Kobold Wizard. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Kobold Wizard. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Azezel
06-16-07, 08:33 PM What is the viability of a Kobold wizard at low levels (1-6 or so)?

What sort of feats, skills and spells should I be taking? I'm looking mostly at utility and battlefield control, Grease, Web, Colour Spray etc - but are there spells which are particulalry useful, or bad for a Kobold Wizard?

For books allowed, see my .sig.

I don't know the makeup of the rest of the party.
Genetic
06-16-07, 09:43 PM Well they have no special bonuses or penalties to wizard-related stats except for -4 str and +2 dex. Sooo in the range of touch vs. ranged touch spells, it'd probably be better to go with ranged touch as opposed to touch spells.
Thomar_of_Uointer
06-16-07, 10:44 PM What is the viability of a Kobold wizard at low levels (1-6 or so)?

What sort of feats, skills and spells should I be taking? I'm looking mostly at utility and battlefield control, Grease, Web, Colour Spray etc - but are there spells which are particulalry useful, or bad for a Kobold Wizard?

For books allowed, see my .sig.

I don't know the makeup of the rest of the party.

Not bad, though it suffers many min-maxxing problems, and without as much of the maxxing as you could normally get away with using an elf subrace.

Pick spells that use attack rolls, Weapon Focus (Ray) would be a good level 3 feat. You get a net +2 to ranged attacks (+1 size, +1 Dex) compared to other casters, so you can take advantage of that (disintegrate should be your bread-and-butter at higher levels). I'd recommend Improved Initiative, nothing is more fun than being first every single time. Finally, you should probably invest in item creation feats, assuming your game will have the downtime for that.

Don't bother with anything close-range, if you're within reach of an enemy frontliner, you're dead. Get friendly with your party's fighters, the best way to optimize a wizard is to stick somebody in heavy armor with good Hit Dice between him and his opponents.
angryscrub
06-17-07, 12:28 AM if you're going to play a kobold it really might be worth it to pick up races of the dragon. is it just that you don't have it, or your dm has declared it to be not allowed?
celestialkin
06-17-07, 02:48 AM You should consider reading Races of the Dragon. It was pretty much written for kobolds.

At the very least look up the kobold Ritual of the Dragon. You pretty much trade in 1 HP for a once a day 1st level spell, which works like a natural ability.
Phalo
06-17-07, 03:39 AM if you get RoD take dragon wrought and then alter self. Kinda cheap way to go at it but you can now turn into a dragon up to 5hd at 5th level. Plus you have all that dragon scales for material components
lord_xarallon
06-17-07, 10:05 AM if you get RoD take dragon wrought and then alter self. Kinda cheap way to go at it but you can now turn into a dragon up to 5hd at 5th level. Plus you have all that dragon scales for material components

But the feat is in RotD not Races of Destiny (RoD).
(I know what you meant:D)

If you are a sorcerer you can gain more powers.
The_Shaman
06-17-07, 10:55 AM I think you can get a WF with all ranged spells. I think it was in CArcane, but don't quote me on this. Rays and orbs should be pretty nice for your guy. Other than that, you don't really have any problems with intelligence, and while a -4 to str is bad, it's not so bad to be hopeless. I wonder if you can use a PrC with SA damage and put it on orbs and rays. I've heard about spellwarp sniper, but I'm not sure it can work for you. I suppose it is important to keep away from trouble, what with that grapple penalty and your low hp.
lint trap
06-17-07, 01:28 PM My advice for any low-level wizard is to aim for three things: Grease, Glitterdust, and Sculpt Spell. These three will carry you far, my friend. And the rogues will love you.
Ace_of_time
06-17-07, 11:18 PM First is wizard a have to or are you open to any arcane spellcaster? What type of spellcaster do you want to be? (tank, blaster, buffer, summoner) Are you planning on multi classing?
Darth Sephiroth
06-17-07, 11:27 PM Kobolds (Especially after RotD) make far better sorcerers than wizards.

If playing with Flaws snatch up as many of the draconic feats as you can for breath, tail, and wings and snatch as many Draconic Heritage feats
QOShea
06-18-07, 10:10 AM Much of this comes from RotD, which is THE book for making a kobold character.

If RotD is not allowed, you may ignore this post. LOL

First, simply from an RP point of view, any kobold wizard is going to be looked down upon by other kobolds simply for not using the power inherent in any kobold to become a sorceror.

Second, depending on what type of wizard you want to be, I would heartily suggest the Power Word spells. Granted, they only affect one target, but there is no save. Spell Resistance does apply however.

Your mileage may vary.
RobbyPants
06-18-07, 12:09 PM For books allowed, see my .sig.
It's too bad you don't have the Complete Mage listed in your books. If you're thinking about playing a wizard, it could be a good investment (or is this an issue of your DM not having said book?).

What sort of feats, skills and spells should I be taking? I'm looking mostly at utility and battlefield control, Grease, Web, Colour Spray etc - but are there spells which are particulalry useful, or bad for a Kobold Wizard?
If you do get a copy of Complete Mage, strongly consider picking up a good reserve feat, such as Firey Burst at 3rd level. You asked about the viability of a wizard at 1st - 6th level; their biggest weakness at the low levels is their lack of staying power. The reserve feats help to compensate for this, by giving you access to a weaker ability with unlimited access. At 3rd level, you could be throwing around 2d6 5-foot radius bursts of fire at will (but only up to 30 feet away). It's not super powerful, but it does help compensate for a serious weakness of wizards.
lord_xarallon
06-18-07, 04:05 PM It's not super powerful, but it does help compensate for a serious weakness of wizards.

Then he can run around a said:
"Look at me, I'm a Warlock"
Feeble_Kobold_Wizard
06-19-07, 06:16 PM Awesome!!! I must say my favorite character ever is a tenth level Kobold Wizard I nurtured from level one. I had great success with just ignoring the race actually. It doesn't hurt you or help you too too much. The secret to my success was just taking feats that upped the DC of my saves. Waizards get far too little in the way of feats to waste them on racial buffs instead of focusing on class abilities. Hope that helps! :)
QOShea
06-19-07, 06:21 PM Awesome!!! I must say my favorite character ever is a tenth level Kobold Wizard I nurtured from level one. I had great success with just ignoring the race actually. It doesn't hurt you or help you too too much. The secret to my success was just taking feats that upped the DC of my saves. Waizards get far too little in the way of feats to waste them on racial buffs instead of focusing on class abilities. Hope that helps! :)

If you are going to do that, you might as well play a human.

Part of the fun of playing a kobold is making them as kobold as can be and still be good character.

Q
Khatoblepas
06-19-07, 06:22 PM Kobolds are also one of the only races who can make an Ultimate Magus have a Wizard19/Sorcerer 11 casting, the other being the far cheesier Illumian. At level 6, you'd look like this (it's very good, you only lose one caster level and this is it)

Wizard 5/Sorcerer 1, Practiced Spellcaster and Greater Rite of Draconic Passage.

A voila, Wizard casting every level for UM. Besides which, UM is one of the greatest prestige classes for Kobolds, as it works. Why else would they have the class, if not to nurture both practiced and draconic magic?

UM is an excerpt, GRoDP is a web enhancement. No need for more books :)
Ace_of_time
06-19-07, 06:24 PM Awesome!!! I must say my favorite character ever is a tenth level Kobold Wizard I nurtured from level one. I had great success with just ignoring the race actually. It doesn't hurt you or help you too too much. The secret to my success was just taking feats that upped the DC of my saves. Waizards get far too little in the way of feats to waste them on racial buffs instead of focusing on class abilities. Hope that helps! :)

It is better then most wizard races. +1 size AC, small with 30' speed, NA+1, and +2 dex. The con is the only thing that really hurts them Wizard wise.
lord_xarallon
06-20-07, 07:00 AM Kobolds are also one of the only races who can make an Ultimate Magus have a Wizard19/Sorcerer 11 casting, the other being the far cheesier Illumian. At level 6, you'd look like this (it's very good, you only lose one caster level and this is it)

Wizard 5/Sorcerer 1, Practiced Spellcaster and Greater Rite of Draconic Passage.

A voila, Wizard casting every level for UM. Besides which, UM is one of the greatest prestige classes for Kobolds, as it works. Why else would they have the class, if not to nurture both practiced and draconic magic?

UM is an excerpt, GRoDP is a web enhancement. No need for more books :)

True.
Ultimate Magus (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20061010a&page=3)
Greater Rite of Draconic Passage (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a)
Explosive_Zombie
06-20-07, 07:34 AM Well, if you don't mind being a bet cheesy, you could take the Dragonwrought feat. Besides getting immunity to sleep and paralyze, you can play a venerable kobold (121+) and get a +3 to Int Wis and Cha. Dragonwrought also eliminates all aging penalties and you max age comes out the be x5 or x10 you Cha score, based on your draconic heritage.
RobbyPants
06-20-07, 09:09 AM Then he can run around a said:
"Look at me, I'm a Warlock"
...with a much bigger list of spells! :)
Ace_of_time
06-20-07, 08:15 PM Well, if you don't mind being a bet cheesy, you could take the Dragonwrought feat. Besides getting immunity to sleep and paralyze, you can play a venerable kobold (121+) and get a +3 to Int Wis and Cha. Dragonwrought also eliminates all aging penalties and you max age comes out the be x5 or x10 you Cha score, based on your draconic heritage.

Don't forget the dragon feat improved speed.
QOShea
06-20-07, 08:23 PM Don't forget the dragon feat improved speed.

Good luck getting a STR of 13. That is hard for a kobold, much less a wiz or sorc.
Ace_of_time
06-20-07, 08:52 PM I always multi class fighter spellcaster with kobolds so if I get a 17 or 18 I put it there.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Azezel 06-16-07, 08:33 PM	What is the viability of a Kobold wizard at low levels (1-6 or so)? What sort of feats, skills and spells should I be taking? I'm looking mostly at utility and battlefield control, Grease, Web, Colour Spray etc - but are there spells which are particulalry useful, or bad for a Kobold Wizard? For books allowed, see my .sig. I don't know the makeup of the rest of the party.
Genetic 06-16-07, 09:43 PM	Well they have no special bonuses or penalties to wizard-related stats except for -4 str and +2 dex. Sooo in the range of touch vs. ranged touch spells, it'd probably be better to go with ranged touch as opposed to touch spells.
Thomar_of_Uointer 06-16-07, 10:44 PM	What is the viability of a Kobold wizard at low levels (1-6 or so)? What sort of feats, skills and spells should I be taking? I'm looking mostly at utility and battlefield control, Grease, Web, Colour Spray etc - but are there spells which are particulalry useful, or bad for a Kobold Wizard? For books allowed, see my .sig. I don't know the makeup of the rest of the party. Not bad, though it suffers many min-maxxing problems, and without as much of the maxxing as you could normally get away with using an elf subrace. Pick spells that use attack rolls, Weapon Focus (Ray) would be a good level 3 feat. You get a net +2 to ranged attacks (+1 size, +1 Dex) compared to other casters, so you can take advantage of that (disintegrate should be your bread-and-butter at higher levels). I'd recommend Improved Initiative, nothing is more fun than being first every single time. Finally, you should probably invest in item creation feats, assuming your game will have the downtime for that. Don't bother with anything close-range, if you're within reach of an enemy frontliner, you're dead. Get friendly with your party's fighters, the best way to optimize a wizard is to stick somebody in heavy armor with good Hit Dice between him and his opponents.
angryscrub 06-17-07, 12:28 AM	if you're going to play a kobold it really might be worth it to pick up races of the dragon. is it just that you don't have it, or your dm has declared it to be not allowed?
celestialkin 06-17-07, 02:48 AM	You should consider reading Races of the Dragon. It was pretty much written for kobolds. At the very least look up the kobold Ritual of the Dragon. You pretty much trade in 1 HP for a once a day 1st level spell, which works like a natural ability.
Phalo 06-17-07, 03:39 AM	if you get RoD take dragon wrought and then alter self. Kinda cheap way to go at it but you can now turn into a dragon up to 5hd at 5th level. Plus you have all that dragon scales for material components
lord_xarallon 06-17-07, 10:05 AM	if you get RoD take dragon wrought and then alter self. Kinda cheap way to go at it but you can now turn into a dragon up to 5hd at 5th level. Plus you have all that dragon scales for material components But the feat is in RotD not Races of Destiny (RoD). (I know what you meant:D) If you are a sorcerer you can gain more powers.
The_Shaman 06-17-07, 10:55 AM	I think you can get a WF with all ranged spells. I think it was in CArcane, but don't quote me on this. Rays and orbs should be pretty nice for your guy. Other than that, you don't really have any problems with intelligence, and while a -4 to str is bad, it's not so bad to be hopeless. I wonder if you can use a PrC with SA damage and put it on orbs and rays. I've heard about spellwarp sniper, but I'm not sure it can work for you. I suppose it is important to keep away from trouble, what with that grapple penalty and your low hp.
lint trap 06-17-07, 01:28 PM	My advice for any low-level wizard is to aim for three things: Grease, Glitterdust, and Sculpt Spell. These three will carry you far, my friend. And the rogues will love you.
Ace_of_time 06-17-07, 11:18 PM	First is wizard a have to or are you open to any arcane spellcaster? What type of spellcaster do you want to be? (tank, blaster, buffer, summoner) Are you planning on multi classing?
Darth Sephiroth 06-17-07, 11:27 PM	Kobolds (Especially after RotD) make far better sorcerers than wizards. If playing with Flaws snatch up as many of the draconic feats as you can for breath, tail, and wings and snatch as many Draconic Heritage feats
QOShea 06-18-07, 10:10 AM	Much of this comes from RotD, which is THE book for making a kobold character. If RotD is not allowed, you may ignore this post. LOL First, simply from an RP point of view, any kobold wizard is going to be looked down upon by other kobolds simply for not using the power inherent in any kobold to become a sorceror. Second, depending on what type of wizard you want to be, I would heartily suggest the Power Word spells. Granted, they only affect one target, but there is no save. Spell Resistance does apply however. Your mileage may vary.
RobbyPants 06-18-07, 12:09 PM	For books allowed, see my .sig. It's too bad you don't have the Complete Mage listed in your books. If you're thinking about playing a wizard, it could be a good investment (or is this an issue of your DM not having said book?). What sort of feats, skills and spells should I be taking? I'm looking mostly at utility and battlefield control, Grease, Web, Colour Spray etc - but are there spells which are particulalry useful, or bad for a Kobold Wizard? If you do get a copy of Complete Mage, strongly consider picking up a good reserve feat, such as Firey Burst at 3rd level. You asked about the viability of a wizard at 1st - 6th level; their biggest weakness at the low levels is their lack of staying power. The reserve feats help to compensate for this, by giving you access to a weaker ability with unlimited access. At 3rd level, you could be throwing around 2d6 5-foot radius bursts of fire at will (but only up to 30 feet away). It's not super powerful, but it does help compensate for a serious weakness of wizards.
lord_xarallon 06-18-07, 04:05 PM	It's not super powerful, but it does help compensate for a serious weakness of wizards. Then he can run around a said: "Look at me, I'm a Warlock"
Feeble_Kobold_Wizard 06-19-07, 06:16 PM	Awesome!!! I must say my favorite character ever is a tenth level Kobold Wizard I nurtured from level one. I had great success with just ignoring the race actually. It doesn't hurt you or help you too too much. The secret to my success was just taking feats that upped the DC of my saves. Waizards get far too little in the way of feats to waste them on racial buffs instead of focusing on class abilities. Hope that helps! :)
QOShea 06-19-07, 06:21 PM	Awesome!!! I must say my favorite character ever is a tenth level Kobold Wizard I nurtured from level one. I had great success with just ignoring the race actually. It doesn't hurt you or help you too too much. The secret to my success was just taking feats that upped the DC of my saves. Waizards get far too little in the way of feats to waste them on racial buffs instead of focusing on class abilities. Hope that helps! :) If you are going to do that, you might as well play a human. Part of the fun of playing a kobold is making them as kobold as can be and still be good character. Q
Khatoblepas 06-19-07, 06:22 PM	Kobolds are also one of the only races who can make an Ultimate Magus have a Wizard19/Sorcerer 11 casting, the other being the far cheesier Illumian. At level 6, you'd look like this (it's very good, you only lose one caster level and this is it) Wizard 5/Sorcerer 1, Practiced Spellcaster and Greater Rite of Draconic Passage. A voila, Wizard casting every level for UM. Besides which, UM is one of the greatest prestige classes for Kobolds, as it works. Why else would they have the class, if not to nurture both practiced and draconic magic? UM is an excerpt, GRoDP is a web enhancement. No need for more books :)
Ace_of_time 06-19-07, 06:24 PM	Awesome!!! I must say my favorite character ever is a tenth level Kobold Wizard I nurtured from level one. I had great success with just ignoring the race actually. It doesn't hurt you or help you too too much. The secret to my success was just taking feats that upped the DC of my saves. Waizards get far too little in the way of feats to waste them on racial buffs instead of focusing on class abilities. Hope that helps! :) It is better then most wizard races. +1 size AC, small with 30' speed, NA+1, and +2 dex. The con is the only thing that really hurts them Wizard wise.
lord_xarallon 06-20-07, 07:00 AM	Kobolds are also one of the only races who can make an Ultimate Magus have a Wizard19/Sorcerer 11 casting, the other being the far cheesier Illumian. At level 6, you'd look like this (it's very good, you only lose one caster level and this is it) Wizard 5/Sorcerer 1, Practiced Spellcaster and Greater Rite of Draconic Passage. A voila, Wizard casting every level for UM. Besides which, UM is one of the greatest prestige classes for Kobolds, as it works. Why else would they have the class, if not to nurture both practiced and draconic magic? UM is an excerpt, GRoDP is a web enhancement. No need for more books :) True. Ultimate Magus (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20061010a&page=3) Greater Rite of Draconic Passage (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060420a)
Explosive_Zombie 06-20-07, 07:34 AM	Well, if you don't mind being a bet cheesy, you could take the Dragonwrought feat. Besides getting immunity to sleep and paralyze, you can play a venerable kobold (121+) and get a +3 to Int Wis and Cha. Dragonwrought also eliminates all aging penalties and you max age comes out the be x5 or x10 you Cha score, based on your draconic heritage.
RobbyPants 06-20-07, 09:09 AM	Then he can run around a said: "Look at me, I'm a Warlock" ...with a much bigger list of spells! :)
Ace_of_time 06-20-07, 08:15 PM	Well, if you don't mind being a bet cheesy, you could take the Dragonwrought feat. Besides getting immunity to sleep and paralyze, you can play a venerable kobold (121+) and get a +3 to Int Wis and Cha. Dragonwrought also eliminates all aging penalties and you max age comes out the be x5 or x10 you Cha score, based on your draconic heritage. Don't forget the dragon feat improved speed.
QOShea 06-20-07, 08:23 PM	Don't forget the dragon feat improved speed. Good luck getting a STR of 13. That is hard for a kobold, much less a wiz or sorc.
Ace_of_time 06-20-07, 08:52 PM	I always multi class fighter spellcaster with kobolds so if I get a 17 or 18 I put it there.