Tucker's Kobolds - Revision history

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66.207.28.73 at 03:52, 25 April 2021

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	A legend from the earlier days of D&D, told by Roger E. Moore, about some level 1 mooks that got organized and used their small size and high numbers to make some mid-level adventurers pee their pants.		A legend from the earlier days of D&D, told by Roger E. Moore, about some level 1 mooks that got organized and used their small size and high numbers to make some mid-level adventurers pee their pants.

1d4chan>Emerald Claw at 02:23, 14 April 2019

2019-04-14T02:23:12Z

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	In all the games that I've seen, the worst, most horrible, most awful beyond-comparison opponents ever seen were often weaker than the characters who fought them. They were simply well-armed and intelligent beings who were played by the DM to be utterly ruthless and clever. Tucker's kobolds were like that.		In all the games that I've seen, the worst, most horrible, most awful beyond-comparison opponents ever seen were often weaker than the characters who fought them. They were simply well-armed and intelligent beings who were played by the DM to be utterly ruthless and clever. Tucker's kobolds were like that.

	Tucker ran an incredibly dangerous dungeon in the days I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C. This dungeon had corridors that changed all of your donkeys into huge flaming demons or dropped the whole party into acid baths, but the demons were wienies compared to the kobolds on Level One. These kobolds were just regular kobolds, with 1-4 hp and all that, but they were mean. When I say they were mean, I mean they were bad, Jim. They graduated magna cum laude from the Sauron Institute for the Criminally Vicious.		Tucker ran an incredibly dangerous dungeon in the days I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C. This dungeon had corridors that changed all of your donkeys into huge flaming demons or dropped the whole party into acid baths, but the demons were wienies compared to the kobolds on Level One. These kobolds were just regular kobolds, with 1-4 hp and all that, but they were mean. When I say they were mean, I mean they were bad, Jim. They graduated magna cum laude from the [[The Lord of the Rings\|Sauron]] Institute for the Criminally Vicious.

	When I joined the gaming group, some of the PCs had already met Tucker's kobolds, and they were not eager to repeat the experience. The party leader went over the penciled map of the dungeon and tried to find ways to avoid the little critters, but it was not possible. The group resigned itself to making a run for it through Level One to get to the elevators, where we could go down to Level Ten and fight "okay" monsters like huge flaming demons.		When I joined the gaming group, some of the PCs had already met Tucker's kobolds, and they were not eager to repeat the experience. The party leader went over the penciled map of the dungeon and tried to find ways to avoid the little critters, but it was not possible. The group resigned itself to making a run for it through Level One to get to the elevators, where we could go down to Level Ten and fight "okay" monsters like huge flaming demons.

1d4chan>Emerald Claw: moving internal link

2015-10-16T23:33:21Z

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	This month's editorial is about Tucker's kobolds. We get letters on occasion asking for advice on creating high-level AD&DÂ® game adventures, and Tucker's kobolds seem to fit the bill.		This month's editorial is about Tucker's [[Kobolds\|kobolds]]. We get letters on occasion asking for advice on creating high-level AD&DÂ® game adventures, and Tucker's kobolds seem to fit the bill.

	Many high-level characters have little to do because they're not challenged. They yawn at [[Tarrasque\|tarrasques]] and must be forcibly kept awake when a [[Lich\|lich]] appears. The DMs involved don't know what to do, so they stop dealing with the problem and the characters go into Character Limbo. Getting to high level is hard, but doing anything once you get there is worse.		Many high-level characters have little to do because they're not challenged. They yawn at [[Tarrasque\|tarrasques]] and must be forcibly kept awake when a [[Lich\|lich]] appears. The DMs involved don't know what to do, so they stop dealing with the problem and the characters go into Character Limbo. Getting to high level is hard, but doing anything once you get there is worse.
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	Worse yet, singular supermonsters rarely have to think. They just use their trusty, predictable claw/claw/bite. This shouldn't be the measure of a campaign. These games fall apart because there's no challenge to them, no mental stimulation - no danger.		Worse yet, singular supermonsters rarely have to think. They just use their trusty, predictable claw/claw/bite. This shouldn't be the measure of a campaign. These games fall apart because there's no challenge to them, no mental stimulation - no danger.

	In all the games that I've seen, the worst, most horrible, most awful beyond-comparison opponents ever seen were often weaker than the characters who fought them. They were simply well-armed and intelligent beings who were played by the DM to be utterly ruthless and clever. Tucker's ~~[[Kobolds\|~~kobolds]] were like that.		In all the games that I've seen, the worst, most horrible, most awful beyond-comparison opponents ever seen were often weaker than the characters who fought them. They were simply well-armed and intelligent beings who were played by the DM to be utterly ruthless and clever. Tucker's kobolds were like that.

	Tucker ran an incredibly dangerous dungeon in the days I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C. This dungeon had corridors that changed all of your donkeys into huge flaming demons or dropped the whole party into acid baths, but the demons were wienies compared to the kobolds on Level One. These kobolds were just regular kobolds, with 1-4 hp and all that, but they were mean. When I say they were mean, I mean they were bad, Jim. They graduated magna cum laude from the Sauron Institute for the Criminally Vicious.		Tucker ran an incredibly dangerous dungeon in the days I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, N.C. This dungeon had corridors that changed all of your donkeys into huge flaming demons or dropped the whole party into acid baths, but the demons were wienies compared to the kobolds on Level One. These kobolds were just regular kobolds, with 1-4 hp and all that, but they were mean. When I say they were mean, I mean they were bad, Jim. They graduated magna cum laude from the Sauron Institute for the Criminally Vicious.

1d4chan>Emerald Claw at 01:11, 22 April 2015

2015-04-22T01:11:44Z

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	A legend from the earlier days of D&D, told by Roger E. Moore, about some level 1 mooks that got organized and used their small size and high numbers to make some mid-level adventurers pee their pants.		A legend from the earlier days of D&D, told by Roger E. Moore, about some level 1 mooks that got organized and used their small size and high numbers to make some mid-level adventurers pee their pants.

142.197.26.17: Not even these guys could make an entire adventure pee their pants. (Because adventures, like 1st Ed barbarians, do not wear pants.)

2015-04-22T00:31:08Z

Not even these guys could make an entire adventure pee their pants. (Because adventures, like 1st Ed barbarians, do not wear pants.)

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:31, 22 April 2015
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	A legend from the earlier days of D&D, told by Roger E. Moore, about some level 1 mooks that got organized and used their small size and high numbers to make some mid-level ~~adventures~~ pee their pants.		A legend from the earlier days of D&D, told by Roger E. Moore, about some level 1 mooks that got organized and used their small size and high numbers to make some mid-level adventurers pee their pants.

	''From the editorial for Dragon Magazine #127''		''From the editorial for Dragon Magazine #127''

204.155.60.10 at 14:34, 18 September 2014

2014-09-18T14:34:30Z

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	Many high-level characters have little to do because they're not challenged. They yawn at [[Tarrasque\|tarrasques]] and must be forcibly kept awake when a [[Lich\|lich]] appears. The DMs involved don't know what to do, so they stop dealing with the problem and the characters go into Character Limbo. Getting to high level is hard, but doing anything once you get there is worse.		Many high-level characters have little to do because they're not challenged. They yawn at [[Tarrasque\|tarrasques]] and must be forcibly kept awake when a [[Lich\|lich]] appears. The DMs involved don't know what to do, so they stop dealing with the problem and the characters go into Character Limbo. Getting to high level is hard, but doing anything once you get there is worse.

	One of the key problems in adventure design lies in creating opponents who can challenge powerful characters. Singular monsters like tarrasques and liches are easy to gang up on; the party can concentrate its firepower on the target until the target falls down dead and wiggles its little feet in the air. Designing monsters more powerful than a tarrasque is self-defeating; if the group kills your super-monster, what will you do ~~nextâ€”send~~ in its mother? That didn't work on Beowulf, and it probably won't work here.		One of the key problems in adventure design lies in creating opponents who can challenge powerful characters. Singular monsters like tarrasques and liches are easy to gang up on; the party can concentrate its firepower on the target until the target falls down dead and wiggles its little feet in the air. Designing monsters more powerful than a tarrasque is self-defeating; if the group kills your super-monster, what will you do next - send in its mother? That didn't work on Beowulf, and it probably won't work here.

	Worse yet, singular supermonsters rarely have to think. They just use their trusty, predictable claw/claw/bite. This shouldn't be the measure of a campaign. These games fall apart because there's no challenge to them, no mental stimulation - no danger.		Worse yet, singular supermonsters rarely have to think. They just use their trusty, predictable claw/claw/bite. This shouldn't be the measure of a campaign. These games fall apart because there's no challenge to them, no mental stimulation - no danger.
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	Our panicked flight suddenly took us to a dead-end corridor, where a giant air shaft dropped straight down into unspeakable darkness, far past Level Ten. Here we hastily pounded spikes into the floors and walls, flung ropes over the ledge, and climbed straight down into that unspeakable darkness, because anything we met down there was sure to be better than those kobolds.		Our panicked flight suddenly took us to a dead-end corridor, where a giant air shaft dropped straight down into unspeakable darkness, far past Level Ten. Here we hastily pounded spikes into the floors and walls, flung ropes over the ledge, and climbed straight down into that unspeakable darkness, because anything we met down there was sure to be better than those kobolds.

	We escaped, met some huge flaming demons on Level Ten, and even managed to kill one after about an hour of combat and the lives of half the group. We felt pretty good ~~â€”~~ but the group leader could not be cheered up.		We escaped, met some huge flaming demons on Level Ten, and even managed to kill one after about an hour of combat and the lives of half the group. We felt pretty good, but the group leader could not be cheered up.

	"We still have to go out the way we came in," he said as he gloomily prepared to divide up the treasure.		"We still have to go out the way we came in," he said as he gloomily prepared to divide up the treasure.

99.98.232.137: Added in stats

2012-07-14T20:39:27Z

Added in stats

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 Roger E. Moore
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+==Tucker's Kobolds==
 [[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]][[Category:Stories]]

74.76.128.250: Undo revision 71428 by 98.140.187.42 (Talk)

2011-07-08T19:14:10Z

Undo revision 71428 by 98.140.187.42 (Talk)

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	Tucker's kobolds were the worst things we could imagine. They ate all our donkeys and took our treasure and did everything they could to make us miserable, but they had style and brains and tenacity and courage. We respected them and loved them, sort of, because they were never boring.		Tucker's kobolds were the worst things we could imagine. They ate all our donkeys and took our treasure and did everything they could to make us miserable, but they had style and brains and tenacity and courage. We respected them and loved them, sort of, because they were never boring.

	If kobolds could do this to a group of PCs from 6th to 12th level, picture what a few orcs and some low level NPCs could do to a 12th-16th level group, or a gang of mid-level NPCs and monsters to groups of up to 20th level, or a group of high level monsters (pit fiends are great for this, balors not so much; in fact since Balors blow up for 100 untyped damage upon death and don't have fast healing or regeneration they're actually worse in groups, kill enough of them and you could start a chain reaction of exploding balrog expies) can do to epic level characters (as long as they don't abuse epic spell cheese). Then give it a try. Sometimes, it's the little things ''used well'' that count.		If kobolds could do this to a group of PCs from 6th to 12th level, picture what a few orcs and some low level NPCs could do to a 12th-16th level group, or a gang of mid-level NPCs and monsters to groups of up to 20th level. Then give it a try. Sometimes, it's the little things ''used well'' that count.

	Roger E. Moore		Roger E. Moore