Kobold

Scale's Guide to Traps, Taunts, and Tunnels

- by Scales, Kobold Inventor

The fledglings of greatness, the lowly Kobold are distant descendants of Dragons, a bloodline they take great pride in. Minuscule in stature and generally frail, a Kobold's life is full of hardships and to ensure their survival they often group together into communal groups known as Dens. These Dens are most commonly found in mountainous regions but have also been found throughout forests, deserts, and even large urban centers.

Scrapyard Scavengers

While Kobold's rarely are given access to the resources of Gnomes and Dwarves, their cleverness in devising complex and dangerous mechanisms to protect their home as well as general subterranean construction should never be underestimated. It is not uncommon for towns to hire Kobolds to build their sewers and drains where the Kobolds often make their Den simply due to their skill and affordability. A common working song goes:

Ask a Dwarf for the foundation,
Ask a Gnome for the lights,
Ask a Kobold for the tunnels,
Ask a Human for the rights.

Cunning Cowards

A Kobold is taught early on that life is hard and honor is beyond them. A cornered Kobold would sooner grovel to live another day than to fight to their last breath. However, never get too comfortable around a destitute Kobold, especially in a Den, as they may only be biding time until their next ambush. If you find yourself in the company of a Kobold you might want to hold onto your most precious belongings but it is often better to indulge the Kobold in their craft for their machines are as deadly as a Gnomes but oftentimes without all the explosions.

Basic Information

Anatomy

While rare, the occasional Kobold will be born with wings, known as Urds. Rarely seen as a blessing, non-winged Kobolds rarely get along with Urds, resenting their gift and possibly even seeing it as a favor from a long lost betrayer of their god Kurtulmak.

Biological Traits

Kobolds can easily be mistaken for Dragonborn children, sharing the same variety of scale colors and size. Despite this, even then, Kobolds tend to be particularly thin with flatter wider snouts and larger yellow eyes. While a Dragonborn draws it's scale pattern from the Dragon it hails from the typical Kobold seems to gain it's scale pattern seemingly at random, in rare cases even having multiple colors represented on the same individual.
Though rare, Kobold are also capable of being born with wings, allowing them to fly though rarely are they given the chance to do so in the claustrophobic tunnels below.

Growth Rate & Stages

Kobolds grow rapidly, reaching adulthood at 6 and can live up to 150 years though rarely do so.

Civilization and Culture

Common Myths and Legends

The Devout Servant and the Petty Thief

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Kobolds despise Gnomes above all other races due to the legend where Garl Glittergold trapped Kurtulmak in an endless labyrinth. However, Kobolds are typically too cowardly to act on this hatred beyond petty pranks.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Dragon

Lifespan

150 years but typically perish in their first decade

Average Height

2' - 3'

Average Weight

25 - 35 lbs.