Kobold
Kobolds are aggressive, inward, yet industrious small dragon-like Soulborn. They are noted for their skill at building traps and preparing ambushes, also mining. They are distantly related to dragons and dragonborn, though generally are found serving as minions to either.
Personality
Kobolds are resentful of their short stature and hate members of other races who poke fun at them for this. Most feel as though they ought to compensate for their small size in other ways, such as humor or aggression. They naturally tend to hate larger creatures, and although they will show respect and obedience if required, they always look for ways to display their resentment. The ultimate goal of the kobold race is to conquer as much land as possible. They plan and dig mines industriously, while laying cruel traps for interlopers, preferring an ambush to direct confrontation. If they ever confront an enemy, they will try to overwhelm foes with sheer numbers. Among the progeny, they are known for cunning plans, and unlike many others, will share those plans among the entire tribe. General plans and goals will be common knowledge, and detailed plans are shared with all who ask; this allows kobolds to focus on working for the good of the tribe. Where other races consider heroes to be those who enact great feats of strength or military prowess, kobold heroes are those who show great prowess in trap setting, torture and ambush. Kobolds are adept at identifying broken, misplaced, discarded, or leftover crafted items from other creatures that can still be put to use. They prefer to scavenge objects that have clearly been lost or thrown away, which is easy to do without attracting attention. At the same time, they don't automatically shy away from trying to grab items that are the property of other creatures, because such objects are more likely to be in good condition and thus more useful or valuable. When they go after items that aren't free for the taking, kobolds try to remain undetected and don't give their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler's house at night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and other useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting into a situation where the townsfolk would try to hunt down all kobolds and put the tribe's survival at risk. Some aggressive individual kobolds and tribes do exist, but in general kobolds don't purposely provoke retaliatory attacks from the creatures they steal from. It's better to be cautious and overlooked than to be considered dangerous and a threat. The kobolds prefer to run away than fight, to live off the scraps of others, and they are often dominated by larger soulborn, but they know that there is greatness within them and they are proud that they were chosen to be the blood-kin of dragons.Basic Information
Anatomy
A kobold is a reptilian Soulborn, standing between 2' and 2'6" (60cm – 75cm) tall, weighing 35 to 45 pounds (16 – 20kg), with scaled skin between reddish brown and black in color and burnt orange to red eyes - effectively a dragonborn in miniature. Their legs are sinewy and digitigrade. They have long, clawed fingers and a jaw like a crocodile. Small white or tan horns protrude from their head, and they have lizard-like tails. They often smell of wet dog and stagnant water for some reason and like to wear red or orange garments, which are usually ragged.
Genetics and Reproduction
Kobolds are extremely fecund egg-layers, having an extremely high birth-rate. A pregnant female will lay her egg within two weeks, though about one in ten pregnancies leads to two eggs. An egg needs incubation for about two months, but the newly hatched kobold can walk in just hours. The eggs are particularly sturdy, and the young inside can survive even if the egg breaks as much as fifteen days early. They often lay eggs in a common nest, with specialized foster parents watching over the eggs and wyrmlings.
Growth Rate & Stages
Kobold young mature quickly, reaching young adulthood in six years. Some rare kobold children are dragonwrought, signified by the egg being speckled with flecks a dragon's color, which become more numerous throughout the incubation period. These kobolds possess wings like those of a dragon, and some are of enough use to allow flight. Ritual demands that the egg be taken to a sacred hatching place, and dragonwrought kobolds are raised above ground if they are able to fly, so that they can learn to use their wings.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Although their sharp teeth would suggest they are carnivores, kobolds are actually omnivores, and can eat just about anything, including meat, fruit, tree bark, bone, leather, and eggshells (a newly hatched kobold's first meal is usually its own shell). A hungry tribe leaves nothing behind from a kill, eating everything that's edible and using the rest to make tools or adornments.
Kobolds shed teeth as they wear out and grow new ones their entire lives. Many wear their own shed teeth as jewelry, with more teeth indicating an older-and wiser-kobold. Some unscrupulous individuals wear teeth stolen or harvested from others in an attempt to make them seem older and more respectable.
Most kobold tribes avoid eating what they call "talking meat"-intelligent creatures-because such behavior prompts retaliation. The fear of starvation can make them flexible about this principle, however, and if their options are either attacking such creatures or going hungry, kobolds are practical. A few tribes, particularly those in lightly populated areas, practice cannibalism, believing it is foolish to waste good meat.
In any case, kobolds that eat humanoids don't simply start consuming corpses or prisoners right after a battle; they're more inclined to tie their victims to saplings and slowly roast them over a fire, or put them in a giant cook pot to make stew. Fortunately for the prisoners, the kobolds' almost comedic preparations sometimes give rescuers time to locate and free the captives before the kobolds settle down for the main course.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Kobold names are derived from the Aragrakh tongue and usually relate to a characteristic of the owner, such as scale color, distinctive body parts, or typical behavior. For example, "Red Foot," "White Claw," and "Scurry" are Common translations of often-used names. A kobold might change its name when it becomes an adult, or add additional word-syllables after important events such as completing its first hunt, laying its first egg, or surviving its first battle.
Example Kobold Names: Arix, Molo, Eks, Ohsoss, Ett, Rotom, Galax, Sagin, Garu, Sik-sik, Sniv, Hox, Taklak, lrtos, Tes, Kashak, Urak, Meepo, Varn
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Kobolds have a tribal society in which they all take on specialized roles that protect and sustain the tribe. The strongest kobolds are trained to be hunters and warriors, the most clever are crafters and strategists, the toughest are miners and beast-wranglers, and so on. Even a stupid or physically weak kobold is given a role in the tribe, whether something as simple as picking mushrooms for food or watching over hatchlings, and they all understand that their actions contribute to the survival of the group. The tribe practices for the eventuality of defending the lair against intruders, and their plans always include knowing the best escape routes and who is responsible for blocking tunnels to deter pursuit.
Kobolds feel a cool affinity or something like kinship for other members of their tribe, but they are rarely affectionate with each other. Two kobolds who've known each other for over a decade might consider each other friends or enemies, but the strength of this sentiment is much fainter than any comparable human emotion. Since most of their waking time is spent working, adversarial kobolds rarely have opportunities to exchange insults, let alone come to blows over their differences.
Kobolds willingly serve chromatic dragons and worship them as if they were demigods-mighty beings of divine descent. This isn't a casual sort of worship or lip service; kobolds are awed in the presence of a dragon, as if an actual avatar of a deity were in their presence. Kobolds fall all over themselves to obey orders from a dragon, even if they are dangerous orders. Although kobolds usually don't worship Tiamat directly, they recognize her as the dragon-goddess of all chromatic dragons, and as the master of their creator, Kurtulmak.
Kobolds see magic as part of their connection to dragons, and are proud to be blessed with the ability to wield such power. Young kobold sorcerers are trained by elders, and the training has an almost religious significance. Most kobold sorcerers specialize in either damaging magic (which can also be used in mining), augmentation (of materials or allies), or divination (to find raw materials and foresee threats to the tribe).
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Those of other Soulborn races have little good to say about kobolds, but they do admit that the little reptilians do respectable tunnel work using simple tools. If a band of kobolds is enslaved by more powerful creatures, the kobolds are usually put to work enlarging their masters' living area and protecting vital areas of the lair with traps and other defenses.
Some Soulborn communities hire kobolds to dig their sewer tunnels, paying them with food and tools the kobolds wouldn't have access to on their own. If they are treated well and left alone to do the job, the kobolds work industriously and build a network of passages beneath the streets, connecting them to a nearby waterway and greatly improving the town's sanitation. If the kobolds like the area and aren't mistreated by the soulborn, they might build a warren and make a permanent home there, while continuing to expand the town's sewers as the community grows. These so-called "city kobolds" live underground but might make occasional nighttime forays up to the surface. Roughly one quarter of the towns and cities in the world have kobold communities living under them, but the kobolds are so good at staying hidden that the surface-dwelling citizens in the area often don't know what lies beneath them.
Because the kobolds make sure they stay out of the way of anyone more dangerous than themselves, grow their own subterranean food, and prefer to sneak about at night, the people of a town might go for weeks or months without noticing evidence that kobolds are in the area, and years between actual sightings.
Origin/Ancestry
Srugulmorn, the Cloud that Ends All Things
Lifespan
120 years
Average Height
2'5"
Average Weight
25 lbs.
Racial Stats
Kobold
Kobold
Ability Score Increase +2 Dex, +1 Int
Size Small
Speed 30ft
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