Kobolds
“Sleeping on a dragon's hoard with greedy, dragonish thoughts in his heart, he had become a dragon himself... In spite of the pain, his first feeling was one of relief. There was nothing to be afraid of any more. He was a terror himself now and nothing in the world but a knight (and not all of those) would dare to attack him. He could get even with Caspian and Edmund now...”
Screams echo through the dungeon corridors, those injured by trap-shrapnel slowing their comrades as an ambush is launched from hidden corridors. A scaled god slumbers amidst its treasure, waking to find a fortress dug around it and hissing hosannas sung in its name. An underclass of reptilian labourers spills from the sewer gates each night, shunned and cursed as they navigate the night with wide cave-dweller's eyes.
A World of Giants
Small and slender, kobolds have thick digitigrade legs ending in clawed feet, bodies covered in smooth scales, and a lithe tail that sways back and forth as they move.
A long, snub-nosed snout lined with sharp teeth continues this reptilian theme, and though most kobolds have vestigial horns, crests, or ear-like flaps of skin, it would be extreme flattery to compare one to a dragon.
Flattery a kobold would encourage, for a great and terrible tyrant lurks within each of their tiny frames. The kobold's draconic ego has warred with its survival instincts for millenia, and though they've developed a reputation for cowardice and grovelling submission, there are few things crueler than a kobold with the advantage.
For the most part, however, kobolds content themselves with admiring power from outside, burnishing it like a golden cup and basking in its reflected glory. A kobold's admiration is hard to shake, once won, and blinding in intensity.
Be the dragon. And if you can't, love the dragon.
Art Credit:
Wizards of the Coast
Slaves to the Dragons
Kobolds believe themselves to be true children of the dragons, born from drops of their steaming blood at the dawn of time. Indeed, most kobolds are possessed of an instinctive awe of the great drakes, and serve their every whim with a religious fervor. Many of the elaborate dungeons that guard dragon nests began with a simple kobold tunnel.
Kobolds admire strength even in the absence of a dragon, adopting new idols from the mighty and the cruel. Spirits are seldom heeded, but material beasts like sphinxes, krakens, hydras, and even stranger monsters can win a kobold's undying devotion, finding themselves co-opted into a role of patron and guardian in exchange for sycophantic service.
Some kobold adventurers strike out from this role, resenting their own weakness in the face of these monstrous gods. Others simply tag along, idolizing a fellow adventurer as dauntless and powerful.
Diggers of Dungeons
Kobolds live in patrilineal clans called gens, led by the oldest of the brood in the absence of a dragon's interest. Each kobold has their own specialized role in the gens which they guard jealously, even against co-operation or assistance.
Though kobolds place absolute faith in their superiors, they are more stand-offish with their peers. Old comrades hardly hesitate to sacrifice each other for the greater good.
Perhaps as a result of their origins as draconic servitors, kobolds have a great respect for rules and declarations, no matter how arbitrary. This can lead to odd conflicts if a gens is assimilated into a larger society.
Male and female kobolds do not much differ in size, though other races can distinguish females by their shorter horns and wider hips.
Something to Prove
A kobold's admiration is fundamentally rooted in envy, however good-natured. Each kobold is acutely, painfully aware of their own weakness, and so they seek to hide in numbers, impress others with pomp and plumage, and take pains to repay any slights once they have the chance.
This, more than their hatred of gnomes (shared by many civilized beings) is the reason for their scarcity in urban society. Kobolds don't forgive or forget, and their wrath can be unreasonably vicious... when they feel safe to unleash it.
Kobold Names
Kobolds usually have short, snappy names, with the dizzying heights of two syllables reserved for females. Anything longer is far too presumptuous.
All kobolds in a gens share the same second name, one signifying their clan. It usually refers to their home or master, though gens are known to adopt names given by their enemies if they find them suitably fearsome.
Male Kobold Names: Arx, Dok, Dron, Eks, Erit, Gar, Gon, Hox, Irt, Kin, Molo, Ram, Rung, Sik, Sniv, Tes, Urak, Varn
Female Kobold Names: Ancal, Driri, Ett, Galax, Hisil, Kashak, Katla, Lak, Ohsoss, Rezzic, Rotom, Sagin, Tintag
Kobold Gens Names: Bloodstone, Cliff-Watcher, Copper Scale, Drakeguard, Gate Watch, Gnomefoe, Owl Tamer, Red Foot, Swampsnake, Treestump, White Fang
Kobold Traits
Your kobold character has certain traits stemming from its draconic aspirations and reptilian ancestry.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Age. Kobolds mature quickly and can live to be "great wyrms" more than a century old. However, many kobolds perish before they reach the end of their first decade.
Alignment. Kobolds are self-obsessed and vindictive, but tend toward extremes of devoted loyalty and obsess over rules. They therefore tend toward Lawful Evil.
Size. Kobolds are between 2 and 4 feet tall and weigh between 25 and 35 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. You are born to life in tunnels, granting improved vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Dungeonborn. You've needed to disarm traps and make your way into sealed spaces almost since birth. You are proficient with thieves' tools.
Naturally Stealthy. You can attempt to hide even when you are obscured only by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic. Kobolds pass down the tongue of dragons through their clans.
Subrace. Kobolds follow their masters wherever they go, and as a result have been blessed, bred, and beaten into a variety of specialized breeds. Choose one of these subraces.
Sensitive Souls
This version of kobolds does not include the Sunlight Sensitivity trait, as it is often difficult for DMs to handle and varies wildly in applicability.
If you wish to play a kobold truly shy of sunlight (particularly suitable for a tunnel kobold), you can include the following additional traits as a set for your kobold character:
Opportunism. Once each round, you can gain advantage on your attack roll if your target was hit with a melee attack since the end of your last turn.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Cliff Kobold
Also known as urds, these kobolds bear the blessings of their draconic deity in the form of membranous wings extending from their shoulders. Their builds are even more slight than a normal kobold, complete with a slender, curved snout and a longer, thinner tails which whips in the breeze. Some gens of kobold develop this trait naturally, after generations spent dwelling in mountainside caves and hollowed-out cliff faces.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Wings. You have a flying speed of 20 feet. To use this speed, you can’t be wearing medium or heavy armor.
Hoard Kobold
A few proud gens of kobold are bred directly by dragons, or burrow so deeply into an extreme environment that ancient draconic ancestry is forced to the fore. These kobolds are stouter than most of their skinny race, and tend toward brightly coloured scales and more pronounced crests.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Damage Resistance. You have resistance to one damage type of your choice: acid, cold, fire, lightning, and poison.
Hoard Hauler. Your carrying capacity doubles.
Tunnel Kobold
The most common variety of kobold, known for occupying dungeons or digging out their own. Inventiveness is a prerequisite of surviving in such environments, and the tunnel kobold's wide eyes, large paws, and flared nostrils let them live deeper in the darkness.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Cunning Ploy. You can use your action to distract every enemy within 10 feet of your current position. Until the start of your next turn, the first attack roll made against each of these creatures has advantage. You must finish a short or long rest before using this feature again.
Superior Darkvision. Your darkvision has a radius of 120 feet.
Art Credit:
Wizards of the Coast