Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Callista 01-22-06, 01:02 AM	You know how there are always these arguments about how a paladin can't kill the baby kobold, because kobolds aren't born evil? I decided to play one of them, just to see how such a character might turn out. The problem is, I'm having serious trouble role-playing her! Can you help me? Name: Ix Race: Desert Kobold Class: Cleric 5 of Bahamut. Domains: Luck, Protection. (DM approved this. His setting has Bahamut/Tiamat as the two major gods; Bahamut has some nondraconic clerics and both have many nondraconic worshippers.) Alignment: NG Physical Description: Ix is a 2'6" kobold of average build, her only remarkable feature being her unusually light scales, which are the beige color of sand. She wears a light chain shirt over a robe, and carries an elaborately carved holy symbol to Bahamut. Age: 6 years (Young adult. Kobolds mature quickly and live a long time.) Stats: STR 8 DEX 14 CON 16 INT 10 WIS 16 CHA 11 Backstory:Ix grew up among a small tribe of desert kobolds who had claimed the ruins of a castle as their own. Ix, as a youngster, quickly learned to stay out of the way of her elders, who would cuff her as soon as look at her; and she learned to scrounge for food, as she always had the last pick of any kill the tribe made. This was a normal life for a young kobold, but for one thing: Soon after Ix was born, the tribe forged an alliance with a young red dragon: The tribe was to conduct raids to bring the dragon gold and gems; and the dragon would protect the tribe. It was a good arrangement for all, and it held for nearly two years. However, the news of the raids began to spread; and soon enough a group of knights dedicated to the Platinum Dragon rode into camp, ordering the tribe to surrender. When they would not, the knights attacked. It was a long battle, and two of the knights fell; but the kobolds would not surrender, and as far as Ix knows, they were all killed. Ix was the only child in the encampment; and the knights would not kill her. Instead, they took her with them. Clawing, cowering, and angry, the kobold-child was deposited at a temple dedicated to Bahamut and left there. An elderly priest took it upon himself to raise the child. At first, Ix was unresponsive to his kindness, suspecting upcoming betrayal; but as the years passed and the old priest cared for her as though she were the child he had never had, Ix began to love him in return. Brought up in a temple to Bahamut, Ix could not help becoming fascinated with all things draconic. Her youthful antics annoyed and fascinated the old priest and his companions. Having, by now, few memories and little attachment to her kobld kin, she began to regard kobolds as corrupted, weak copies of dragonkind, and to adopt the hatred of kobolds she saw in the humanoid races around her. Tales of dragons, however, fascinated her; especially tales of the Platinum Dragon; and it was no surprise when she began to show a talent for clerical magic. On her fifth birthday, having spent three years in the care of her elderly mentor, Ix entered the old priest's chamber to find him lying across the pages of a holy book, still and cold: He had died during the night. In grief and shock, Ix ran out of the temple and into the desert. For many days, she survived on instinct and the blessings of Bahamut, whose holy symbol was her only comfort. Slowly, she came to herself again, making her way to a nearby town. It was only narrowly that she avoided being killed by the inhabitants of the town; and thereafter she lived in the desert whenever she could. The call of Bahamut and her deep awe of the metallic dragons often drags her out of her desert refuge; but Ix, despite her dangerous life, is relatively happy.Shortened version: At the age of two, Ix's tribe of desert kobolds was killed by knights of Bahamut after they began raiding nearby towns. She was taken in by an old priest and became a cleric of Bahamut. The old priest died and she has since become an adventurer. Ix is currently six years old. Anyway, I really need help RPing a kobold, and a really strange kobold, at that. NG is a far cry from the usual LE, of course; and Ix was raised by human(oid)s on top of that, for four out of six years of a short kobold childhood. Pertinent factors to role-playing: --A fascination with dragons --A dislike for her own race --Only 6 years of life experience, but biologically an adult --Intelligence and Charisma are average--but her Wisdom is a whopping 16, double normal for a desert kobold, which averages 8 Wisdom --Rejected by just about everyone for the last year of her life, until she fell in with a very odd group of adventurers (Dragonkin, catfolk, and human)... --Currently seems to be headed towards the "comic relief" end of the scale Sooo... as the title of my post says: HEEEELP! Does anyone have any idea for role-playing a six-year-old, fascinated-with-dragons, extremely-wise desert kobold?
spectralphoenix 01-22-06, 01:13 AM	Maybe she sometimes takes her dislike of kobolds into hatred? She tries to prove that she "fits in" by being the harshest opponent of evil, especially kobolds, whenever the group encounters them. She has trouble recognizing that she needs to show the same kind of mercy that was shown her to others. Kind of a Patty Hearst thing in reverse.
tsuyoshikentsu 01-22-06, 02:23 AM	See if your DM will let you switch out your 1st feat for Dragonwrought Kobold from RotS. It'll let you take feats to gain Draconic attributes -- IE ones you need to be a dragon to qualify for. This has crunchy upsides as well -- see the CharOp forum if you're interested. You could skip all that aned go Dragon Disciple, but the very name Dragon Disciple makes me cringe.
Gailbraithe 01-22-06, 05:00 AM	1. Kobolds are dragons. As of the release of Races of the Dragon, which describes Kobolds in some detail, they have the "dragonblooded" subtype, which makes them officially dragons. I'll be getting back to this point. 2. Ix, as described, is suffering from a deep-seated self-hatred brought on by her enviornment, which was very "psychially hostile". She is essentially an abused child, raised by well meaning but horribly destructive cultural and racist eltitists. She has so throughly accepted their racist stereotypes of her species that she has made herself the willing participant in her own degradation. She is, essentially, an African, Indian, or Native American person raised by early European Christian missionaries (think 14th-15th century). She has been trained to see herself as a second class being, a lesser who only deserves to be tolerated by her "betters". This sets up a role-playing dilema which can be explored over many levels, and involves Ix passing through several key stages of development. Until Ix comes to terms with the self-destructive indoctrination she has been taught, until she learns to love Kobolds, she can never really love herself. She should have trouble accepting praise of any sort, acting modest, while also craving praise and recognition. Righteous indignation should come easy to her - she's fast to remind people of their place, but mercy is something she struggles with. She has a rage she can't explain to herself, because she can't see (at first) that her hate is self-hate. Dragons are an escape for her. She looks at her ugly, hideous reflection in a still oasis and tells herslef wonderful lies about how she is really a dragon and can soar off into the sky away from the pain she feels. She needs to be confronted by other Kobolds. She needs to come face to face with someone like my Kobold rogue, Drix Dangersmith, a radical race-baiting Kobold who will loudly and proudly proclaim the inherent superiority of his race - Kobolds, born of dragons, inevitable inheritors of the world - afterall, the kobolds are the greatest survivors of them all, and will have the ultimate revenge when only they survive, safe in their mines, who viciously attacks those who perpetuate stereotypes of his people while simultaneously taking pride in the very attributes that are stereotyped (Drix has a low Wis and Cha, and a very high Int, this makes him incredibly obnoxious). She needs someone who will attack the lies she's been told, and someone who can offer her love and acceptance as a kobold. A reputable book that exposes her to the truth of Kobold's draconic heritage might also trigger the next stage in her development, but has less role-playing opportunities. Depending on how mature your group is, a brief love-affair with another adventuring kobold who was proud of his heritage could provide some really awesome opportunties for role-playing. From there she becomes fascinated with kobolds, desiring to understand them. But she has an outsider's perspective, and she can't help but see what Drix would call "adaptability" and "resourcefulness" as "rotten scoundrelry" and "craven backstabbing". And she identifies the cause: Kurtulmak, the Kobold God, an evil, selfish, and small minded god (or perhaps a demi-god who works for Tiamat, to better suit the campaign, discuss it with your DM). During this stage, she becomes fiercly proud, and kind of obnoxious. She becomes extremely sensitive to Kobold-bashing, and tends to lash out at people for percieved slights. She is quick to accuse other of ignorance, telling them if they only understood that the perceptions of Kobolds are due to the influence of Kurtulmak and not an inherent flaw in kobolds, they wouldn't be so quick to denigrate. Because she is a wise person, this should express itself in deeply cutting and insightful remarks. This leads her into the great Architect stage of her life, where she finds a true goal that will sustain her for decades: leading her people to the worship of Bahamut, the True Dragon. Once she sets herself on this course, the anger and rage she once felt at herself is gone, as is the insecurity and fragile sense of self of the middle stage, all replaced by the serene wisdom of the wisest of seers, of the great desert prophets, etc. She could become a Moses-like figure, going to confront Kurtulmuk and proclaiming "Set my people free!" Or at least, that's where I'd go with the character. Feel free to take as much as you want and leave as much behind.
Yabanjin 01-22-06, 05:29 AM	..............Or at least, that's where I'd go with the character. Feel free to take as much as you want and leave as much behind.(didn't quote it all) :clap: Fantastic!
Andrew_980 01-22-06, 06:33 PM	She does well to hate most of her race, as they are mostly hatefull and distructive themselves. She may someday meet a noble and good kobold but chances are the only members of her race she will ever meet are evil, spitefull and in need of smiting.Without a full backslide into the evil of her people, the best she could hope for is to liberate more eggs and young and turn them to the ways of good. She may learn to accept her own kind when there are a few more around worth accepting.
Avalongod 01-22-06, 06:41 PM	You know how there are always these arguments about how a paladin can't kill the baby kobold, because kobolds aren't born evil? Who says they're not born evil? How is tabula rasa managing to slip into D&D? Those "nurture is more powerful than nature" arguments are generally dead...as far as personality goes, though both environment and genetics matter, genetics is dominant. Still, that doesn't mean the paladin should slay the kobold in cold blood.
interpretivechaos 01-22-06, 07:31 PM	Who says they're not born evil? How is tabula rasa managing to slip into D&D? Those "nurture is more powerful than nature" arguments are generally dead...as far as personality goes, though both environment and genetics matter, genetics is dominant. Still, that doesn't mean the paladin should slay the kobold in cold blood. Although Tabular Rasa may not be true for most of the brain, the decision making part of the brain is not preprogrammed (Although the emotional part is). This means that although many of the races may be more inclined to predatory instincts, the ultimate decision is given to each Kobold. As for the genetics thing, if you see the observable incidents of identical twins being raised in seperate environments (or even in the same house), you can tell they are by no means similar. The human being is so complex that even if they share the same original programming, since the decision center of the brain is not preprogrammed, combined with the vast flood of information we get, they can appear much differently. On the other hand, what affect this has on Dungeons and Dragons should be up to the DM. Their is no guarantee that human psychology works for "usually" races, and little guarantee it works for humans either.
Callista 01-23-06, 07:50 AM	Re. "Tabula Rasa": Yes, kobolds have evil tendencies; but "nurture" has overcome "nature" in my character's case. That's the beauty of "Usually": You can make a character of any alignment with that species, and you'll only be in the minority. Kobolds in general are evil: No question of that. It's a question of one particular kobold here, who happens not to be evil. Gailbraithe, that post was, indeed, simply amazing. I've copied it into a notepad file and am keeping it for reference. Ix does, indeed, see herself as a "second-class citizen", but a citizen nevertheless: Thankfully, the old priest who raised her did love her unconditionally, though no one else did. A year of rejection by just about everyone, and no contact with normal kobolds... well, obviously, she isn't proud of her race, though she's very self-sufficient. She's in the party to act as a guide, since she knows the desert they're traveling through. I am so not going to play this one as an angsty Drizzt wannabe, though. Maybe I'll go the "I don't really care if you like me" route. If party members become friends, the impact of the general attitude about kobolds will be much softened. They are, currently, merely teammates. Which brings me to: I need help in figuring out how to interact with party members. Three out of three fellow party members are Chaotic Neutral! They all have different reasons for such: 1. Half-dragon sorcerer. The dragon half is Copper. He's a nobleman, but he's the "black sheep of the family". Thus, Chaos from the dragon side, Neutral (rather than Good) because he just doesn't care about doing good things in general. As he is a half-dragon, my character is naturally in awe of him. As he has thus far treated her like an annoying little lizard, she's trying to get his attention. It helps that she's been feeding the party with "Create Food and Water" and "Create Water" spells in the desert, and thus shown her usefulness. He now tolerates her. The half-dragon has a slave, a male tiefling NPC. As far as we know, the tiefling committed a "violent crime" (we think he tried to kill someone) and was enslaved as a punishment. A magical brand prevents him from committing any evil deed, and from attacking his owner. He's a first-level Rogue. My character steers clear of him. (I tried "Detect Evil" on the party when I first met them--he was the only one who showed up on the radar. My guess is either he's evil, or his fiendish heritage is making the spell mistake him for evil.) (Incidentally, slavery, permanent or temporary, is the accepted punishment for most serious crimes in this campaign world. No one is born a slave in the "civilized" towns/tribes.) 2. Catfolk Rogue. Chaotic Neutral because... well, he's a cat; what more do you need? The character's goals: He's out for riches, he's absolutely sure of his own skills either to steal the clothes right off someone's back (if they can afford it) or surprise them with a well-placed dagger (if they deserve it); and if anyone annoys him, they're going to be sorry. My character has been treated as though she is beneath his notice; once she saves his sorry butt after he's gotten himself in over his head (which is very likely to happen) this will probably change. 3. Human Fighter. She calls herself "Nameless"; and if she ever had a name, she does not know it. She's a mercenary, because fighting is the only skill she has; and she comes across being as likely to kill you for your sword as look at you (she has not actually done this yet, to my knowledge). A weapons connoisseur, she carries five or six on her person at all times. She hides behind the full plate she wears (enchanted against heat, of course), her strange purple eyes the only visible part of her. Nameless is probably using her rage at the world in general as a shield to protect herself; she seems quite insecure beneath the armor. My character steers clear of her, though she would like to befriend what is obviously a confused, hurting individual (ah, the annoyance of high WIS and average CHA). Nameless is unstable at the moment; she could become anything from a Good-aligned champion to the vilest of Evil... naturally Ix, a cleric of Bahamut, would prefer the former. At the moment, the party has very little cohesion; and with Chaotics, you need personal friendships to tie them together. At the rate we're going, we'll watch each other's backs, but as soon as we get to our destination, we'd have no reason to stay together... So what's needed here--and all the players know it--is a group that not only waches each other's backs but genuinely likes and supports each other. So: How would my character go about making friends with this group of social castaways?
tsuyoshikentsu 01-23-06, 05:10 PM	.5 Dragon: You're on the right track, I think. The only other thing I'd do is maybe talk to him about Bahamut; maybe see where he stands on the god of dragons. It could create a common thread, it could create an emnity between believer and nonbeliever, but either way it's good RP. Once you two begin to be on better terms, you may want to ask him what he thinks about Dragons and Dragonbloods, and all of that. Catfolk: Feel free to hate this one. He seems to be out for personal riches, which is against your precepts of being good, and is probably the kind of person that got your original tribe killed besides. Human: She, I think, you want more to be your comrade than your friend. You two have a lot of similar feelings, so maybe if you're at her side in a few battles, you'll grow closer. Even considering the radical differences in race, the two of you have more in common than you don't, from what you can tell so far.
Grier 01-24-06, 01:11 AM	I know this sounds really stereotypical, but what if this kobold Cleric saved the party's bacon? She's someone who knows a lot about the desert, is serving as their guide right now because of that, but that doesn't mean she's perfect. Something goes wrong, because of the rogue or maybe a bad dice roll, and suddenly everyone is staring down a Purple Worm's gullet or something. Then the Cleric, knowing a lot about the desert, saves the party. Even CN characters would show gratitude, espescially if the threat seems really dire. Then, the kobold would want to follow along, since these characters like her, if not love her, and they'll probably be OK with that, since she has saved them. (And she's a Cleric. Healing FTW!) You'd have to work with the DM for something of that scale, though. I'm not as good as Gailbraithe up there, but I hope that helps.
Demonfey 01-24-06, 12:19 PM	The only advice I can think of is to wait and see where the fighter's going with the character. If Nameless stays in the same pattern (shying away from the world), try and get her to like you first, and then slowly work through the shell and into the actual person. Just be sure to let her get through your shell at the same time. With luck, you may end up with a _G character in addition to your own, and inadvertently starting to develop the character the way Gailbraithe suggested.
kraegor 01-24-06, 12:29 PM	I don't see what your point is.. in how you need help roleplaying this? You could replace "kobold" with "gnome" "halfling" "elf" "human" and it would all be the same. Not all humans roleplay the same, neither do any of the other races. You just need to do the 6 word character sheet. For example: Jotan, the 5th level fighter: Brash Brave Sincere Loyal Simple-minded Strong From those 6 words you can create your character and roleplay him or her in any situation. Kobolds don't "roleplay" any difference because of thier Race. Remember, most of a characters attitude, mindset and personality are the way he grew up, the way he was treated, and the influence around him. A dog won't act very much like a dog if he was raised by cats. There is no "wrong" or "right" way to play a kobold, orc, goblin or bugbear. You either conform to the classic stereotype or you don't. If you don't then you can be a proud, freedom loving, plant loving orc that unless someone specifically SAID you where an orc in game, people might actually think you where a elf reincarnated to an orc. Your character is Nuetral Good, so you have already a basis for thier mental status. So the rest should easily follow, just throw in a few good hooks. Does she like to eat? drink? steal? is she a scaredy cat? brave? cowardly? It will all fall into line, its just like any other character.
^Graff_EpsilonIX 01-24-06, 05:16 PM	You could go for the ooh shiny mode. Yet quick to observe and contemplate. More of a fascinated little child with a very observant nature. It's really up to you though.
Callista 01-24-06, 08:51 PM	Oh, it's not really the fact that she's a kobold; it's: a.) kobolds mature at 6 years of age! How much life experience is she going to have in 6 years? and b.) she's essentially a prisoner of war, whose only friend just died a year ago... which could be a lifetime to a 6-year-old. On top of that, we're talking a reptilian creature, related to dragons, a cleric of a deity who *is* a dragon, and whose Wisdom is quite far removed from both INT and CHA... Update: So, a mini-session, two hours of play. Ix is working out fine. A couple of times, she's suggested strategies that worked out--circling around an enemy we didn't need to fight, and killing a dangerous (but immobile) plant by backing off and hitting it with flaming arrows. None took intelligence, but they were all the sort of common-sense things I'd expect from a decent Wisdom score. The rogue was annoyed, though. Apparently he likes fighting. So I've given Ix a fearless nature and a bit of a chaotic streak--pride, i.e., she looks up to no one; a sense of self-sufficiency, and maybe a bit of attitude to cover up the low self-esteem. I figure the Chaos will work itself out as she matures, since her conscience is pretty firmly set by now. And, anyway, the attitude is the only thing that's really chaotic; she lives by a moral code and thinks things through before she jumps. Thus, Neutral [Good]. But she's absolutely enchanted by the world at large. It's as though I'm playing a six-year-old who also has the common sense and intelligence of an adult; so she currently tends towards exploration and curiosity, though not towards foolishness. Incessant questioning about topics the other party members seem to know about is becoming the norm--I forgot to ask the half-dragon about his religion, though. Must do that next time. Also, when the fighter (Nameless) got knocked prone by a giant scorpion, I had Ix rush to protect her. I'm not sure how other DMs would rule this; but basically, we ruled that sharing a space with a prone character allows them to get up during their turn without provoking attacks of opportunity. And of course they've taken advantage of healing... I figure enough of this, and the party will figure out that Ix isn't the usual annoying rat of a kobold. Or maybe they won't, and that'll be interesting, too.. who knows?
Demonfey 01-25-06, 12:04 PM	Kinder than what I've done to my only small-sized character-I made a warforged scout that thinks it's a stereotypical kender (klepto, must touch, only shuts up when either gagged, being sneaky, or has passed out from lack of air), made all the more fearsome by the fact that it doesn't need to breathe, meaning I never have to have it stop talking. It's also three years old.
Lincoln Hills 01-25-06, 05:26 PM	I have to disagree with kraegor. Whenever you're running a non-human character, keep in mind that your character is not entirely human. The psychological angles suggested by Gailbraithe is part of the story, but not all of it. Remember that your race survived for millenia, in spite of being puny of body, through stealth, alertness, and sheer nasty cunning. Allow those aspects to remain, even though her mindset is very different from most kobolds. She won't necessarily know why she prefers to avoid making loud noises, or favors magical items that increase her perceptions: and her cunning can be used for an understanding of her fellow travellers' weaknesses - not to strike at them but to support them where they're weak. Try to adapt the nature of the kobold race to your character's personality.