Kobold paladin

[thorgrim29]

As I was cleaning dishes, a crazy(?) idea popped in my head. A kobold paladin of Kutulmark, using the paladin of tyranny variant rule riding a medium animal (badger right) and prc'ing into cavalier. A messianic figure, always ready to defend his people and make the other races feel a bit of the pain his kin have endured for millenia. He would take leadership and build a warren, possibly allying with a dragon. his name, Tucker. What do you guys think? would it be effective, how could I make it work? Because, IMO, that would be a funny as hell character to play, in a reverse morality sort of way.

[F.L.]

I thought the preferred mount of kobolds was dire weasels.

[RTGoodman]

I've done it.* In fact, I was a Half-Red Dragon Kobold Warrior//Paladin of Tyranny. Ah, Iothgix, greatest of my D&D characters... how I miss you.

If you do play a Kobold Paladin besides Pun-Pun make sure you check out the two Kobold Web Enhancement articles from Races of the Dragon. Also, you should use the biggest pick you can find - I'd check out Complete Warrior, since I think it has the bastard sword of picks (i.e., one handed exotic, two-handed martial).

Also, F.L. is right - you should have a Dire Weasel.


*Of course, that was in an all-kobold campaign, so it's not like it was that unusual.

[Chronos]

Half-Red Dragon Kobold Warrior//Paladin of Tyranny

I'm not sure I get it... Why the Warrior levels, unless your DM was requiring them? And if your DM was requiring them, why would he allow gestalt?

To the OP, I've always figured that Tucker was a kobold god, not a kobold himself.

[thorgrim29]

Come to thing of it, was'nt there a fix for kobolds that did'nt give them a -4 to stats for a small size and medeocre skill boosts?

[Dark Tira]

To the OP, I've always figured that Tucker was a kobold god, not a kobold himself.

I'm pretty sure Tucker was the name of the DM who created the scenario.

[RTGoodman]

I'm not sure I get it... Why the Warrior levels, unless your DM was requiring them? And if your DM was requiring them, why would he allow gestalt?

Since Kobolds are naturally weaker as PCs than others, he let us do a "semi-gestalt" campaign - it worked like normal gestalt, but we had to pick an NPC class as one side of the progression (and had to stick with the one we started with). Really, I guess I was a Kobold Warrior 4//Half-Red Dragon 3/PoT 1.

We started at 1st level, and we figured it'd be unfair to put my template on the NPC side, so I picked the only NPC class that would let me keep a full BAB (so I could two-handed power attack better later). My DM did let me have the wings, though, despite being too small for the RAW, which sort of made up for the fact that I was essentially playing with just NPC levels for most of the campaign (which ended around level 5).

By the way, here are the Web Enhancement articles I mentioned earlier - they make kobolds a much more viable race for PCs.

Kobolds: Of Traps and Perfection
Kobolds: Playing to Their Strengths

[MandibleBones]

You might consider taking Expert instead of Warrior as your NPC class - you'll lose a grand total of 1 BAB, and gain a bunch of skill points which can be used for trapmaking, social skills and the various knowledges needed to be a True Leader of Kobolds.

[Chronos]

I'm pretty sure Tucker was the name of the DM who created the scenario.

Precisely. And who's more godlike than the DM?

[RTGoodman]

You might consider taking Expert instead of Warrior as your NPC class - you'll lose a grand total of 1 BAB, and gain a bunch of skill points which can be used for trapmaking, social skills and the various knowledges needed to be a True Leader of Kobolds.

Well, the campaign ended about 10 months ago, so it's a little late.

Actually, though, I thought about Expert, but the background I'd already made (a defender of the tribe and unwilling aristocrat because of his direct draconic lineage) made Aristocrat or Warrior more appropriate. Also, my fellow Kobold Adept//Warlock (with a 4 Str and 6 Con - he didn't hit double-digit HP until like 4th level!) handled most of the social and skilled stuff (though the Warrior//Cleric/Rogue handled traps and occasionally danced inside gnome homes to do 2d20 damage to everyone around ).

[Roderick_BR]

I have a friend that promised to make a kender paladin of freedom. The thought was terrifying...

[MandibleBones]

Well, the campaign ended about 10 months ago, so it's a little late.
*snip*

My mistake - but at least you had teamwork down pat. That's what makes Kobolds so scary.

*nods* Yeah, Aristocrat might have fit better too. I was thinking from a "reconcile the optimization with the concept" perspective - which is where usually think from.

[Crimson Avenger]

I had a kobold paladin once in 2nd ed, but that was because I failed the first save, and made the second save on a polymorph spell. The party thought it was hilarious. Until I drank all of the uses in one of the old Potions of Growth. Then I was the 27 ft tall kobold with the really BIIIIIIIIIIG hammer. Not so funny now, am I????

[RTGoodman]

My mistake - but at least you had teamwork down pat. That's what makes Kobolds so scary.

The best part was that we really played up the "send the weaklings first" mentality that RoD talks about at some point. We were trying to scale a cliff, but there was some sort of winged beast trying to stop us (either a griffin or hippogryph - don't remember which), so we, of course, sent the super-weak little Warlock/Adept ahead to figure out how to climb it.

He happened to have the stony grasp (or whatever the weakest version is) invocation, so he just has hands pop up every few feat for a couple of rounds and climbed to the top using those, while the rest of us used spears, spells, and stuff to distract the animal. Then we made him call back the hands so we could climb.

And you should have seen what our new warren (i.e., the keep we took from a gnome we killed) looked like when we got done - pit traps, ditherbombs abounding, all sorts of stuff.

EDIT (so as not to sound like we're derailing the thread): As you can see, a Kobold Paladin is definitely a viable and fun character to play, both for the roleplaying aspect and the fact that it's mechanically decent (though not necessarily optimized). Also, if you don't want to go with Paladin of Tyranny, Knight from PHBII might be an option - put that legendary draconic Charisma to use as a means of defending the rest of your tribe by drawing the enemy to you.


Also, to whoever mentioned a Kender Paladin of Freedom - that thought scares me to the core of my very being.

[Person_Man]

Variant Kobold.

I highly suggest using it. The extra attacks that you get from your claws and bite are huge.

Races of the Dragon has a bunch of Kobold buffers. For example, you can take the Dragonwrought Kobold feat to gain the Dragon type.

[sedan]

My 5th level kobold Paladin of Despair just picked up a baby Dire Boar with plans on making it his mount. I've had the idea for a while, but this is the first campaign I've had a chance to try it.

[puppyavenger]

My 5th level kobold Paladin of Despair.

How many Pladin subtypes are there now?

[Saucy_Ninja]

See, now, in the campaign I've been running, I'm preparing to set my players up against a great pick-wielding kobold Paladin of Tyranny, who uses a medium Black Dragon hatchling as a mount.

Good times.