[3.5] Kobolds, or why Unearthed Arcana is silly

[Grushvak]

I'm playing a kobold in an upcoming campaign. No venerable dragonwrought loredrake greater draconic rite of passage sorcerer cheese, just a plain old kobold warlock with feats wasted on dragon wings.

I was looking forward to finding a creative in-game method to work around the light sensitivity issue. Magical tinted goggles or something similar, I thought. Then, I stumbled upon Desert Kobolds racial variant in UA.

I have to ask, what the hell? You switch -2 con (an all-important stat for casters) for -2 wis (lol dump stat). Already pretty frickin' great. Then comes the kicker: you trade light sensitivity, one of the biggest weaknesses crippling the kobold class, for... Heat Endurance? A bonus? Really UA?

Now, unless my DM tells me the campaign is starting in a desert, I'm sticking with regular kobold. I even took the nightsighted trait and murky-eyed flaw because I believe sight is a very interesting character weakness to play with in this campaign. But really... is there any incentive not to pick Desert Kobolds when optimizing?

[Fax Celestis]

Yes, actually. They're in a non-core book, so your DM can go "ahahahaha no play something else".

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Sundark Goggles, Races of the Dragon IIRC. 10 GP, eliminate the Light Sensitivity.

[Melamoto]

Yes, actually. They're in a non-core book, so your DM can go "ahahahaha no play something else".

So no actual disadvantage.

[Grushvak]

Sundark Goggles, Races of the Dragon IIRC. 10 GP, eliminate the Light Sensitivity.

That easy? Bah. Almost feels cheap.

I'll buy them in-game or have them crafted for me, it feels more rewarding that way.

[Eloel]

Kobolds are low power for a LA0 race - Desert Kobolds are more on par with 'normal' stuff (still they're no human).

Compare Halfling to Water Halfling and go cry.

[Grushvak]

Kobolds are low power for a LA0 race - Desert Kobolds are more on par with 'normal' stuff (still they're no human).

Compare Halfling to Water Halfling and go cry.

One of my friends is playing a Ghostwise Halfling. I went "what" when I saw the base speed.

I understand the need to make non-core races more appealing than their core counterparts (humans aside), but sometimes they overdo it.

[Inhuman Bot]

Yes, actually. They're in a non-core book, so your DM can go "ahahahaha no play something else".

Your DM can also say that about druids, or humans, or feats, or...

[Myrmex]

Kobolds are low power for a LA0 race - Desert Kobolds are more on par with 'normal' stuff (still they're no human).

Not if you use the web enhancement stuff. Then they get claw/claw/bite and count as a size smaller for opposed checks. Combine this with shrink person to make hide checks as a diminutive creature.

[Fax Celestis]

To be fair, desert kobolds live outside. Regular kobolds have light sensitivity because they live in caves and are made out of scraaaaaaaaaaaaaap.

Light sensitivity is a crap balance mechanic anyway, which is why the goggles linked above are so cheap.

[Radiun]

I maintain that, as a race of miners, Kobolds should never have had a penalty to Con in the first place.
It's hard work being a miner

[elonin]

There are also goggles in MIC that help vs light sensitivity. I'm not sure why but a lot of dm's don't care for unearthed arcana. Is it a 3.25 book?

[Coidzor]

It's mostly rules variants and different ways of playing from the standard game, is why, I believe.

[Fax Celestis]

There are also goggles in MIC that help vs light sensitivity. I'm not sure why but a lot of dm's don't care for unearthed arcana. Is it a 3.25 book?

Nope, fully 3.5. Most DMs don't like it because it's basically a book of variants.

[Grushvak]

There are also goggles in MIC that help vs light sensitivity. I'm not sure why but a lot of dm's don't care for unearthed arcana. Is it a 3.25 book?

"UA: Where cheese is born"

Pretty much every optional rule in UA is designed to make your character stronger. Really, that's all there is to it. Flaws are abused in CharOp, racial variants and regional variants are written without even an afterthought for balance, and more.

Then again, UA is nothing but optional rules, so the DM can and should veto anything he deems game-breaking. My DM allowed us to take flaws so I'm extremely happy, since I'll be able to get my fancy dragon wings without gimping my Eldritch Blast too much.

EDIT: On a slightly unrelated note, what would be the rules for throwing an ally? Just curious, since I have a half-orc party member and I'm so small and light to start with.

[Fax Celestis]

"UA: Where cheese is born"

Filthy lies. Lies made of Lithium Einsteinium (LiEs).

UA is about fundamentally changing the game. The DM is supposed to use any alterations from the book across ALL creatures (even monsters)--otherwise, of course it's going to be broken.

On a slightly unrelated note, what would be the rules for throwing an ally? Just curious, since I have a half-orc party member and I'm so small and light to start with.

Fling Ally is a feat from Races of Stone. It requires [Large size or Powerful Build] plus [racial Rock Hurling ability or Rock Throwing feat] and a big Str score.

[AstralFire]

"UA: Where cheese is born"

Pretty much every optional rule in UA is designed to make your character stronger. Really, that's all there is to it. Flaws are abused in CharOp, racial variants and regional variants are written without even an afterthought for balance, and more.

I would argue the Desert Kobold is still a weak LA +0. Moreover, quite a few of the variant rules weaken characters (Druids, Martial Rogues), and several fundamentally make the game not work without extensive houseruling (most of the Armor Changes), and just generally, Unearthed Arcana was designed for DMs. The player segment of UA is really really small; as a DM, UA is one of the books I look through most. As a player, I look at it least, because the only good thing is flaws. And,...

Then again, UA is nothing but optional rules, so the DM can and should veto anything he deems game-breaking. My DM allowed us to take flaws so I'm extremely happy, since I'll be able to get my fancy dragon wings without gimping my Eldritch Blast too much.

Really, flaws are cheap. :| Those are weak feats, but that's not the solution. Flaws are a terrible idea and a terrible execution.

[Gametime]

With very few exceptions, Unearthed Arcana is an excellent book. Most of the variants introduced are very balanced if they're ubiquitous, which they SHOULD be. The environmental races have some silly-good ones, and flaws are ridiculous, but there are some great options in there for variant rules for specific kinds of campaigns. Not to mention that a lot of the class feature variants are pretty awesome for building specific characters.

And yeah, Kobolds are pretty weak without a ton of splatbook material. Even with the RotD enhancement...oh boy, great hide checks and natural weapons. The Desert variant is still just barely good. Honestly, even a Desert Dragonwrought Kobold isn't INSANELY overpowered, although it starts to get up to the top tiers of races at that point. It's only with Loredrake nonsense that the silliness begins.

[Telonius]

Fling Ally is a feat from Races of Stone. It requires [Large size or Powerful Build] plus [racial Rock Hurling ability or Rock Throwing feat] and a big Str score.

It also has a hilarious picture illustrating the feat.

[Eldariel]

They lose out on their automatic weapon proficiencies. That's a notable deficit; getting Martial Weapons for any class and an Exotic for warrior classes is very handy. And that's without getting into Dark Chaos Shuffles.

So yeah, it's not a free gain, though of course -2 Wis >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> -2 Con and as such, they're still sorta better as long as not Shuffling.

[Grushvak]

It also has a hilarious picture illustrating the feat.

I laughed out loud at work. Thanks a lot. I'm sending this to the guy who's playing the half-orc dragon shaman so I can convince him to take the feat.

I'll even have wings for long distance throws!

[Paulus]

UA strikes me as that book everyone likes and nobody likes, because there are great stuff in there people would love to use, but would hate have used against them. For example, I was severely taxed by people when I told them I though Battle Sorcerer was pretty balanced.

on both sides. "You loosing caster levels and spell slots it's TERRIBLE!!" "You get armor, a useful weapon AND Caster levels!? It's TERRIBLE!!" Kobolds are hilarity and I think they need all the help they can get. ...outside of cheese...

I laughed out loud at work. Thanks a lot. I'm sending this to the guy who's playing the half-orc dragon shaman so I can convince him to take the feat.

I'll even have wings for long distance throws!

Also, seriously don't bother. It's a waste of a feat. People have been throwing allies and halflings and dwarves for AGES just fine without it. All you need is a grapple check, a strength check, and an improvised weapon penalty.

[Grushvak]

A waste of a feat. People have been throwing allies and halflings and dwarves for AGES just fine without it. All you need is a grapple check, a strength check, and an improvised weapon penalty.

That's what I'd like to know: exactly how would the range be determined? If my DM agrees to rule in the Slight Build racial variant from the RotD web enhancement, what type of "improvised thrown weapon" would I be treated as? How would my 40lbs weight affect the throw? How would my Glide speed (20ft forward / 5ft down) affect the throw for that matter?

I want to come up with a rather detailed sheet to proudly present to my DM when we finally decide we're stupid enough to throw the kobold in the air during a battle.

[Fax Celestis]

That's what I'd like to know: exactly how would the range be determined? If my DM agrees to rule in the Slight Build racial variant from the RotD web enhancement, what type of "improvised thrown weapon" would I be treated as? How would my 40lbs weight affect the throw? How would my Glide speed (20ft forward / 5ft down) affect the throw for that matter?

Improvised thrown weapons have a range increment of 10' and a maximum range of 8 increments.

[KillianHawkeye]

I laughed out loud at work. Thanks a lot. I'm sending this to the guy who's playing the half-orc dragon shaman so I can convince him to take the feat.

The feat was designed for Goliaths and giantfolk. See Fax's post (from above):

Fling Ally is a feat from Races of Stone. It requires [Large size or Powerful Build] plus [racial Rock Hurling ability or Rock Throwing feat] and a big Str score.

So unless your orc buddy gets frequent access to enlarge person and has a couple feats to spare, you're kinda boned.


EDIT:

Improvised thrown weapons have a range increment of 10' and a maximum range of 8 increments.

Correction:

A thrown weapon has a maximum range of five range increments. A projectile weapon can shoot out to ten range increments.

And I don't see anything under the improvised weapons section to change how many they get.

[Hurlbut]

The range increments aren't a problem; just aim high so he have the altitude to glide

[Fax Celestis]

And I don't see anything under the improvised weapons section to change how many they get.

I always forget that thrown has a shorter max range than projectile.

[Dimers]

I told them I thought Battle Sorcerer was pretty balanced.

I agree, basically. I mean, I respect highly the ability to wear armor -- if not for reasons of AC, then because you can have extra enchantments put onto it to save you from various kinds of nastiness. Now, I've found a trick for getting armor on an ordinary sorcerer anyway, but if the DM won't accept that trick and will accept the Battle Sorcerer, I'm all in favor of it. I think the tradeoff is fair.

@ OP: I'm in agreement with many other posters about how weak regular kobolds are (and of course another important weakness isn't even statted: they're viewed as monsters, not people, in most fantasy world societies). Whether intentionally or not, UA brought them closer to equal with other LA +0 PC races. Even that change wasn't strong enough to make me want to play a Desert Kobold ... after years of fighting them with low-level characters, I just can't think of them as intelligent or potent, which sounds like a disappointing game. Obviously your mileage DOES vary. But I don't think you'd be getting an unfairly good deal if you had gone for the variant race.

[DragoonWraith]

Getting armor on a Sorcerer isn't a trick, it's just a matter of having the Twilight enhancement available (a +1 Twilight Mithril Chain Shirt has an ASF of 0%).

Even without that, though, a +1 Mithril Buckler or Light Shield also has ASF 0%, and you can put enhancements on that.

Or you could enhance clothing or bracers of armor. Both are usually accepted (though I'm not certain they're allowed by RAW).

And in any case, the loss of a spell known per level is absolutely brutal and not worth it at all, at least IMO.

[AstralFire]

Bracers of armor are explicitly allowed in one of the supplements, A&EG I believe.

Clothes are implied by the behavior of some wondrous item robes and the Greater Magic Vestment spell.

If I were to redo the Battle Sorcerer, I'd give them a small amount of Desert Wind and Devoted Spirit maneuvers.