Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 NecessaryWeevil Dec 15, 2013 22:01:16	So I saw a passing reference to a kobold barbarian, and I thought that sounded like a fun challenge. I like the image of a little kobold charging the enemy, screaming "Kill! Kill! Kill!" in a yappy high-pitched voice.   Do you have any comments on general buld strategy? That -4 to Strength hurts - do you try a strength-based build regardless or try to work around it? I'm looking at Shadow Hand to get Dex to damage, for example, but is the loss of Power Attack and a two-handed weapon too much? I'm thinking some multiclassing is going to be necessary - at a minimum I'm thinking Barbarian and Swordsage (for Shadow Blade and possibly Tiger Claw) and then on to Frenzied Berserker. How would you build a kobold melee character if the only requirement was that it had to make use of a rage mechanic?   Thanks!
#2 Tempest_Stormwind Dec 16, 2013 10:16:11	The bigger problem is overcoming a Strength penalty to qualify for Power Attack pre-rage, since you probably won't always be in a rage.   Is it bad form that I'd suggest aiming for something like Bear Warrior? Just make sure the bear is adequately reflavored into something scaly - a literal mini-zilla or kobold Hulk, if you will - and it should work.   You might be able to do something utterly tasteless and use Stoneblessed to count as a goliath before getting into barbarian (open up with warblade or something similar that you'd probably want anyway and capable of overcoming your weaknesses - warblades do this by having reasonably standardized maneuvers. I.e. Rabid Wolf Strike in Punishing Stance is still +3d6 regardless of weapon or size. Punishing Stance itself is similar to Rage in that it increases damage at the cost of AC, so that can give you something "like" rage at lower levels.). Goliath barbarians - which you now count as, thanks to Stoneblessed - get the ability to grow larger and get even more Strength during Rage. It's not perfect (since it was written for something with Powerful Build, you don't actually gain the ability to use larger weapons or an increased size modifier on opposed checks), but it's fun nevertheless.    I don't know offhand how those two abilities interact (Bear Warrior can change you Medium for black bears, or Large for brown and dire bears; is Mountain Rage's size increase on top of that?), but it'd be hellishly funny if it did work. You'd go from standing shorter than my leg to using that leg as a toothpick when you got angry.   Don't do both this and the Berserker route. They take very different feats to get in, and berserkers are ideal not because of Frenzy but rather because of their insane improvements to Power Attack. Bear Form would, sadly, give up two-handed weapons (unless you really went all out with obscure gear to figure out a way to hold a weapon while being a bear).
#3 Maat_Mons Dec 16, 2013 12:11:53	There are a couple of kobold subraces that only get -2 to strength, arctic kobold (Unearthed Arcana, p8) and earth kobold (Unearthed Arcana, p17).   A ranger with the strong-arm variant combat style (Dragon 326, p97) gets power attack at 2nd level from his combat style. The article doesn't go into detail, but I assume all the variant combat styles have the same provisions as the base ones, you don't need the prerequisites, and the feats only function in light armor. For this approach, you don't need strength, so you can go with desert kobold (Unearthed Arcana, p13) to get rid of the constitution penalty.   The kobold fighter racial substitution levels (Races of the Dragon, p108) give you +2 constitution and +2 strength.   The proto-creature template (Bestiary of Krynn, p88 or p79) is +0 LA and gives +4 strength, +2 constitution, -2 intelligence, and -4 charisma.   Dragon 306 has a few other +0 LA templates in an article starting on page 60, but it technically only says they can be added to races in the Player's Handbook.
#4 awaken_D_M_golem Dec 17, 2013 16:58:55	You notice medium-high C.O. popping out right away with Kobolds.   Pounce Barb 1 / Fighter 4 for those racial subs / Endarire's Hood and backbuild it some, phb2 retraining might apply to those racial subs (idk very away from book) for even more cheesey backbuilding.   ... and pray to Pun-pun that a Cleric of Kurtulmak doesn't stab you in the back first. Pun-pun hears your prayers before you make them, make them anyway.