Kobold Barbarian Help [5e]

[FaceofBo]

Hey y'all, so my current character for my campaign is a black Kobold, Path of the Spirit Guardian's Barbarian. His current array is 14 16 14 8 10 12, my DM said he would drop Sunlight sensitivity, but also take Pack Tactics and replace them both with Greedy (Bonus starting gold) and Nimble Combatant (Disengage as a bonus action while under half health). We are starting at level 6, and I am not sure how to progress with him, I was planning on trying to max Str or Dex, but I'm playing him strength (I know it isn't the best way to do it, but **** it, why the hell not, you know? Plus it's hilarious to think of this overgrown lizard swinging a giant hammer around) and I'm really not sure what would be good for him, any advice?

[Chugger]

Why lose sunlight sens and pack? You use pact to mitigate the disad when fighting in bright light, and you get advantage (as often as you can) in the dark. Does your DM hate pack tactics? Or is this an option?

[PeteNutButter]

Why lose sunlight sens and pack? You use pact to mitigate the disad when fighting in bright light, and you get advantage (as often as you can) in the dark. Does your DM hate pack tactics? Or is this an option?

I agree with Chugger. The only reason to play a kobold is pact tactics. Their strength penalty and only +2 to dex is there to balance that. Take away pact tactics, and you have yourself a VERY bad goblin.

Plus more gold is pretty worthless for you. Gold is trash except for fighters who want plate, and even for them afterwards.

[lunaticfringe]

+2 STR @ 4, keep baseline Kobold Racials, Reckless Attack is your friend. Keep some Hand Axes or Javelins on hand to tag things for Ancestral Protectors feature or whatever it's called.

[FaceofBo]

Why lose sunlight sens and pack? You use pact to mitigate the disad when fighting in bright light, and you get advantage (as often as you can) in the dark. Does your DM hate pack tactics? Or is this an option?

My DM dislikes Pack Tactics because of how strong it makes him, plus I am the only frontliner of my team right now, so if I am using Pack Tactics I'm already failing at my job.


I agree with Chugger. The only reason to play a kobold is pact tactics. Their strength penalty and only +2 to dex is there to balance that. Take away pact tactics, and you have yourself a VERY bad goblin.

Plus more gold is pretty worthless for you. Gold is trash except for fighters who want plate, and even for them afterwards.

I disagree, I greatly enjoy Kobolds as a race, so there are definitely worth playing. Gold is not really trash? He's a "dragon" he likes gold, and the world is a high magic, so I will be able to buy lesser magical items later down the road.

[Dhuraal]

I disagree, I greatly enjoy Kobolds as a race, so there are definitely worth playing. Gold is not really trash? He's a "dragon" he likes gold, and the world is a high magic, so I will be able to buy lesser magical items later down the road.

Whoa whoa whoa, you aren't trying to role play are you? Haven't you heard? It is impossible to role play with D&D. There are two kinds of RPGs. 1) Role Playing Games and 2) Raiding and Pillaging Games. D&D is the second.

[PeteNutButter]

I disagree, I greatly enjoy Kobolds as a race, so there are definitely worth playing. Gold is not really trash? He's a "dragon" he likes gold, and the world is a high magic, so I will be able to buy lesser magical items later down the road.

You can play a one-legged prostitute if that's what you want to RP.

I mean the mechanical advantage to kobold is pact tactics. If you have the option to keep old racials, I would. It's poor game balance to take away mechanical features in favor of things that favor RP. You can have both. RP the crap out if it, by all means, but I encourage everyone not to gimp their character mechanically, if for no one else than for the rest of the party.

I only ever comment on what is optimal. How far people deviate from that is entirely up to them and their character concept (which is entirely ok!). In that light, I'd suggest you counter offer to your DM to at least give you the full goblin racial of bonus action disengage and hide without any hp restriction. Perhaps even remove the str penalty? Note that in the monster manual the difference between the goblin str and kobold str is 1 point, further evidence the the str penalty was a design choice based on balance (to counteract the strength of pact tactics).

As for further advice, I presume you want to do use hammer and shield? Don't go for unarmored defense, it's a trap option. Pick up half plate armor ASAP. Get your strength up so you can benefit from your class features. If multiclassing is on the table, I'd suggest taking 1-4 levels in fighter after barbarian 5 or 6. Just one level in fighter gives dueling style to add 2 to your damage forever. I'd avoid feats until you get a decent str. Maybe consider sentinel down the line, as it seems to go with the theme.

[lunaticfringe]

Eh I'd just reskin another Small race and call it a Kobold. The Kobold brew fix you got seems...kinda ****. Goblin seems like it would work for a Kobold Barb. Just my opinion, play what ye want.

Also if you are the only frontliner how is Pack Tactics OP?

[FaceofBo]

You can play a one-legged prostitute if that's what you want to RP.

I mean the mechanical advantage to kobold is pact tactics. If you have the option to keep old racials, I would. It's poor game balance to take away mechanical features in favor of things that favor RP. You can have both. RP the crap out if it, by all means, but I encourage everyone not to gimp their character mechanically, if for no one else than for the rest of the party.

I only ever comment on what is optimal. How far people deviate from that is entirely up to them and their character concept (which is entirely ok!). In that light, I'd suggest you counter offer to your DM to at least give you the full goblin racial of bonus action disengage and hide without any hp restriction. Perhaps even remove the str penalty? Note that in the monster manual the difference between the goblin str and kobold str is 1 point, further evidence the the str penalty was a design choice based on balance (to counteract the strength of pact tactics).

As for further advice, I presume you want to do use hammer and shield? Don't go for unarmored defense, it's a trap option. Pick up half plate armor ASAP. Get your strength up so you can benefit from your class features. If multiclassing is on the table, I'd suggest taking 1-4 levels in fighter after barbarian 5 or 6. Just one level in fighter gives dueling style to add 2 to your damage forever. I'd avoid feats until you get a decent str. Maybe consider sentinel down the line, as it seems to go with the theme.

I'm trying not to gimp my character, I talked to my DM about him being underpowered, and he agreed he wouldn't be amazing to start, but I will have access to Strength magic items (Gauntlets of Ogre power, Belt of Ogre Strength) relatively soon. I've also discussed handwaving the -2 str, but we haven't come to a conclusion on it yet. I was also running a maul, not a hammer and shield because reasons, but I might run hammer and shield, I already have a 15 AC, so I'm not doing too bad.


Eh I'd just reskin another Small race and call it a Kobold. The Kobold brew fix you got seems...kinda ****. Goblin seems like it would work for a Kobold Barb. Just my opinion, play what ye want.

Also if you are the only frontliner how is Pack Tactics OP?


Its OP because we have 2 clerics that bounce around the field a lot, that coupled with Ancestral Guardians makes it so whomever we are fighting has disadvantage on others, and I have basically perma-advantage.

[PeteNutButter]

I'm trying not to gimp my character, I talked to my DM about him being underpowered, and he agreed he wouldn't be amazing to start, but I will have access to Strength magic items (Gauntlets of Ogre power, Belt of Ogre Strength) relatively soon. I've also discussed handwaving the -2 str, but we haven't come to a conclusion on it yet. I was also running a maul, not a hammer and shield because reasons, but I might run hammer and shield, I already have a 15 AC, so I'm not doing too bad.


Small creatures get disadvantage on attacks with heavy weapons. Small creatures are "supposed" to use versatile weapons as their 2-handed weapons. Ironically pact tactics could offset that disadvantage. :smalltongue:

Also 15 AC is bad at level 1, terrible at level 6. CR 6 monsters already have +7-10 to hit, so will have a hard time missing you. Mooks will have at least +5 which makes getting hit a coin toss.

[lunaticfringe]

I'm trying not to gimp my character, I talked to my DM about him being underpowered, and he agreed he wouldn't be amazing to start, but I will have access to Strength magic items (Gauntlets of Ogre power, Belt of Ogre Strength) relatively soon. I've also discussed handwaving the -2 str, but we haven't come to a conclusion on it yet. I was also running a maul, not a hammer and shield because reasons, but I might run hammer and shield, I already have a 15 AC, so I'm not doing too bad.




Its OP because we have 2 clerics that bounce around the field a lot, that coupled with Ancestral Guardians makes it so whomever we are fighting has disadvantage on others, and I have basically perma-advantage.

Only the first creature you hit in a round has disadvantage iirc, not that OP when facing Groups o Mooks. Which I would totally use to challenge you because that's my job. Possibly when facing 1 boss creature, depending on it's to hit bonus. Plenty of creatures can still hit non heavies while Disadvantaged.