Kobold
Kobolds are industrious master tunnelers, keen survivalists, and experts at creating something from nothing. Yet due to their short stature and simplified hunter-gatherer society, they are thought of as weak and imbecilic. What is less known is how loyal and self-sacrificing they often are, doing all they are capable of to preserve those they care about. The racism they have faced has left many kobolds quite bitter and xenophobic, for they are often the targets of subjugation or attempts at genocide – thought of as little more than pests.
The Blood Knows
Among the kobold race there are a rare few with extraordinary gifts. Their blood is so rich with magic that simple crafts take on supernatural properties. They are not as weak or desperate as the majority of their kin, and often become leaders or champions of their clans. Some are even compelled to explore the world outside the comforts of their trap-infested caverns.
Kobold Traits
- Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2. In addition, your Bloodcrafter ability grants you an additional ability score increase as noted below.
- Age. Kobolds mature at an accelerated rate, reaching adulthood at the age of 6. Their biology allows for lifespans of over a century, but few are lucky enough to survive longer than 20 years.
- Alignment. Despite their reputation for avarice and cruelty, it is the minority of kobolds that truly embrace evil, with neutrality being the most common alignment. Their strict focus on the clan over the individual also leads to a tendency towards law.
- Size. 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 color in darkness, only shades of gray.
- Sneaky. You gain proficiency in the Stealth skill.
- Gifts of the Warren. You have advantage on any ability check related to tunneling as well as the building, detecting, and disarming of traps.
- Bloodcrafter. The latent magic in your blood can be used to empower unique creations. You are proficient your choice of one of the following tools: alchemist tools, herbalism kit, or poisoner’s kit. You know one cantrip of your choice from the artificer spell list, and the tool chosen acts as a spellcasting focus for it. You must have the tool in hand to cast the cantrip. In addition, you choose one of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma and that ability score increases by 1, and that ability is the spellcasting ability for the chosen cantrip.
- Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Draconic.
Bloodcrafting
Kobolds are known for a certain creativity when it comes to their inventions, supported by blood magic fueled artifice. A bloodcrafter might have thrown wasp nests serve as poison spray or use flame-breath tonics as fire bolt. One might craft a hallucinogenic gas bomb as minor illusion or brew a nasty tea for guidance. The goal here is to make each cantrip unique, and bring out the weirdness of kobold ingenuity.
Race Design Notes
Version 1.2 by u/fasrial using GM Binder.
Artwork from Wizard of the Coast's Volo's Guide to Monsters.
Inspired by Kobolds of Eberron by u/DivertedCircle07
Inspired by u/Wattaton to include a variable ASI and the replacement of warlock class list with the artificer class list.
I wanted each player kobold to have a uniqueness to them rather than just being one of the pack, bearing a flavorful and quirky gift. The kobold inventor from Volo's gave me the seed of the idea, but one I wanted to simplify mechanically. That's where the Bloodcrafter trait comes in, essentially turning every kobold PC into a one-cantrip artificer.