Kobold

Basic Information

Anatomy

Kobolds are reptilian humanoids about the size of motu, standing between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 feet tall. They have lizardlike snouts and tails, clawed hands and feet, and almost doglike external ears. Kobolds are sequential hermaphrodites, meaning that they can change their physical sex under certain circumstances. This process takes one or two months.

Genetics and Reproduction

Like most reptiles, kobolds lay eggs. These have hard shells and require little tending. A female kobold can lay up to six eggs a year, which mature for two to three months before hatching.

Growth Rate & Stages

Kobolds mature faster than nearly any other sapient race and are considered adults as young as eight or even six depending on locale. They shed and replace their teeth throughout their lives, many choosing to make jewellery from the shed teeth as a marker of their hard-won age.

Ecology and Habitats

Being cold-blooded, kobolds do best in warmer environments and are most commonly found in temperate or tropical zones. In dry climates, they dig tunnels and live underground to escape the heat of the sun at its peak, only venturing aboveground at night. In wetter parts of the world, they make their homes in dense forests or the sides of cliffs.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Kobolds are omnivores. A hatchling's first meal is usually its own eggshell.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Kobold hatchlings are given relatively short names, to which they add more parts as they go through their lives. The longer a kobold's name, the older they are likely to be.

Gender Ideals

Egg-based reproduction is not particularly time-consuming for females, all kobolds are capable of changing their sex at need, and they have little to no sexual dimorphism with their genitalia hidden away inside their sheaths. All of these factors combine to mean that kobolds have essentially no gender roles or sexism: anyone can take on any role in society regardless of their genital configuration.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Many kobolds speak their own particular dialect of Zhongwen, which is only barely mutually intelligible with that spoken by dragonfolk. It drops many of the complexities of the standard dialect, including all markers of gender. When speaking in Common, many of the idiosyncrasies of that dialect carry over, making it difficult for non-kobolds to understand their speech.

Common Etiquette Rules

Asking the gender of a kobold is considered forward or even rude, as that information is only relevant for mating and reproduction.

Common Dress Code

Due to their lack of external genitalia, most kobold societies, particularly those living in tropical regions, have no nudity taboo.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The relationship between kobolds and other races is somewhat tense, given the long history of kobolds being enslaved by dragonfolk, humans, and dragons.

Lifespan

20 years

Average Height

2'6"–3'4"

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Kobolds' scales come in all colours from black to blue to red, and can sometimes be patterned with two different colours in various arrangements. These are genetic and tend to run in tribes.