Kobold

Kobolds are weak, craven, and seethe with a festering resentment for the rest of the world, especially members of races that seem stronger, smarter, or superior to them in any way. They proudly claim kinship to dragons, but beneath all the bluster, the comparison to their glorious cousins leaves kobolds with a profound sense of inadequacy. Though they are hardworking, clever, and blessed with a natural talent for mechanical devices and mining, they spend their days nursing grudges and hatreds instead of celebrating their own gifts. Kobold tactics specialize in traps and ambushes, but kobolds enjoy anything that allows them to harm others without putting themselves at risk. Often, they seek to capture rather than to kill, taking out their frustrations on the helpless victims they drag back to their claustrophobic lairs.

Note:
Kobold player characters are not representative of their race, and are rather outliers of them. The vast majority of kobolds in Astora are evil, scheming, hate-filled creatures, and would be a poor fit for most any adventuring party.

Description

Kobolds are small, bipedal reptilian humanoids. Most stand around 3 feet tall and weigh about 35 pounds. They have powerful jaws for creatures of their size and noticeable claws on their hands and feet. Often kobolds’ faces are curiously devoid of expression, as they favor showing their emotions by simply swishing their tails. Kobolds’ thick hides vary in color, and most have scales that match the hue of one of the varieties of chromatic dragons, with red scales being predominant. A few kobolds, however, have more exotic colors such as orange or yellow, which in some tribes raises or lowers an individual’s status in the eyes of his fellows.

Racial Traits

Ability Adjustment: +2 Dexterity, -4 Strength, -2 Constitution. Kobolds are fast but weak.
Size: Small. Small creatures gain the following Size Modifiers: +1 to AC and attack rolls, -2 to Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and +4 to Stealth checks.
Speed: Kobold base land speed is 30 feet.
Type: Humanoid (Reptilian).
Age: Kobolds age faster than humans, reaching adulthood at 12 years of age and typically living into their 50's.
Vision: Darkvision 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and Kobolds can fuction just fine with no light at all.

Special Qualities

Armor: Kobolds naturally scaly skin grants them a +1 Natural Armor Bonus.
Crafty: Kobolds gain a +2 Racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Perception, and Profession (miner) checks. Craft (trapmaking) and Stealth are always class skills for a kobold.
Light Sensitivity: Kobolds lives in darkness have caused them to suffer from Light Sensitivity, causing them to become Dazzled when in areas of bright light.

Languages

Automatic Languages: Draconic.
Bonus Languages: Common, Dwarven, Gnome, and Undercommon.

Alternate Racial Traits

The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above.
Beast Bond: Some kobolds have a talent for training animals and beasts to help them both on and off the battlefield. Kobolds with this racial trait gain a +2 Racial bonus on Handle Animal and Ride checks. Handle Animal and Ride are always class skills for them. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Day Raider: You’re one of the few kobolds born with a greater tolerance for sunlight. You don’t have Light Sensitivity, and you have Low-Light Vision instead of Darkvision. This racial trait replaces light sensitivity and darkvision.
Dragon Affinity: Kobold sorcerers with the Draconic Bloodline or Kobold Bloodline treat their Charisma scores as 2 points higher for all Sorcerer spells and class abilities. This racial trait replaces the armor trait.
Dragonmaw: Your draconic heritage makes you smile- not just because it makes you happy, but also because your powerful teeth and jaws are proof of your kinship with a chromatic dragon. You gain a bite attack that deals 1d4 points of damage. Once per day, you can deal 1d6 points of additional energy damage with your bite attack. The damage type depends on your scale color: acid for black or green; electricity for blue; fire for red; cold for white. If you have a different scale color, you still gain a bite attack, but cannot deal the additional energy damage. This racial traits replaces the armor racial trait.
Dragon-Scaled: Some kobolds are hatched with scales of such vivid color that their connection to a particular sort of chromatic dragon seems undeniable. Whether this coloration is just a quirk of a stray egg or a trait shared by all the members of a tribe, these kobolds gain a resistance that makes them especially suited to work alongside dragons matching the color of the kobold’s scales. Black-scaled and green-scaled kobolds with this racial trait gain Acid Resistance 5. Blue-scaled kobolds with this racial trait gain Electricity Resistance 5. Red-scaled kobolds with this racial trait gain Fire Resistance 5. White-scaled kobolds with this racial trait gain Cold Resistance 5. This racial trait replaces the armor racial trait.
Echo Whistler: By observing the noises in underground tunnels, you learned to uncannily mimic any voice or sound you heard. Three times per day, you can attempt to trick someone in this way by making a Bluff check against the listener’s Sense Motive check. You get a +2 Circumstance Bonus on this check if you’re in tunnels or other structures where your voice can echo. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Frightener: Like the great dragons, you can strike fear in the hearts of your foes with your majestic presence. Few enemies suspect that you make yourself look more dangerous with simple tricks you learned back when you were newly hatched. You gain a +1 Racial bonus to the DC of Saving Throws against spells you cast with the fear descriptor. This racial trait replaces the armor racial trait.
Gliding Wings: Some kobolds are born with wings that, while too weak for actual flying, do allow them to fall at a very slow and safe pace. A kobold with wings can use them to glide. It can make a DC 15 Fly check to fall safely from any height without taking Falling damage, as if using Feather Fall. When Falling safely, it may make an additional DC 15 Fly check to glide, moving 5 feet laterally for every 20 feet it falls. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Jester: Some kobolds swallow their pride and survive by groveling, placating, and amusing the powerful. Kobolds with this racial trait gain a +2 Racial bonus on Diplomacy and Perform checks. Diplomacy and Perform are always class skills for them. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Prehensile Tail: Your tail is especially flexible and strong, so you’ve learned to use it for both movement and simple tricks. You gain a +2 Racial bonus on Acrobatics and Climb checks, and you can use your tail to draw a hidden weapon as a Move Action instead of as a Standard Action. This racial trait replaces the armor racial trait.
Secret Strider: You have the ability to traverse the wilderness without a trace. Twice per day, you can move through natural surroundings without leaving a trail for 1 minute, increasing the DC of any attempts to track you by 10. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Shoulder to Shoulder: Having lived and worked in close quarters with your tribe-mates, you’ve learned how to maneuver within their personal space without disturbing them. You can occupy the same space as one other Small ally without penalty. If you share a space with another kobold who has this trait, you each gain a +1 Circumstance Bonus to AC, as you help jostle one another out of the way of incoming attacks. You also gain a +1 Racial bonus on Aid Another rolls. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Spellcaster Sneak: Traversing the tunnels near big, nasty, hungry creatures, you learned to keep quiet- and to keep your spells quiet too. You gain a +2 Racial bonus on Stealth checks, and once per day you can gain the benefit of the Silent Spell feat on a spell you cast. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Wild Forest Kobold: You’re one of the barbaric kobolds dwelling in the forests of the surface world. Your culture shuns artifice, but teaches how to endure the hunt. You gain a +2 Racial bonus on Perception and Survival checks, and Stealth and Survival are always class skills for you. This racial trait replaces crafty.
Wyrmcrowned: Your horns have grown to the extent that they appear similar to those of a dragon who shares your scale color, lending a draconic power or menace to your dealings with others. Choose either Diplomacy or Intimidate. You gain a +2 Racial bonus on checks with that skill, and it is always a class skill for you. This racial trait replaces crafty.