Mearls ([info]mearls) wrote,
@ 2008-03-11 10:09:00
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The Kobold Victory Chart
(Inspired by last night's 4e session.)

Kobolds are poor, abused, misused, maltreated, underdogs. The poor little sods are so beaten down that their language lacks a word for victory. The closest they have roughly translates into Common as, "The lack of understanding and realization that we're really, really going to lose again."

(Kobold is much like German in that it takes massive, complex concepts and squishes them down to one word. That's because kobolds, with their ridiculously short lifespans, believe in saying a lot with few words.)

If a kobold does manage to drop an adventurer, an intense (though invariably brief) celebration is in order. Roll a d20 and consult the following chart:

1 - 10. No effect.
The kobold lacks the imagination to do anything interesting. It might chitter or giggle, but it really doesn't know what to do when it defeats something.

11. Kill things, take their stuff!
The kobold picks an item off the fallen adventurer as its trophy. It spends a minor action next round dancing in celebration before running off.

12. Ask not what the tribe can do for you...
The kobold spends a round standing on the fallen adventurer's body, delivering a victory speech. All kobolds heal 5 hit points.

13. I attribute my success solely to good fortune.
The kobold immediately hides in its victim's backpack or under his unconscious/dead form.

14. Whoah. Srsly?!?
The kobold is stunned for one round, shocked by its own success.

15. Who's yer daddy?!?
The kobold marches off to challenge the tribe's chief to a duel for supremacy.

16. C'mon guys, we can do this thing!
The kobold lets out an inspiring whoop that grants all kobolds +1 on attacks for the rest of the fight.

17. Who's next?!?
The kobold gains an action point.

18. I worry this will only anger them.
The kobold drops its weapon and runs away. It comes back to the fight in 1d4 rounds.

19. I'm the Quidditch Hat Rack*!
The kobold taps into the true nature of its draconic heritage. In time, he will grow to become a messiah amongst his people, a herald of a new race of draconic kobolds who shall rule the world. Unless, of course, the surviving adventurers squash him. In any case, he can now breath fire, blast 3, 1d8 + his level in fire damage.
*When I saw the movie version of Dune, before I read the novel, I thought this was what Paul called himself. I think it sounds like a neat title for a kobold messiah.

20. WHO'S A MINION NOW MOTHERF****R?!?!
The kobold becomes blessed by Kurtulmak. He becomes size Large, gains 16 hit points and gets +2 on attacks, damage, and defenses.


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[info]blizack
2008-03-11 05:29 pm UTC (link)
THIS... IS FOR GOOD

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[info]tirianmal
2008-03-11 05:34 pm UTC (link)
Anything that makes Kobolds better is just wrong. Kobolds are rats. They belong in dungeons. Kobold paladins make the baby jesus cry like an air raid siren.*

But, it's your game, man.

* If you have to ask, you're not playing LG

Edited at 2008-03-11 05:34 pm UTC

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[info]caias
2008-03-11 05:35 pm UTC (link)
YOU LEAVE MY REGION ALONE!!!!! *shakes fist at you*

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[info]tirianmal
2008-03-11 05:52 pm UTC (link)
Hey, if you wanna be overrun by the little dungeon rats, that'll mean more for us. :)

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Keoland is a fine region...
[info]caias
2008-03-11 05:57 pm UTC (link)
With a kobold paladin, gates to the Far Realm, an invasion of Marru and a murdered-but-got-better-king...

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Re: Keoland is a fine region...
[info]crs
2008-03-11 07:00 pm UTC (link)
Saaaay... was there a Kobold campaign card in the delve at DDXP?

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Re: Keoland is a fine region...
[info]tirianmal
2008-03-11 07:11 pm UTC (link)
No. Thank god.

There was a gnome one though (and shadar-kai and orc).

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[info]brand_of_amber
2008-03-11 05:43 pm UTC (link)
Because of this post, and this post alone, I have now pre-ordered 4th edition.

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[info]paulskemp
2008-03-11 05:44 pm UTC (link)
20 made me laugh out loud. The Samuel L. Jackson of kobolds.

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[info]the_confessor
2008-03-11 08:51 pm UTC (link)
"And you shall know my name is Kurtalmak when I lay my vengence upon thee! Yip!"

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[info]burritoalpastor
2008-03-11 09:22 pm UTC (link)
20 is a terrible idea. The way kobolds fight and live, the last thing they'd want is to be Large. They'd much rather just have Powerful Build.

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[info]memento_mori
2008-03-11 05:47 pm UTC (link)
Yark!

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[info]savageplanet
2008-03-11 05:47 pm UTC (link)
This is awesome and full of fun flavor. Nice job!

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[info]srhall79
2008-03-11 05:50 pm UTC (link)
Wonderful chart, although the requirement of dropping a PC makes it seem that this will be a seldom used chart. It reminds me of the the kobold feats from Tony Mosley's Ecology of the Adventurer.

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[info]kryptonianscion
2008-03-11 05:52 pm UTC (link)
This is pretty much pure awesome, Mike.

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[info]allamistako
2008-03-11 05:57 pm UTC (link)
Reminds me of my first 3.0 game - one of my players made a barbaian. Ultimate killing machine, every hit an instant kill - except for kobolds. The little guys killed the barbarian, and stole her stuff :)

I love Kobolds

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[info]boymonster
2008-03-11 06:11 pm UTC (link)
SAVE ME FROM THE BAD MAN

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[info]d_floorlandmine
2008-03-11 06:13 pm UTC (link)
[snork]

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[info]jrients
2008-03-11 06:44 pm UTC (link)
I declare this chart to be awesome, despite the dodgy new-fangled dice mechanics. ;)

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[info]rob_donoghue
2008-03-11 07:04 pm UTC (link)
The only thing that would make this more awesome would be a Tucker joke

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[info]wordwill
2008-03-11 07:22 pm UTC (link)
All kobolds gain 5 hit points? All of them? All kobolds? Everywhere? Are you even playtesting this stuff?

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[info]brand_of_amber
2008-03-11 08:40 pm UTC (link)
Because of this post, and this post alone, I have now canceled my pre-order of D&D 4th.

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[info]torresroman
2008-03-11 07:33 pm UTC (link)
I am USING this! Teh Awzum!

My Castles & Crusades players will hate me ...

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crnixon
2008-03-11 07:36 pm UTC (link)
Are you working on a Hand Axe supplement, Mike?

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[info]merb101
2008-03-11 07:45 pm UTC (link)
A co-worker pointed out that we need Kobolds in D&D solely to have a target for the Sleep spell.

ME

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[info]dm_in_exile
2008-03-11 07:47 pm UTC (link)
I joined Livejournal specifically to post a "thumbs up" for this one.

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[info]dark_infidel
2008-03-11 08:50 pm UTC (link)
Very Nice. Very Nice.
The bottom one is like Mega-Kobold. I just saw like fifty kobolds merging together into some great transformers like mega-kobold.

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[info]the_confessor
2008-03-11 08:54 pm UTC (link)
Ahh, Kobolds. The first print product I contributed to was a kobold-based book. Nothing like Kobolds hurling loosely bound wicker baskets containing angry badgers at unsuspecting adventurers.

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[info]boymonster
2008-03-11 09:45 pm UTC (link)
Angry badgers. Completely under-represented in fantasy gaming.

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[info]kensan_oni
2008-03-12 02:27 am UTC (link)
Giant Butterflies, completely absent in gaming. We have giant man eating caterpillars, but no Man Eating Butterflies...

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[info]boymonster
2008-03-12 03:34 am UTC (link)
There's the Gloomwing, which is a really huge bad-ass moth. Does that count?

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[info]spacecrime
2008-03-12 12:50 am UTC (link)
Love it. It's going to be Official by 2009, right? RIGHT???

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[info]metallian
2008-03-12 02:28 am UTC (link)
LOVE IT.

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[info]smart13
2008-03-12 05:36 am UTC (link)
This post is full of pure win. I must use it. I will use it.

Can't wait for 4e, Mike! Keep the random tables coming!

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[info]rsdancey
2008-03-12 11:19 am UTC (link)
Epic Success!

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Do something roll on a chart mechanic...
[info]mmaranda
2008-03-12 02:13 pm UTC (link)
Fun will be had by all.

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[info]veng
2008-03-12 04:12 pm UTC (link)
I'm printing this for use.

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This post is pure unadulterated awesome.
(Anonymous)
2008-03-12 07:08 pm UTC (link)
19. Now I've got a breath weapon. Ho ho ho.

You have made your own bed by posting this. Now you must sleep in it. We demand to have a table like this for every race in the MM. Since it's too late to include in the printed version, it must appear in DDI.

Make it so, Mr. Dark Hope of Chaotic Evil!

Uh, please? :)

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[info]niwandajones
2008-03-12 07:51 pm UTC (link)
I am, no joke, considering using this chart when I run 4e. :)

Also, were my DM to use it, and were my player to be killed by a kobold and a natural 20 rolled, I would demand that my fellow players end the combat through parley so that I could make the newly divinely empowered kobold my next PC.

Furthermore, my first act as said kobold would be to give some variation of the "I was a friend of Jamis" speech about my previous character.

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[info]mattcolville
2008-03-13 05:55 pm UTC (link)
Obviously Mike is working on the first D&D4 '09 supplement;

WORLD WAR KOBOLD

In which you play All Kobolds All The Time.

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[info]sephidarshu
2008-03-13 06:53 pm UTC (link)
I approve and am considering using this table in the unlikely event that they can ever take down a PC. Could be fun!

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[info]dru_moore
2008-03-14 06:11 pm UTC (link)
you make my eyes water in happiness.

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[info]jagdell
2008-03-15 02:39 pm UTC (link)
Perfect combination of Old School Awesomeness and Kobold Lobbying.

How much did the little lizard runts pay you to do that? :)

I <3 kobolds they get better at each edition!

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[info]gloomforge
2008-03-17 04:04 pm UTC (link)
The poor little sods are so beaten down that their language lacks a word for victory.

I love it! With that said, I LOVE 4E kobolds - the "shifty" nature adds an interesting tactical element to kobold battles, and I love the flavor image of them darting between the legs of their big foes, who just can't keep up with the tricky little kobolds.

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[info]mysterious_hsan
2008-03-29 05:30 pm UTC (link)
Kobolds are about the only "evil" race I really like.

May they roll natural 19s and 20s.

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On gift baskets
(Anonymous)
2008-04-08 08:57 pm UTC (link)
Question to Mr. Mearls -- receive anything interesting in the mail lately? There's a bunch of little reddish-brownish-green humanoids who want to know.

PS I would have preferred it to be goblins, but if it's not, kobolds are the next best race to hear about finally getting revenge on their adventurer oppressors.

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(Anonymous)
2008-04-08 10:21 pm UTC (link)
This is so painfully cool.

//H

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[info]ken_of_ghastria
2008-04-10 06:18 pm UTC (link)
Ditto. The kobolds who whupped the PCs in my 0-level DragonMech game last fall would've had a good time with this chart! Nicely done, Mike.

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