Kobold

Culture:

Kobolds are a small, craven, draconic race that dwells in places hidden from the sun, particularly subterranean caverns or densely wooded areas. Most commonly encountered in and around the nation of Quaynus, the inherent cowardice of the kobolds has lent the schemers a bit of cleverness and ingenuity, especially when it comes to devising deadly traps. Despite the fact that kobolds believe they are, in fact, the most superior race on Otara, they are commonly found in service to other, more powerful masters. Kobolds are aggressive, inward, yet industrious small humanoid creatures. They are noted for their skill at building traps and preparing ambushes, and mining. They are distantly related to dragons and are often found serving as their minions.

Mining

Kobolds often create their lairs by mining them from the rock. Mining is a meticulously planned and conducted process where nothing is left to chance. Divination magic is used to locate ore and mineral deposits. A high proportion of a kobold tribe are miners. Each family group is expected to cut its own room, the walls of which they will adorn with a pictorial history of the family.

Fashion

Most kobolds are miners and so dress in sleeveless tunics and breeches; but kobolds enjoy dressing in more elegant clothing for festivities. These included clothes made from silk or leather, but tailored clothes are only common among leaders. Garments are often made to compliment the wearer's eyes, which involve the use of orange or red dyes. Other garments might be dyed to demonstrate the wearer's affinity to a particular kind of dragon. Kobolds require the dexterity in their feet too often to wear footwear, and the soles of their feet are hard enough to cope with most surfaces. Due to the amount of time kobolds spend mining, gemstones are readily available, and they use these to adorn their clothing, and to make jewelry.

Crafting The greatest art for kobolds is trapmaking. The use of invention and cunning in traps is the mark of a good trapmaker. The other art form is the pictorial representation of the tribe's history, created on the walls of a specially created room in every lair. Kobolds enjoy making jewelry from the gems and precious metals they encounter while mining. They can be possessive about their personal jewelry collections, and much effort is put into crafting beautiful jewelry, unlike other items, which are functional rather than aesthetically pleasing.

Shedding Like other reptiles, kobolds shed their skin periodically. A growing kobold might do this as frequently as weekly, but a developed one usually sheds once per season. Unlike snakes, kobolds do not shed their entire skin at once; they instead shed portions of it over a period of time, much like lizards do. The process was usually accelerated by rubbing. Bitterleaf is often applied after shedding to help the new scales acquire strength and shine.

Kobolds will usually loot what treasure they can carry from their defeated enemies, who are usually killed. Occasionally, kobolds will enslave their foes, who then might be sold on, unless they were gnomes, which kobolds would always kill, but never eat.

Personality

Kobolds are not above using the most sinister of tricks to blend in among human crowds. Kobolds are resentful of their short stature and hate members of other races who poked fun at them for this. Most fell as though they ought to compensate for their small size in other ways, such as humor or aggression. They naturally tend to hate larger creatures, and although they show respect and obedience if required, they always look for ways to display their resentment.

The ultimate goal of the kobold race is to conquer as much land as possible. They will plan and dig mines industriously, while laying cruel traps for interlopers, preferring an ambush to direct confrontation. If they ever confront an enemy, they will try to overwhelm foes with sheer numbers. Among the monstrous humanoids, they are known for cunning plans, and unlike many others, will also share those plans among the entire tribe. General plans and goals will be common knowledge, and detailed plans are shared with all who ask to allow them to work fruitfully for the good of the tribe. Their society is influenced by their lawful evil alignment. Kobolds are confident and happy to remain separated from the other races. Where other races consider heros to be those who enact great feats of strength or military prowess, kobold heros are those who show great prowess in trap setting, torture and ambush.

Religion

Kobolds often worship devils. Kobolds typically worship dragons' gods such as Styphon and Tiamet. Many kobolds worship Asmodeus due to the emphasis placed by his faith on tyranny and subjugation, and seek to model their own tribes' societies after the rigid hierarchy of Hell. These infernal priests are often considerably influential, either advising chieftains or leading their tribes in their own right. Some kobolds are also known to worship Lamashtu, as well as powerful fiends such as the archdevil Mammon and the demon lord Andirifkhu. Kobolds also worship the dragons themselves, which they view as effectively all-powerful entities and as ancestral deities, as living gods. This occurs both through the worship of individual dragons living in or near a tribe's territory and through worship of non-specific, symbolic conceptions of dragonkind. Kobolds' dragon worship often frames dragons as living embodiments of the might and power of Dahak, despite the dragons' own hatred of the deity.

Creation myths

The origins of the kobold race are told in countless ways by the many tribes scattered across Golarion. Most break down to one of these three stories.

1. The Third Brood: This story claims that kobolds were made by the draconic god Apsu from the dying spirits of the chromatic and metallic dragons that his son Dahak had brought down. Their life essence had faded to only a little flame, and Apsu feared that it was not strong enough to save them from death if he brought them back in their true form. Instead, he reincarnated their spirits into smaller, kobold bodies.
2. Tears of Dahak: This myth tells that kobolds were born from Dahak's tears of shame after he defeated his father Apsu in battle. These tears had many colors and as they hit the earth, each transformed into a differently colored kobold.
3. The Firstborn: Perhaps the grandest of the creation myths, this story claims that when the kobolds were first created during the Age of Creation, they were parceled away deep beneath the earth. When Dahak went on his legendary orgy of destruction, the kobolds became curious and tunneled to the surface. When Dahak saw them, he transformed some of them into the first dragons. Those he left behind could not find their way back beneath the earth and have stayed near the surface ever since.

The case in fact is that none of these stories are true but do hold some small pieces of the puzzle.

It is well known that the Old Ones created the Dragons as a warrior race to protect them. They also many other races for various purposes. The very first race was the Sar`Rukh. They were created as a servent race but more so as a race to help master and herd other races created, and as such were the right hand of the Old Ones. Every bit as wicked and nearly as powerful. The Sar'Rukh were greedy and powerful but not content to serve as others were. They had however inherited some of their creators traits as well and were evil and devious to their core, as well as paranoid and jealous. They lusted for power and and hungered for more and more knowledge. For countless Millenia the hoarded thier power and knowledge and little by little rebelled more and more against their Master's rule thinking they did this in secret. The Old Ones noticed.

When the Dragons were created, the Sar`Rukh saw not a slave and weapon of destruction in thrall of the Old Ones, they saw a replacement. This sparked new rebellion and outright sabotage and soon they grew into disfavour in the Old Ones eyes. However at this time the Old Ones had other worries. Wide spread rebellion, much of it sparked by the sabotage of the Sar`Rukh, turned to war. The Sar`Rukh used this distraction to flee and they abandoned their cousins and their allies, leaving them to fight the war, and fled into the faewyld to hide away. Having not learned anything from this, a Sar`Rukh Mage, named Dahakkan, created the first Troglodytes as a servent race. They were flawed and imperfect but they served their purpose. Others, jealous of his success, worked on creating other races of thier own. Dahakkan, continued to build and improve his experiments and soon followed up with first the Kobold and then the Lizardfolk. Meanwhile, the war against the Old Ones had ended. Millenia past and other wars began. During one of these the Dragons, specifically the Evil Dragons, Styphon and his mate Tiamat, created the Draconians as shock troops to fight the was against the Good Dragons and the Elves.

The Dragons and Eandroth were created using Sar`Rukh DNA. The Troglodytes, Kobolds and Lizardfolk were created using Dahakkan's DNA at first and then the DNA of each subsequent race. The Draconians were created using magic the corrupt unborn Dragons in their eggs. 7 races using a common DNA strain each tied to the other yet each different. Needless to say, the Kobold have an unimaginably ancient culture, virtually unchanged over the eons.

Description:

Kobolds are a cowardly, sadistic race of short humanoids that vigorously contest the human and demi-human races for living space and food. They especially dislike gnomes and attack them on sight. Their hands and feet end in sharp, clacking claws, and their scales appear in a variety of colors, of which red, black, white, green, and blue are the most common. Less common scale colors include yellow, orange, purple and gray; other shades, such as pink and gold, are also known to occur. "Ghost kobolds" with translucent scales are also rumored to exist, but no sightings have been recorded in centuries.

Barely clearing 3 feet in height, They smell of damp dogs and stagnant water. Their eyes glow like a bright red spark and they have two small horns ranging from tan to white.

Their scales are quite thick, giving them a modicum of protection from damage. Despite their diminutive size (they generally stand about three feet in height and weigh about 40 pounds), kobolds are quite agile and quick, able to easily keep up with the average human. As with most other underground creatures, kobolds have darkvision, but are not well adapted to life on the surface, as they are quite sensitive to light.

Kobolds are zealously proud of their draconic heritage, and make much of the physical similarities they share with those regal monsters. One of the most obvious similarities between the two races is their distinctively reptilian scales, which come in five chromatic colors. As with dragons, the color of a kobold’s scales often corresponds to a variety of innate abilities, tendencies, and personality traits it possesses. Scale coloration plays a subtle yet vitally important role in relationships both between kobold tribes and within them.

Combat:

Kobolds use their cunning and sheer weight of numbers to defeat enemies. They prefer to lay traps or ambushes, and will only engage a foe directly after it was weakened. If their numbers are diminished such that they have less than a two-to-one advantage, the group will usually flee. Kobold traps include spike pits, tripwires, flaming oil, and poisonous vermin. They dislike gnomes to such an extent that they will attack on sight, but will think twice about attacking humans, elves, or dwarves unless the kobolds outnumber them by at least two to one. The kobold approach to combat uses overwhelming odds or trickery. They often hurl javelins and spears, preferring not to close until they see that their enemies have been weakened. Kobolds attack in overwhelming waves. Should the kobolds be reduced to only a three to two ratio in their favor, they must make a morale check. Kobolds are wary of spellcasters and will aim for them when possible. This diminutive race also enjoys setting up concealed pits with spikes, crossbows, and other mechanical traps. They usually have view ports and murder holes near these traps so that they can pour flaming oil, missile weapons, or drop poisonous insects on their victims. Kobold war bands are armed with spiked clubs, axes, javelins, short swords and spears. Their shields are seldom metal, but are normally wood or wicker. Chiefs and guards tend to have the best weapons available. Kobolds have 60-foot infravision but do not see well in bright sunlight, suffering a -1 on their attack rolls.

Habitat/Society:

Kobolds live in dark, damp places underground and in overgrown forests. They can be found in almost any climate. As kobolds are good miners, any area with potential for mining is fair game for settlement.

The average kobold tribe has 40 - 400 (4d10x10) adult males. For every 40 kobolds in a band there will be one leader and two bodyguards. In a lair there will be 5-20 (5d4) bodyguards, females equal to 50% of the males, young equal to 10% of the males and 30-300 (3d10x10) eggs. There will also be a chief and 2-8 guards. Further, there is a 65% chance there will be guard animals: (70%) 2-5 wild boars or (30%) 1-4 giant weasels. There may be one or more shaman.

Their society is tribal but can be further broken up into war bands based on specific clans. As many as 10 families can be part of a clan, and each clan usually is responsible for controlling the area in a 10 mile radius from the lair. Kobolds recover treasure from the bodies of their victims and often carry them back to their lair as food. In some instances, kobolds will not kill their victims, but will sell them as slaves. Kobolds are distrustful of strangers. They hate brownies, pixies, sprites and gnomes. Gnomes are never eaten or taken prisoner

They are respectful of authority figures, and will obey diligently. Their lairs are often overcrowded, although when one tribe became too numerous, it split into numerous smaller ones. The overcrowding eliminates the concept of privacy, so kobolds sleep in communal areas where nudity is not regarded as shameful or offensive, even to the opposite sex. Kobolds wear clothing for function or ritual, but not to prevent nudity. The common overcrowding often leads to conflict, and two kobolds will fight to settle their differences, although these fights are not usually lethal. This leads to a lack of deep-rooted divisions or grievances in kobold society.

Kobolds have specialized laborers, yet the majority of kobolds are miners. They possess darkvision and are particularly sensitive to bright light. Kobolds prefer exile to execution, and in some disputes, kobolds will split tribes in order to spread their kind over a larger region. Kobolds have natural tendencies towards sorcery. Kobolds are similar to dragons, but while dragons have warm blood, kobolds are cold-blooded. Due to this, they are susceptible to cold, especially if it is brought on quickly. They enjoy swimming and will gather to bathe together, especially after shedding. Kobolds will take a lot of care maintaining their claws and teeth, using smooth stones to polish claws and chewing roots to clean teeth.

While each kobold valued its own life, the tribe came first. They considered the success of their tribe to be their own success. Kobolds typically live in hierarchical tribes isolated from each other and from other intelligent beings. When they encounter other societies, kobolds often make a habit of stealing resources and livestock from their neighbors, earning them their reputation as thieves. Their possessiveness of their mineral resources also leads them to hostilities with other beings, as the kobolds view all minerals in their territory as theirs; when they discover others mining anywhere in their claimed lands, they view them as thieves and interlopers and respond violently. This holds true regardless of whether the other party settled the area before or after the kobolds did. When two kobold tribes come into conflict over resources, they typically engage in swift, violent clashes until one tribe's chieftain is slain, at which point the survivors are enslaved by the victorious tribe.

Like goblins, they are a subterranean race of mischievous, troublesome, and mean-spirited creatures. Kobolds are meaner and more dangerous than the goblin, because they are smarter, more cunning, organized, and cruel. Not only do they hate and despise the larger, more attractive humanoids, but they delight in torturing and killing these creatures just for fun; usually very, very slowly. Unlike goblins or hob-goblins, kobolds usually stick to their own kind, pursuing an active life of mining, weapons manufacturing (supplying the monster races), and building strong, regimented underground towns and cities. Territorial in the extreme, any unfortunate wanderer who unwittingly enters a kobold domain is doomed. The lucky ones are beaten, robbed and left in a heap. The not so lucky ones are beaten, robbed and enslaved. The least fortunate are slain and/or eaten! Kobolds are predators who hunt and eat animals and humanoids; about 40% are also cannibalistic (they eat their own kind). It is common for kobolds to eat the remains of their enemies or to capture a number of the enemy and keep them in pens like livestock until they are needed as food — ogres, orcs and trolls do the same thing.

On the other hand, this territorial attitude works to the advantage of other races, because except for kobold scouting and raiding parties, bandits, and adventurers, they seldom travel above the surface or beyond their own realm. A kobold domain usually consists of several small tribes or bands scattered throughout the area, centering around one or two large subterranean complexes (kobold cities). The small tribes often dwell on the surface or in a shallow network of crude tunnels close to the surface. These tribes may contain as few as a dozen members or as many as several hundred. Such tribes are often composed of thieves, assassins and brigands of all sorts. The heart of a kobold domain is always built upon rich mineral deposits, ranging from iron to precious metals and gems. A labyrinth of rough-hewn tunnels lead to the more finished chambers and tunnels that form the typical kobold city tunnel complex. Such cities can be simple or elaborate, large or small, but seldom cover more than a (32 km) square mile radius, although dozens of tunnels may extend for hundreds of miles and connect to a dozen other kobold cities, towns or villages.

Unlike the villages which are typically 50-200 feet underground, kobold towns, cities and connecting tunnels are always at least 2000 feet (610 m) below the surface; some as far down as one or two miles (1.6 to 3.2 km). These complexes are typically sprawling cities comprised of tunnels and chambers with low ceilings; nothing like the grand chambers and cathedrals of the dwarven cities. Ceilings in most kobold cities seldom exceed eight feet (2.4 m) tall and tunnels rarely have a ceiling higher than five or six feet (1.5 to 1.8m) and are of equal width. These sprawling cities of tunnels and small chambers are typically maze-like, which makes it difficult for surface dwellers to keep their sense of direction — there are so many similar looking tunnels and identical rooms that one quickly gets disoriented (-20% on all navigation skills). Furthermore, kobold cities and tunnel networks don't usually seem to have been constructed with any rhyme or reason, and large sections of tunnels or areas of the city are often abandoned for no apparent reason. Consequently, deceptively large cities and towns will often be populated by surprisingly few kobolds.

Note: A common kobold city will consist of a maze of tunnels and chambers running in a loose checker board pattern with 4D4 levels, covering a 50-100 mile (80-160 km) diameter and is 1-2 miles (1.6 to 6.4 km) deep. Some of the levels will be mines or garbage dumps (often inhabited by subterranean predators and scavengers). The typical population ranges from 600 to 2400. The inhabitants are scattered in small pockets throughout the tunnel-city complex, with concentrations of hundreds or thousands in certain areas; often near active mining operations. However, the most densely populated cities such as those located in and around the Old Kingdom Mountains will be 6,000 to 36,000 strong. Kobolds prefer to inhabit cool, hilly, rocky or mountainous regions. Kobolds themselves are nocturnal creatures, seeing clearly in the dark for 400 feet (122 m). Consequently, they shun bright light and are seldom seen above the surface during the day. This means they do their prowling, hunting and raids on the surface at night, adding to their reputation for treachery and viciousness. Light so impairs their vision that even after their eyes become adjusted they cannot see clearly beyond 40 feet (12 m). A simple fire from a torch or campfire will not appreciably affect a kobold's vision. However, intense light will blind them (-9 to strike, parry or dodge).

Kobolds are fine craftsmen, artisans, weaponsmiths, and armorers. They make some of the finest jewelry and silverware in the world, and only dwarven arms and armor are superior; the Jotan is roughly equal to kobold quality. Thus, a kobold-crafted weapon or armor is highly valued and coveted by men at arms. Since most kobolds hate the prettier races, they are courted by the monster races to be their arms manufacturers, a position these misanthropes welcome. This garners the kobolds a high position within most nonhuman societies. Kobold craftsmen are highly regarded by the Wolfen, with approximately 60% of all Wolfen arms and armor manufactured by them. Kobolds are also frequently members of ogre and troll clans, bands and mixed armies of nonhumans, as well as selling or trading weapons and armor with any nonhumans who approach them in peace, but with hate for humans and their allies. In most cases, the vile and self-serving creatures will sell their wares to anybody who can afford them and are infamous for selling arms to both sides of a conflict. Kobolds dislike their stupid and annoying goblin cousins, so they typically sell them inferior human quality weapons and armor at only moderately lower prices — they have nothing to worry about because unless goblins and orcs are allied to smarter creatures, most can't tell the difference. Even many human communities will tolerate the presence of law abiding kobolds working as smiths, armorers, jewelers, artisans and metal workers.

A Kobold player character is likely to be a mercenary, thief, assassin or young adventurer out to find his place in the world. Selfish and evil characters are likely to view humans and most good characters as chumps and suckers to be used. Actually, to have any other attitude and associate with humans and their allies is to be branded a traitor to his race — and traitors are often hunted, captured, tortured and killed. However, kobolds respect strength and courage, so even a selfish or evil character may find himself respecting or even befriending a human or elf with these qualities if he's not careful. A kobold of a good alignment, or who openly befriends (and stays loyal to) a human, elf or gnome, is a renegade and a traitor to his people. These characters will be despised by his fellow kobolds, so he should watch his back for assassins and outraged kobold loyalists. The character's problems are compounded further by the fact that most humans and their allies will view a kobold with the utmost suspicion, racial prejudice and possibly, hatred.

Ecology:

Perhaps kobolds are so cruel because they are easy prey for larger humanoids and hungry monsters. They have many enemies, and even the Dwarves have had to admit that the numerous kobold-goblin wars have kept the number of goblins down to a safe level. Kobolds can live 135 years.

Diet

Kobolds were omnivorous, eating plants and animals, but would not refuse to eat intelligent creatures if the opportunity presented itself. They were able to eat just about anything when the situation became desperate, even tree bark or bone. Due to their cold-blooded nature, kobolds that had spent time in a warm place would not need to eat for days.

Mating Kobolds do not maintain monogamous relationships, and due to the importance they place on propagation, they choose mates by practical measures rather than love or other emotions. Mating is an impersonal act for kobolds. Kobolds are extremely fecund egg-layers, having the highest birth rate among humanoids. A pregnant female will lay her egg within two weeks. About one in ten pregnancies led to two eggs. An egg needs incubation for about two months, but the newly hatched kobold can walk in just hours. The eggs are particularly sturdy, and the young inside can survive even if the egg broke as much as fifteen days early. Kobold young matured quickly, having reached young adulthood in six years. They often laid eggs in a common nest, with specialized foster parents watching over the eggs and wyrmlings.

Some rare kobold children (1 in 1000) are born Urd, and it is possible to tell this because the egg will be speckled with flecks a dragon's color, which becomes more numerous throughout the incubation period. These kobolds possess wings like those of a dragon, and are of enough use to allow flight. They are also more physically endowed and smarter. Urd are are born with stronger connections to chromatic dragons than others of their kind and are distinguished by the ability to use the breath weapon of the dragon type whose scale color they have. Ritual demands that the eggs be taken to a sacred hatching place, and Urd kobolds will be raised ground, so that they could learn to use their wings. They are also groomed in politics and leadership.

Kobolds are omnivores and will eat almost anything their sharp teeth can chew and their strong digestive system can process. Like other reptilian creatures, kobolds have a slow metabolism, which means they require little food and drink to survive. This adds to their diligent work ethic, as they require few meal and water breaks, and increases their ability to survive in the nutrient-poor underground environment. Kobolds lay hard-shelled eggs that incubate for a period between 45 and 60 days, after which they hatch using their distinctive cranial horn buds. Although only six to eight inches in height at birth, neonatal kobolds are able to quickly take care of themselves, often spending the first hour after birth eating the remains of their shells. Cannibalizing other clutchmates is not unheard of and is seen by the adults as a sign of strength. Hatchlings grow quite quickly and double in size every year until achieving their juvenile state at around three. They are considered to be full adults around age 10. Sexual dimorphism is very limited, with non-kobolds rarely able to tell the differences between the sexes. Most kobolds are quite short-lived, with a typical life-expectancy of around 30 years before typically dying through violent means. However, when their lives are not cut off early, they have also been known to live for quite a long time, with the oldest kobolds claiming their age to be well over 160 years.

Kobolds remain fertile throughout their entire adult lives, with females able to produce an egg once every 20–25 days. Given ideal conditions, however, females can lay a clutch of up to six eggs, and require a coupling only once every six years in order to produce viable eggs. Kobold females become more fecund as they age: a 40-year-old female may be able to lay 50 to 60 eggs per year, while an 80-year-old female may lay up to 100 per year.