Kobolds

"Tread carefully, this is Kobold territory."

An unknown adventurer moments before triggering a pitfall trap

Tiny mischievous masters, where one spots a singular Kobold, several dozens lie in wait to ambush unsuspecting prey caught in an array of ramshackle traps and prisons. While these contraptions may be held together by ideals of glory one may have during acts of cowardice, they are dangerous nonetheless. Those who underestimate them may find themselves skewered by countless spikes carved from bones pillaged from much larger prey.
Forming tribal colonies under the lead of a shaman or 'greater Kobold', the structure of their society is built on the idea that a superior being is fit to lead. This includes an unspoken responsibility for anything and everything that may occur under their watch, intended or not. Outside of this normality, smaller roving packs of Kobold behave more like nomads and travel throughout the Beios Mountains and the surrounding territories.
A common task given to a Kobold seeking to usurp the position of Shaman and take command of their tribe is to acquire large chunks of fulgurite and bring it back unaided; proving their superiority to the present company. While this often works, some Shaman refuse to recede their position of power and the situation quickly devolves into chaos, ranging from a petty squabble to an outright civil war between the two shattered halves. The result of such infighting can range from a tribe splitting into smaller parts, several kobolds leaving to form a pack, or a singular kobold leaving to live on their own.

Racial Modifiers

• Characteristics: Kobolds gain a +1 bonus to DEX and POW, but suffer a -1 to STR. They are craftier and smaller relatives to the Lizardfolk, but their ancestry lies with that of the dragons of old.
• Size: Kobolds subtract 5 from their Size characteristic, and may not choose to increase it using the Uncommon Size Advantage. If this would bring them below Small size, the remainder does not apply. Kobolds of Small size gain all the bonuses this implies to stealth, attack penalties on others, increased Base Initiative, and so on. Some stronger, larger outliers do exist, however, and these are treated as any other Medium creature.
• Night Vision: Kobolds ignore any penalties caused by natural darkness, and reduce penalties from magically induced or absolute darkness by half.
• Furtive Step: Kobolds halve the penalty for moving at full movement value while moving silently (-40 instead of -80). If the Kobold is of small size, this penalty is entirely removed as long as the Kobold is not subject to a Natural Penalty from Armor or Weight, an All Action Penalty, or any other effect that is inhibiting their actions. Additionally They also gain a +2 to movement value (cancelling the penalty from size if present).
• Tools of the Trade: Kobolds are well known for their creative mind when it comes to constructing traps out of unorthodox materials, especially so when they have actual parts at their disposal. Their creations range from pitfalls, falling logs and boulders, to seemingly silly constructions that serve no more purpose other than to distract. Stepping into a Kobold’s trap always leads to an ambush. Kobolds gain a +20 to Stealth and Hide and +30 to Trap Lore.
• Skitter and Scatter: Very few Kobolds are known for their courage, instead most are known for either their cantankerous or cowardly behavior. Often both. While below half HP and before Initiative is rolled, a Kobold may spend 1 Fatigue to voluntarily gain a Terror state to all hostile creatures, gaining +25 to Initiative and +50 Acrobatics check when disengaging. These bonuses remain until the next time Initiative is rolled. This state of Terror cannot be removed by supernatural effects or other effects that would remove it.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Kobolds are relatively small bipedal lizards (standing roughly thigh height to an average humanoid at best) that are capable of moving on all fours as they please. Their skin can vary in texture and appearance depending on where they were hatched and how they lived. For instance, those born and raised in the rougher taigas and mountains have more jagged scales; others from biomes with a greater presence of rain, lakes or rivers tend to be sleek and shiny.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Kobolds are carnivores, they acquire the nutrients supplied from fruits and vegetables through their prey (or their prey’s prey, with some of the greater beasts they often hunt). The materials they seek for constructing their traps and various tools are often gained through raiding each other, who in turn gain it from raiding passerby or carving it from prey.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Most of what can be called the Kobold society exists far from civilization, nestled away and out of sight within the harsh stone formations present within the Beios Mountains. While other tribes are present across the Eye, none have a concentration like this mountain range. It is these mountains that are believed to have been the birthplace of the very first Kobold.
It is a commonly known fact that Kobolds have very distant blood relations to dragons, and that at one point the great dragons and these minute lizards once shared the same blood. How such a split occurred is unknown even to the Kobolds, and remains one of the greater mysteries of their race. These blood ties are displayed throughout their culture, revering dragons as gods and naming them their kin or 'old scales' as it is often put by Kobolds and Scholars alike. This admiration is made obvious when one considers the value most Kobold put on fulgurite, prizing the jagged and chaotic structures as they believe it is what connects them to their past brethren.
Shamans are believed to be closer to their ancient kin due to their position, and often because of the task(s) they had to endure to take the mantle of their tribe. A superior being, a 'dragon' amongst their peers. Due to this belief, Shamans often adorn themselves with a plethora of rough jewelry and clothing embedded with shards of fulgurite, going as far as to construct crowns and thrones out of bones and other materials they can attribute to a dragon.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Humans 

As far as Kobolds care, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and the many planetouched belong to a singular race because they do not stand out enough in a crowd. This view is often put to shame when a Kobold first meets an Aasimar or Firetouched, and usually end up labelling them superior beings to their peers. Their more humorous views aside, Kobolds and most humanoid races have petty conflicts that stem from Kobolds raiding traders and caravans that roam too close to their homes. Despite this, there are some tribes and smaller packs that respect the space of other races and are often open to trade, bartering away their hides and meat for tools and materials.

Gnolls

An unsteady mutual understanding exists between the large hyena like Gnolls and the diminutive lizards from their shared intelligence and crafts. As such, many Kobold tribes trade gladly with the Gnolls as it means they are less likely to earn their ire, and can obtain various materials without the need to raid other Kobolds, traders or caravans. Most Kobolds fear the Gnolls and will usually be unwilling to interact with them for long, and if they have to, are typically tense and nervous while sharing their company.

Lizardfolk

The relationship between Kobolds and Lizardfolk is often seen under a strange lens by outside viewpoints. These two races are clearly lizards, why are they at odds when they are so similar? The answer is quite simple: Kobolds ply their craft and use what means they have to survive despite their small size, whereas Lizardfolk are larger, stronger and capable of spontaneous hostility. Regardless of these differences, Lizardfolk and Kobold leave each other alone for their own reasons with the occasional trading and swapping stories between the two.

Attribution

Written and contributed by CatChatter with permission.