What?! Kobolds have more than 8 hp! 4E is dead to me, and WotC sucks!!







;-)

Well,

This unfortunately just seems to confirm that one of the drivers for 4E is to have lots of big numbers (appealling to min/maxers). trying to remain optimistic though.

inflation in D&D who woulda thunk it?

well you say that...

...but my understanding (and ultimately we dont actually really KNOW a lot) is that the damage done is going up also.
So really we are still in the same situation but with Hackmaster type numbers.

If you use crits then there is always the chance for a PC to die. If its that much of an issue, dont use crits at low levels.

However, Kobold Minions apparently die if hit with a weapon for any amount of damage so the Skirmisher must be some kind of Uber-Kobold.

So I may be stupid but if a "minion" is killed by one weapon hit, then why bother to give them hit points at all?

Ack, okay, I see that know. Sorry, guess I am stupid this morning. (damn).

Based on what I've read about 4e, I expect that otyugh to be missing entirely or completely redesigned with unrecognizable powers.

Plus, its likely his reach isn't reachy anymore (one of the few things going for him).

That is a pretty fast 25 xp! I can't wait--I will be leveling up every half hour in 4e!

I LOVE the way that the minion rules mimic the Feng Shui rules here. Mooks rule!

The use of "Perception" rather than "Spot" seems kind of clunky for a name, but meh, I'll live.

These stats look very appropriate for Kobolds. I'm also thrilled to learn that the little guys will get the PC Race treatment in the MM, putting them on a par with the gnomes, bugbears, etc.

The mob benefit looks like standard Conan to me... actually a lot of things sound very Conan to me. I wonder how close it will be.

-Ben.

Kobold Wyrmpriest; Level 3 Artillery (Leader)
Small Natural Humanoid; XP 150
Initiative: +4 ; Senses: Perception+4, darkvision
HP 36; Bloodied 18
AC 17; Fortitude 13, Reflex 15, Will 15; see also trap sense
Speed 6
m Spear (standard; at-will) • Weapon
+7 vs. AC; 1d8 damage
a Energy Orb (standard; at will) + see text
Range 10; 16 vs. Reflex; 1d10 +3 damage of a chosen type (based on the dragon served).
b Incite Faith (minor; encounter)
Close burst 10; kobold allies in the burst gain 5 temporary hit points and shift 1 square.
c Dragon Breath (standard; encounter) + see text
Close blast 3; +6 vs. Fortitude; 1d10 +3 damage of a chosen type (based on the dragon served). Miss: Half Damage.
Shifty (minor, at will)
The kobold shifts 1 square as a minor action.
Trap Sense
The kobold gains a +2 bonus to all defenses against traps.
Alignment: Evil; Languages: Draconic
Skills: Stealth +11, Thievery +11
Str 9 (+0) Dex 16 (+3) Wis 17 (+4)
Con 12 (+2) Int 9 (+0) Cha 12 (+2)
Equipment: Hide armor, spear, bone mask.

Kobold Dragon Shield; Level 2 Soldier
Small Natural Humanoid; XP 125
Initiative +4 ;Senses: Perception+2, darkvision
HP 36; Bloodied 18
AC 18; Fortitude 14,Reflex 13,Will 13; see also trap sense
Speed 6
m Short Sword (standard; at-will) • Weapon
+7 vs. AC; 1d6+3 damage, and the target is marked until the end of the Kobold dragonshield’s next turn.
DragonShield Tactics (immediate reation, when an adjacent enemy shifts away or an enemy moves adjacent, at will)
The kobold dragonshield shifts 1 square.
Mob Attack
The kobold dragonshield gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls per kobold ally adjacent to the target.
Shifty (minor, at will)
The kobold shifts 1 square as a minor action.
Trap Sense
The kobold gains a +2 bonus to all defenses against traps.
Alignment: Evil; Languages: Draconic
Skills: Acrobatics +8, stealth +10, Thievery +10
Str 8 (-1) Dex 16 (+3) Wis 10 (+0)
Con 11 (+0) Int 6 (-2) Cha 15 (+2)
Equipment: Scale armor, heavy shield, short sword

Kobold Slinger; Level 1 Artillery
Small Natural Humanoid; XP 100
Initiative: +3; Senses: Perception+1, darkvision
HP 24; Bloodied 12
AC 13; Fortitude 12,Reflex 14,Will 12; see also trap sense
Speed 6
m Dagger (standard; at-will) • Weapon
+5 vs. AC; 1d4+3 damage.
r Sling (standard; at-will) • Weapon
Range 10/20; +6 vs. AC; 1d6 +3 damage; see also special shot.
Special Shot
The kobold slinger can fire special ammunition from its sling. It typically carries 3 rounds special shot chosen from the types listed below. A special shot attack that hits deals normal damage and has an additional effect depending on its type.
· Stinkpot the target takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends)
· Firepot (Fire) The target taks ongoing 2 fire damage (save ends)
· Gluepot The target is immobilized (save ends)
Shifty (minor, at will)
The kobold shifts 1 square as a minor action.
Trap Sense
The kobold gains a +2 bonus to all defenses against traps.
Alignment: Evil; Languages: Draconic
Skills: Acrobatics +8, stealth +10, Thievery +10
Str 9 (-1) Dex 17 (+3) Wis 12 (+1)
Con 11 (+1) Int 9 (-1) Cha 10 (+0)
Equipment: leather armor, dagger, sling with 20 bullets, 3 rounds of special shot (see above).

Kobold Archer; Level 2 Artillery
Small Natural Humanoid
Init: +9; Senses: Perception +2
HP 23; Bloodied 11
AC 16; Fortitude 11 Reflex 15 Will 13
Speed 6
m Dagger (Standard; at-will) * Weapon
+8 vs. AC; 1d3
r Shortbow (Standard; at-will) * Weapon
Range 10/20; +9 vs. AC; 1d4+4, see also Fragile Confidence
Easily Frightened
Fear effects get +2 attack against this creature
Fragile Confidence
Shorbow +5 attack untill attacked
Shifty (Minor; at-will)
Shift 1 square
Skills: Initiative +9
Str +0 Dex +4 Wis +2
Con +1 Int -1 Cha +0


Source - http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=4079414&postcount=5

Notice the static xp values in the stat block? I'm curious to see how they've changed experience.

Hell, that's one of the things I'm looking forward to. Of all the things to borrow (steal) from Rolemaster, their vairable XP level based on character level versus Monster Rating was the worst.

Keep in mind that 1st level characters were doing 40hp damage in a round sometimes during the "D&D Experience".

Some of the issues and concerns raised here have been cleared up and discussed other places. So let me try and help out.

There are different sorts of monsters, so the kobold skirmisher is not the only sort of kobold out there, as has been shown in this thread.

XP is static...again. That's the way it worked in 1e and 2e also. It's simpler, it doesn't always make sense, but neither does the CR system that we have in 3e. So I'm okay with all that.

As for min-maxing, reports from DDXP that I'm getting say that it looks like it's going to be less of an issue...but of course we all know that any system can be gamed, so that only means so much.

If you're interested some of these things came up in an interview I just put out. There will be more of these interviews from DDXP coming later, by the way.

http://thetome.podbean.com/2008/03/01/the-tome-ep-46-perkinsgirard/

Static XP!!!! I'll be so happy to see that come back.

The hit points seem a bit high, but given some of the other Kobolds displayed, I think it will round out nicely. I think the design team is trying to shift away (minor action) from the generic monster to monster-role builds that keep PCs guessing as to what an encounter might hold.

It sounds like game balance was maintained and the new mechanics left you feeling challenged. Excellent.

Hm...but should a first level party be taking on a large white dragon . . . and winning?

That story makes me very happy. As somebody who has only played Exalted for the last two years (I have access to very few D&D fans these days), I've gotten used to doing very heroic stuff, and while I still prefer the more low-key power level of D&D, I'm glad to see it stepped up somewhat.

One of the things I struggled with in 3.5 was finding interesting monsters to pit against PCs, made incresingly difficult by the fact that each collection after Monster Manual introduced less and less low-power monsters. Kobolds and orcs get old very quickly. I like the fact that a 3rd level party can realistically take on a large dragon, and that a 1st level party did just that, with the proper amount of tension.

One of the things I like about higher, but not "too high" hps, at low levels is that a character/villain can take more than one hit before they drop.

Also keep in mind, as an earlier post mentioned, that there is a big difference between a "skirmisher" and a "minion."

I for one am glad they seemed to have borrowed the mook rule from Feng Shui.

I got to play in one of these...

The HP work out really well. Having a nice range at first level is really a nice change IMO. In generaly first level was actualy really fun, far more so than in 3rd ed.

Every character has some pretty powerful combat tricks they can pull off. I think we will be seeing a much smoother transition between levels. Its a bit like starting all the characters at 3rd level, something I commonly did in my home games anyhow.

For me the wierdest mechanic is that all characters can heal themselves by a static value multiple times per day by taking a 5 minute rest (and can do so once as a combat action per encounter). I think its a good idea for game dynamics (no more desire for a full nights rest every couple hours of adventureing) but conceptualy I'll have to adjust how I describe damage in my games. I was always a blood and guts HP kind of guy and this new system really speaks to a more HP = Stammina and will to fight kind of thing where a physical wound is only as debilitating as it "feels" or something along those lines.

Funny, the thing drawing me to D&D are the things that drove me away from games like Exalted and Feng Shui...alas, the times they are a´changing.

BTW, did you know you could have huge battles fought out in no time in 2e? (and 1e as well)...

For our host´s enjoyment, here are two pictures of our last years playing of "Kingdom of the Ghouls" with 2e rules.
The players struck a deal with the Kuo-Toa, and took the drow ship to assault the Ghoul outpost across the sunless sea.

http://hofrat.rollenspiel-berlin.de/stonetomud.jpg

Watch for the reams of Ghouls who got cought in blotches of stone to mud, only to be still inside when it was turned from mud to stone again. All battles in 2e are very fast and very furious, as far as my experience goes.

http://hofrat.rollenspiel-berlin.de/withship.jpg