolds gain a +2 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking) and Profession (miner) checks. Craft (trapmaking) and Stealth are always class skills for a kobold.
Nimble Attacks: Kobolds receive Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat.


Offense Racial Traits

Weapon Familiarity: Kobolds are proficient with hand crossbows and light picks.
Natural Weapons: Kobolds have a bite primary natural attack that deals 1d4 damage.
Swarming: Kobolds are used to living and fighting communally with others of their kind. Up to two kobolds can share the same square at the same time. If two kobolds that are occupying the same square attack the same foe, they are considered to be flanking that foe as if they were in two opposite squares.


Senses Racial Traits

Darkvision: Kobolds can see in the dark up to 60 feet.


Weakness Racial Traits

Light Sensitivity: A kobold is dazzled as long as she remains in an area of bright light.


Alternate Racial Traits


Beast Bond: Some kobolds have a talent for training animals and beasts to help them both on and off the battlefield. Kobolds with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on Handle Animal and Ride checks. Handle Animal and Ride are always class skills for them. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Day Raider: You're one of the few kobolds born with a greater tolerance for sunlight. You don't have light sensitivity, and you have low-light vision instead of darkvision. This racial trait replaces light sensitivity and darkvision.
Draconic Rite of Passage: Some kobolds choose to undergo a ritual that unlocks some of their inborn magic abilities. They may choose a cantrip and cast it at will. They may also choose any 1st-level Sorcerer spell and cast it 1/day.The DC is equal to 10 + the spell's level + the kobold's Charisma modifier. This ritual permanently weakens a kobold's body and as such, this trait replaces the Natural Armor and Natural Weapons traits.
Gliding Wings: Some kobolds are born with wings that, while too weak for actual flying, do allow them to fall at a very slow and safe pace. A kobold with wings can use them to glide. It can make a DC 15 Fly check to fall safely from any height without taking falling damage, as if using feather fall. When falling safely, it may make an additional DC 15 Fly check to glide, moving 5 feet laterally for every 20 feet it falls. This racial trait replaces Natural Weapons.
Wild Forest Kobold: You're one of the barbaric kobolds dwelling in the forests of the surface world. Your culture shuns artifice, but teaches how to endure the hunt. You gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception and Survival checks, and Stealth and Survival are always class skills for you. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Draconic Lineage: Kobold sorcerers with the draconic bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities. This trait replaces Nimble Attacks and Weapon Familiarity. Deepening the bond with the draconic blood takes time normally spent on physical activities.
Jester: Some kobolds swallow their pride and survive by groveling, placating, and amusing the powerful. Kobolds with this racial trait gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Perform checks. Diplomacy and Perform are always class skills for them. This racial trait replaces Crafty.
Dragon Magic: You gain a +2 racial bonus on concentration checks made to cast arcane spells defensively. You also gain a +1 to caster level of all spells that deal the same type of damage as your dragon ancestor's breath weapon. This trait replaces Crafty.
Trapfinder: Some kobolds are as proficent at disabling traps as they are at setting them up. You gain a +1 bonus to Disable Device checks, and that skill is always a class skill for you. In addition, you can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps, like a rogue. This trait replaces Swarming and Weapon Familiarity.

[Thealtruistorc]

The Draconic Rite of Passage can't be taken with draconic lineage? Odd (likewise, the bonus should also apply to the kobold bloodline).

I would, personally, nix the wisdom penalty. Kobolds may be arrogant, but they are perceptive and nothing if not survivors.

[dragonjek]

The Draconic Rite of Passage can't be taken with draconic lineage? Odd (likewise, the bonus should also apply to the kobold bloodline).

I would, personally, nix the wisdom penalty. Kobolds may be arrogant, but they are perceptive and nothing if not survivors.

I agree, particularly with the Wisdom penalty part. This also gives them a penalty to Profession (miner), which is one of the three biggest traits of Kobold culture (along with traps and that dragon obsession).

[wooglycakes]

Gave them a +2 to int and -2 to cha, to better fit the whole ... schtick.
He most likely meant to give them −2 Charisma, but made a mistake.

Breaking down the Race Points (RP) according to my copy of the Advanced Race Guide, I got

Traits: Humanoid (0 RP), small (0 RP), mixed weakness (−2 RP), normal speed (0 RP), xenophobic† (0 RP), bite attack‡ (3) (1 RP), darkvision 60 ft. (2 RP), light sensitivity (−1 RP), natural armour (2 RP), static bonus feat (Weapon Finesse) (2 RP), skill bonus (2) (2 RP), skill training (1 RP), swarming (1 RP), weapon familiarity (1 RP)

† Normally, races with the xenophobic language array only know their racial language (Draconic, in this case), and if they have a high Intelligence, can choose from 4 other languages. It would be another matter if a kobold had to use his first bonus language from their Intelligence for Common, but as written it just gives the kobold a free bonus language.

‡ Normally, a small-sized bite attack deals 1d2 damage; this trait can be purchased one more time, to increase the bite damage in this case to 1d3. 1d4 would be an anomaly, but I don't think that this is much of an issue beyond my dedication to RAW Pathfinder.

Total: 11 RP, with irregularities. I would put this race at around 14 or 15 RP.

Overall, I think you've made kobolds a lot stronger, but I think it should be toned down a little as a player race. Compared to other races, this new kobold has +4 AC (+1 natural, +1 size, +2 Dex), and already has a leg up on their feat taxes. I think that a magus, investigator, or even a rogue built using this new kobold could outshine other PCs from early on. (Not to mention by trading away two rather weak racial abilities, this kobold can completely overshadow rogues on trapfinding as well...)

I would get rid of the trapfinding alternate racial ability, and one or more of the following: the bonus Weapon Finesse, +1 natural armour, or the skill bonuses of crafty; that draconic lineage cannot be taken alongside the draconic rite of passage strikes me as odd as well.

[Xerlith]

The Draconic Rite of Passage can't be taken with draconic lineage? Odd (likewise, the bonus should also apply to the kobold bloodline).

I would, personally, nix the wisdom penalty. Kobolds may be arrogant, but they are perceptive and nothing if not survivors.


I agree, particularly with the Wisdom penalty part. This also gives them a penalty to Profession (miner), which is one of the three biggest traits of Kobold culture (along with traps and that dragon obsession).

About the Wisdom penalty and Profession (Miner) - they get a net +1 overall, so they are ahead. Valid point about Perception. Overall, I hinged this on having a weak self-identity, which is why they live in so tightly-knit communities without much problems - something akin to a "drone mentality" if you may. If we're pretending to cater to race point builds, I could move it to Constitution (Sorcerers would feel a pang of pain in their fragile (now) hearts).
OR I can drop it altogether and shrug a bit. I guess it'd work just as well.

As for Rite of Passage and Draconic Lineage... Actually I just didn't really know what to put as an alternate trade-off, so I'll probably try to work with Weapon Familiarity to manage.


EDIT: @wooglycakes. I didn't count Skill Focus twice, good catch. Well, let's drop the pretense that the Race Point system is balanced altogether then.



† Normally, races with the xenophobic language array only know their racial language (Draconic, in this case), and if they have a high Intelligence, can choose from 4 other languages. It would be another matter if a kobold had to use his first bonus language from their Intelligence for Common, but as written it just gives the kobold a free bonus language.

‡ Normally, a small-sized bite attack deals 1d2 damage; this trait can be purchased one more time, to increase the bite damage in this case to 1d3. 1d4 would be an anomaly, but I don't think that this is much of an issue beyond my dedication to RAW Pathfinder.

Total: 11 RP, with irregularities. I would put this race at around 14 or 15 RP.

Overall, I think you've made kobolds a lot stronger, but I think it should be toned down a little as a player race. Compared to other races, this new kobold has +4 AC (+1 natural, +1 size, +2 Dex), and already has a leg up on their feat taxes. I think that a magus, investigator, or even a rogue built using this new kobold could outshine other PCs from early on. (Not to mention by trading away two rather weak racial abilities, this kobold can completely overshadow rogues on trapfinding as well...)

I would get rid of the trapfinding alternate racial ability, and one or more of the following: the bonus Weapon Finesse, +1 natural armour, or the skill bonuses of crafty; that draconic lineage cannot be taken alongside the draconic rite of passage strikes me as odd as well.

Okay, so:

1. The languages were changed to standard because a PC would be too difficult to make. I might change it to some kind of alternate feature if needed.
2. The bite was adjusted for the -4 to strength. I want it to be useful. And it's a copypaste of the d20pfsrd alternate trait, minus the elemental damage 1/day.
3.They gain a +3 to AC, +1 natural, +1 size, +1 dex. That's the same as they were before.
4. The rogue is the very least of my concerns. It's overshadowed by too many things for me to take it into account The ability fits thematically, but I may make it more expensive to take. And you can grab Trapfinding via a trait anyway. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/traits/campaign-traits/mummy-s-mask/trap-finder)