Kobolds
"While the pitfall trap is a personal favourite of mine, there's something to be said for a good rock-fall trap. Knowing that a simple tripwire is all it takes for your enemies skull to be crushed by a falling rock is a lot more satisfying than someone might think. Of course, if you're feeling patircuarly nasty, a good fire trap often does the trick, too."
— Galax Copper Tooth, A Kobold's Guide to Traps
Often dismissed as cowardly, foolish, and weak, these reptilian creatures actually boast a variety of skills and abilities than allow them to thrive underground.
Tiny Trappers
Kobold are short in stature, the tallest of them barely reaching 3 feet, and weighing no more than 35 pounds. Because of their small size, kobold often have to adopt unorthodox means of achieving victory. This usually leads to traps, which kobold are well known for crafting and using during battle.
Unlike the true dragons they worship, kobolds don't have set colours that reflect certain personality traits. Whole tribes usually are the same one or two colours, and the colour of a kobold has no bearing on its abilities or skill set.
Little Dragons
The resemblance of kobolds to dragons isn't limited to physical features. Kobolds display many of the traits that true dragons display, and are often either cruel, proud, or vain (or all three). While kobolds prefer to run away from a fight, they know that there is greatness within them and are proud that they were chosen to be the blood-kin of dragons.
Despite this, a typical kobold acknowledges its weakness in the face of a hostile world. It knows it is puny, bigger creatures will exploit it, it will probably die at a young age, and its life will be full of toil. Although this outlook seems bleak, a kobold finds satisfaction in its work, the survival of its tribe, and the knowledge that it shares a heritage with mighty dragons.
Expert Tunnelers
Kobolds are naturally skilled at tunneling. Similar to dwarves, they have a near-instinctive sense of what sections of stone or earth are strong or weak, are bearing a load or are safe to excavate, or are likely to contain minerals or offer access to water. This ability enables them to fashion secure homes in places where other creatures wouldn't feel safe.
Kobolds take advantage of their size by creating small-diameter tunnels that they can easily pass through, but that require larger creatures to hunch or even crawl to make progress. Due to their small size, many kobold often feel that there's safety in numbers, and rarely strike out on their own unless it's a mission of great importance.
Petty and Paranoid
A kobold can be fooled with smooth words or a quick wit, but when the kobold figures out it has been tricked, it remembers the affront. If it gets the opportunity to do so, it will retaliate against that person somehow, even if merely in a petty way.
Furthermore, a kobold doesn't like being cornered or alone, and will go to great lengths to make sure that that's never the case. It wants to know it has a safe path for escape, or at least an ally nearby to improve its chances. A kobold without either of these options will be nervious, its behavior alternating between meek silence and hysteria.
Kobold Names
Kobold names are derived from the Draconic tongue and usually relate to a characteristic of the owner, such as scale colour, 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 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. Because kobolds can change sex to suit a tribe's needs, they don't differintiate between male or female names.
Kobold Names: Arix, Eks, Ett, Galax, Garu, Hagnar, Hox, Irtos, Kashak, Meepo, Molo, Ohsoss, Rotom, Sagin, Sik, Sniv, Taklak, Tes, Urak, Varn.
Kobold Personality
The kobold rarely live a life outside their village, and it shows in the way they act around others. You can select, roll, or adapt a kobold-specific quirk from the Kobold Quirks table. Use the quirk to inform how you portray your character.
Kobold Quirks
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| ___1___ | You assume that others will hate you on sight, and prepare youself accordingly. |
| 2 | You hate bears, and will always make a point of avoiding them when you can. |
| 3 | You can't help but take small trinkets and jewels when you think no one is looking. |
| 4 | You often hope to meet a dragon properly, so you can treat it with the reverence it deserves. |
| 5 | You sometimes plan out traps and devices whenever you make camp. |
| 6 | You believe gnomes are a cruel and wicked race, and will do whatever you can to give them what they deserve. |
Kobold Traits
As a kobold, you have certain traits in common with other kobold.
Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, and either your Intelligence or Charisma score increases by 1 (your choice).
Age. Kobolds reach adulthood at age 6 and can live up to 120 years, but rarely do so.
Alignment. Kobolds are fundamentally selfish, making most of them evil, but their reliance on the strength of their group makes them trend toward law.
Size. Kobold are between 2 and 3 feet tall and weigh between 25 and 35 pounds. Your size is Small.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. 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 colour in darkness, only shades of grey.
Distraction. As an action on your turn, you can distract a nearby foe. Until the end of your next turn, your allies gain advantage on attack rolls against a creature of your choice within 30 feet of you.
Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Natural Trapper. You are proficient in thieves tools, and whenever you make an ability check to create traps (found on page 84 of Xanathar's Guide to Everything), you can add double your proficiency bonus to the check, rather than your normal proficiency bonus.
Heart of the Dragon. When you succeed on a saving throw, you can have the next attack roll or saving throw you make before the end of your next turn have advantage.
Once you have used this trait, you cannot do so again until you complete a short or long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Draconic.
Racial Feats
The following feats are avaliable to kobold characters, assuming that feats are allowed to be used in your game.
Draconic Magic
Prerequisite: Kobold
Your're capable of innate magic that's granted to you because of your strong connection to ancient dragons. You gain the following benefits:
- Your Charisma score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn one of the following cantrips: acid splash, fire bolt, poison spray, ray of frost, or shocking grasp. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for the chosen spell.
- You can can cast cause fear or charm person. Once you cast either spell, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for both of these spells.
Hoard Knowledge
Prerequisite: Kobold
Your time spent collecting and growing a hoard of treasure allows you to easily place the value of objects and other minerals. You gain the following beneftis:
- Your Intelligence score increases by 1, to a maximum
of 20. - You learn the identify spell, and can cast it as a ritual. You don't require material components for the spell when you cast it this way.
- You can spend 1 minute inspecting a gemstone or mineral, after which you learn its value, and the type of gemstone or mineral it is.
Pickaxe Mastery
Prerequisite: Kobold
Your time spent wielding a pickaxe allows you to wield it with devastating efficiency. You gain the following benefits:
- You can use a pickaxe as a melee weapon with the finesse and versatile properties, which deals 1d6 piercing damage (1d8 when held in two hands). You are proficient with pickaxes used this way.
- Whenever you attack with a pickaxe, you can swing wildly, causing your attack to have disadvantage. If you hit, you deal additional damage equal to your proficiency bonus.
- Whenever you have disadvantage on an attack roll you make with a pickaxe, the target still takes piercing damage equal to your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice) if the attack misses but the higher of the two d20 rolls would have hit.
Urd Wings
Prerequisite: Kobold
You spout draconic wings, much like that of an Urd. With your wings, you have a flying speed of 20 feet as long as you aren't wearing heavy armour and aren't exceeding your carrying capacity.
Credits
- Created by u/Rain-Junkie. More of my work can be found here.
- Artwork by Sean Richardson, Brynn Metheney, and Noah Bradley
- Made using GMBinder.
- Special thank you to the Discord of Many Things for all their help!
