Kobold

Kobolds are a reptilian isolationist race common in Eastern Nora. Kobolds are happy to remain separated from the other races, and are a confident race. It is unknown how kobolds are of dragon heritage. While each kobold values its own life, the tribe comes first. They consider the success of their tribe to be their own success.

Contrast to popular belief, kobolds do not take slaves.

In the kobolds’ version of a perfect world, the creatures would be left along to dig their tunnels and raise the next generation of kobolds, all the while seeking magic.

Furthermore, kobolds can slowly change sex. If most males or females of a tribe are killed, some survivors change over several months until the tribe is balanced again.

Roughly one-quarter of the towns and cities in the world have kobold communities living under them, but the kobolds are so good at staying hidden that the surface-dwelling citizens in the area often don’t know what lies beneath them.

Kobolds willingly serve chromatic dragons and worship them as if they were demi-gods.

Physical


Kobolds are reptilian humanoids. A kobold stands between 2' and 2'6" (60cm – 75cm) tall, weighing 35 to 45 pounds (16 – 20kg). They have squamous skin between reddish brown and black in color, with burnt orange to red eyes. Their legs are sinewy and digitigrade. They have long, clawed fingers and a jaw like a crocodile. Small white or tan horns protrude from their head,[9] and they have rat-like tails. Kobolds smell of wet dog and stagnant water. They like to wear red or orange garments, which are usually ragged.

Culture


Kobolds live in the dark, ideally underground or thick forest, in tribal societies. Their lairs are often overcrowded, although when one tribe becomes too numerous, it splits. The overcrowding has eliminated the concept of privacy, so kobolds sleep in communal areas, and 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 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 or severe divisions or grievances in kobold society.[10]

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 jewellery from the gems and precious metals they encounter while mining. They can be possessive about their personal jewellery collections, and much effort is put into crafting beautiful jewellery, unlike other items, which are functional more than aesthetically pleasing

Kobolds are also known for serving dragons and praise them as gods. A kobold tribe will present a dragon with tributes and sacrifices and whatever they think it may like, and they might even see it as a great honor to be devoured by the creature. If a kobold tribe is not accepted by a dragon they might start working for it in secret. Once a tribe settles to serve a dragon, their entire existence is to serve their god in every way.

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.

Because they lay eggs, and the eggs don't require much tending, kobold females aren't exempted from war or work. Furthermore, kobolds can slowly change sex. If most males or females of a tribe are killed, some survivors change over several months until the tribe is balanced again. In this way, the tribe can quickly repopulate with just a few survivors. Because of these factors, kobolds don't have assigned gender roles for young or adults. A leader, sorcerer, miner, or crafter is as likely to be female as male.

Kobolds feel a cool affinity or something like kinship for other members of their tribe, but they are rarely affectionate with each other. Two kobolds who've known each other for over a decade might consider each other friends or enemies, but the strength of this sentiment is much fainter than any comparable human emotion. Since most of their waking time is spent working, adversarial kobolds rarely have opportunities to exchange insults, let alone come to blows over their differences.

Most kobold tribes avoid eating what they call "talking meat" -intelligent creatures-because such behavior prompts retaliation. The fear of starvation can make them flexible about this principle, however, and if their options are either attacking such creatures or going hungry, kobolds are practical. A few tribes, particularly those in lightly populated areas, practice cannibalism, believing it is foolish to waste good meat.

Kobolds are good, however, at capturing and taming smaller animals and beasts, particularly rats, dire rats, and reptilian creatures like lizards that thrive in a cave or underground environment. The kobolds corral these pets or allow them to roam free, either feeding them scraps or allowing them to forage for insects and other morsels too small for the kobolds to care about. Much in the way that human villagers keep chickens, these animals help the kobolds with pest control and are occasionally used as food. Giant rats and similarly sized lizards are also used as pack animals and guardians.

Kobolds are cautious and fearful of bears, since bears often seek to live in caves and the animals might wander into the outermost parts of the lair, particularly when they're about to begin hibernating. Kobolds are likely to panic when they see a bear animal companion in the company of another creature. This aversion extends to owlbears and other bear-like creatures.

Magic


Unlike some other humanoids, kobolds don't fear or shun arcane magic. They see magic as part of their connection to dragons, and are proud to be blessed with the ability to wield such power. Young kobold sorcerers are trained by elders, and the training has an almost religious significance. Most kobold sorcerers are of the draconic bloodline origin and specialize in either damaging magic (which can also be used in mining), augmentation (of materials or allies), or divination (to find raw materials and foresee threats to the tribe).

kobolds are always on the lookout for magic that might help them free their imprisoned god, Kurtulmak. Typical kobolds don't know how to use a wand, a spellbook, or anything with more magical power than a potion, but they all believe that the tribal sorcerer can figure out how to use any such item they come across. When kobolds sense an opportunity to separate a magic item from its owner, they are often willing to take the chance of revealing themselves because the potential reward is worth the risk.

Alignments


Kobolds don’t see the morality of the universe divided along the law/chaos, good/evil spectrum. This is how they divvy it up. Kobolds may change alignments after rest and reflection.

  • The Five-Headed Matron (Tiamatus, in Draconic): Actively scouting out coming danger, serving your betters, interacting with sorcery
  • The Egg (Ovum, in Draconic): Learning new things, staying very still to wait for your moment, becoming something new
  • The Interloper (intrusis in Draconic): Sneaking into danger, acting on emotional attachment like some love-blind human or elf, trespassing
  • The Winged Kobold (Urd, in Draconic): Personal glory, being special, taking on power and responsibility
  • Curtimacus (God of Kobolds): Escaping captivity, finding that which is lost, besting a bully

Names


Kobold names are derived from the Draconic tongue and usually relate to a characteristic of the owner, such as scale color, 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 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.

Pets


Some kobolds tribes keep slurks.

Known tribes


Notable kobolds




Kobolds are often dismissed as cowardly, foolish, and
weak, but these little reptilian creatures actually have
a strong social structure that stresses devotion to the
tribe, are clever with their hands, and viciously work together
in order to overcome their physical limitations.
In the kobolds' version of a perfect world, the creatures
would be left alone to dig their tunnels and raise
the next generation of kobolds, all the while seeking
the magic that will free their imprisoned god (see the
"Kurtulmak: God of Ko bolds" sidebar). In the world they
occupy, kobolds are often bullied and enslaved by larger
creatures-or, when they live on their own, they are constantly
fearful of invasion and oppression. Although individually
they are timid and shy away from conflict, kobolds
are dangerous if cornered, vicious when defending
their eggs, and notorious for the dangerous improvised
traps they use to protect their warrens.

Kobolds are naturally skilled at tunneling. Similar to
dwarves, they seem to 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
over or even crawl to make progress. In places where a
tunnel opens into a chasm and continues on the other
side, the kobolds might connect the two passages with a
rope bridge or some other rickety structure, designed to
collapse under the weight of any creature heavier than
a kobold. On occasion, the route through a kobold lair
runs along a ledge that borders a cavern or a crevasse,
and the kobolds might erect a railing or a wall that prevents
them from falling off the edge-high enough to
protect a kobold but low enough to serve as a tripping
hazard for a larger creature.

Kobolds are adept at identifying broken, misplaced,
discarded, or leftover crafted items from other creatures
that can still be put to use. They prefer to scavenge objects
that have clearly been lost or thrown away, which is
easy to do without attracting attention. At the same time,
they don't automatically shy away from trying to grab
items that are the property of other creatures, because
such objects are more likely to be in good condition and
thus more useful or valuable.

When they go after items that aren't free for the taking,
kobolds try to remain undetected and don't give
their targets reason to harm them. For example, a group
of city kobolds might sneak into a cobbler's house at
night to loot it of knives, leather bits, nails, and other
useful items, but if they are at risk of discovery, they run
away rather than attack anyone in the house. By fleeing
before they can be seen or identified, they avoid getting
into a situation where the townsfolk would try to hunt
down all kobolds and put the tribe's survival at risk.
Some aggressive individual kobolds and tribes do
exist, but in general kobolds don't purposely provoke
retaliatory attacks from the creatures they steal from.
It's better to be cautious and overlooked than to be considered
dangerous and a threat.

Kobolds believe that they were created by Tiamat from
the blood of dragons-a view supported by their reptilian
(they would say draconic) appearance. In every kobold
tribe, the legend of the creatures' origin is passed
down from elder to hatchling, giving each individual and
every generation a reason to feel pride and self-respect.
The kobolds prefer to run away than fight, to live off the
scraps of others, and they are often dominated by larger
humanoids, but they know that there is greatness within
them and they are proud that they were chosen to be the
blood-kin of dragons.

Kobolds willingly serve chromatic dragons and worship
them as if they were demigods- mighty beings of
divine descent. This isn't a casual sort of worship or lip
service; kobolds are awed in the presence of a dragon,
as if an actual avatar of a deity were in their presence.
Kobolds fall all over themselves to obey orders from a
dragon, even if they are dangerous orders. Although
kobolds usually don't worship Tiamat directly, they recognize
her as the dragon-goddess of all chromatic dragons,
and as the master of their racial god, Kurtulmak.

Kobolds have a tribal society in which they all take on
specialized roles that protect and sustain the tribe.
The strongest kobolds are trained to be hunters and
warriors, the most clever are crafters and strategists,
the toughest are miners and beast-wranglers, and so
on. Even a stupid or physically weak kobold is given a
role in the tribe, whether something as simple as picking
mushrooms for food or watching over hatchlings,
and they all understand that their actions contribute
to the survival of the group. The tribe practices for the
eventuality of defending the lair against intruders, and
their plans always include knowing the best escape

Kobolds grow and mature much more swiftly than
members of other humanoid races. At 6 years old a kobold
is considered an adult. Most succumb to violence,
accidents, or disease by age 20, but a kobold can live for
up to 120 years-a longevity they attribute to being distantly
related to dragons. A female can lay up to six eggs
per year, and an egg matures for two to three months
before it hatches.

Kobolds don't engage in funeral ceremonies; a dead
kobold's body is burned or disposed of in some other
convenient way (or, in a cannibalistic tribe, eaten). Kobolds
believe that if they die in service to their tribe,
Kurtulmak immediately sends each of them back to life
as the next egg laid in the hatchery. If a particularly important
or respected member of a tribe dies, the hatchery
is closely monitored. The next egg laid is immediately
separated from the rest and carefully protected.
Once it hatches, the resultant young kobold is groomed
to fill a position of importance.

Kobolds are cold-blooded and thus prefer temperate and
tropical climates. Kobold tribes in colder regions tend
to be smaller in population and more aggressive in their
hunting, since food is relatively scarce in such areas.
Partly out of fear and partly because their eyes are
sensitive to sunlight, kobolds prefer the security of a
cave to living in the open air, and can be found in any
sort of terrain that can support tunneling. In a swamp
or along a coastline where digging into the soft ground
is problematic, kobolds entrench themselves in dense
woods, hills, or large rock outcroppings, creating warrens
above the water line.

Kobolds reside most commonly in hilly or mountainous
terrain. Such locations usually have natural caves
suitable for living space, plenty of room to dig, and ready
sources of food. Although lairing in these locations
puts kobolds in competition with surface-dwelling humanoids,
their ability to avoid detection often means
their warrens go unnoticed by their larger rivals. If it's
lucky, a tribe of kobolds that is discovered by a group
of larger humanoids might form a mutually beneficial
arrangement, relying on the humanoids for protection
from invaders and in return providing services such as
excavating new living spaces and disposing of trash. If
it's unlucky, the tribe is enslaved by the other humanoids,
and the kobolds serve similar roles but under
threat of death.

A 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
the mightiest of dragons.

A kobold isn't clever, but it isn't as stupid as an ore.
Someone can fool a kobold with smooth words or a
quick wit, but when the kobold figures out it has been
tricked, it remembers the affront. If it gets an opportunity
to do so, it will retaliate against that person somehow,
even if in merely a petty way.

A kobold doesn't like being cornered or alone. 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 nervous, its behavior alternating
between meek silence and hysteria.

Kobold names are derived from the Draconic tongue
and usually relate to a characteristic of the owner, such
as scale color, 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 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.


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 Andoran,[1] 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 Golarion, they are commonly found in service to other, more powerful masters.[2]

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.[6]

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 140.[6][7]

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.[6][7]

Occasionally, kobolds are born with stronger connections to chromatic dragons than others of their kind. These kobolds are distinguished by the ability to use the breath weapon of the dragon type whose scale color they have.[8]

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.[9]

Kobold settlements are usually complex systems of heavily trapped tunnels and warrens surrounding an inner core consisting of the tribe's living spaces, larders, workshops, and mines. The tribe's eggs are kept until hatching in a hidden location, which is kept secret from most members of the tribe to ensure that they cannot reveal it if captured and interrogated. Elder laying females are likewise hidden in the deeper parts of a warren and fiercely protected, as many tribes depend on their ability to lay numerous eggs in a short span of time to maintain their numbers.[7][9]

Although kobolds do not farm crops, they often keep domesticated animals for a variety of purposes. Dire weasels are kept as guard and hunting animals in a manner similar to how dogs are used by humans, while dire boars are used as war animals and mounts. When moving underground, kobolds instead use slurks and giant ants as mounts; giant ants are also used as pack animals, and as a source of poison for traps. Bats are trained to carry messages, which kobold tribes use to contact one another. On occasion, bulettes are trained to assist mining and tunneling operations. Kobold myth holds that they were the first culture to domesticate and raise animals, which they foolishly taught to humans.[7][10]

A second group of kobolds, the forest kobolds, exists separately from the more well-known subterranean kobold cultures, and instead inhabits deep forests. Forest kobolds are more barbaric than their kin, are rarely literate, and live predatory lives focused on hunting and eating any non-reptilian entity they encounter. Forest kobolds are typically green.[8][11] Forest kobold tribes are known to ally with quickwoods to defend their lairs.[10]

Kobolds typically worship dragons' gods such as Apsu and Dahak. 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. On occasion, kobolds affected by blightburn radiation are known to turn to the worship of the archdaemon Trelmarixian. Kobold spellcasters are also known to worship Nethys, typically placing less emphasis on the All-Seeing Eye's dual nature than on the ability to use magic to impose one's will on the external world.[9][13][14]

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.[9][15]

Creatures of deep, dark places, kobolds are masters of
tunneling, mining, and setting traps. They despise
those that would take advantage their relative physical
weakness or steal the precious ores they mine, and thus
devote themselves to creating elaborate mechanical defenses
for their lairs. Adventurers attempting to storm a kobold den
rarely see an actual kobold until after they've been assaulted
by a wide variety of cleverly engineered cruelties.

All kobolds claim to be related to dragons, yet while
it's true that kobold scale colors often match those of
chromatic dragons, dragons themselves don't reciprocate
this feeling ofkinship. A kobold who manages to convince
a dragon ofher worth often serves it as a clever trap-maker
or flunky, in exchange for the honor and protection the
dragon's presence affords.

When humanoids and kobolds mix, often as a result of
mining operations, kobolds often get a reputation as thieves
and nuisances because of their tendency to appear at night
and abscond with anything the humans leave lying around.
Anything from farming equipment to small animals is seen
as fair game to kobolds, who argue that such confiscation is
not theft, but rather simply making good use of items the
humans clearly don't value properly.

As creatures of deep caverns and shadowed forests, kobolds
have difficulty with light, and even a torch is uncomfortably
bright to their eyes. Hence, though they are not naturally
nocturnal, they rarely venture to the surface during the day.
Kobold settlements are elaborate affairs. Though
the lairs are relatively small-generally comprising a
few caverns that serve as living quarters, larders, and
workshops-each lair is surrounded by a complex web of
tunnels and crawlspaces, all packed with ingenious traps.
To kobolds, the best battle is the one they never have to
fight at all, so creating new traps is a constant (if somewhat
paranoid) policy and pastime in kobold society.

Tied into this paranoia is kobolds' treatment of egg
chambers. The average kobold has no idea where his
tribes' eggs are stored until hatching-preventing him
from revealing the location even under coercive or magical
interrogation. Only the tribe's chieftain and the kobolds
assigned to watch over the eggs know the truth, ensuring
that if the tribe's complex is eventually overrun (seen as
an inevitability by the fatalistic kobolds), enough eggs will
survive to raise a new generation.

Ko bolds' resentment oflarger races burns fiercest toward
dwarves, gnomes, and other races who tend to mine the
mineral veins the kobolds consider theirs. Once a kobold
tribe begins digging out precious metals or gems in an
area, its members feel that anyone else digging in the
same area is a thief. Even if a kobold mining operation
accidentally breaks into an established dwarven city, the
kobolds' sense of manifest destiny would likely lead them
to see the dwarves as the interlopers.

Yet the resentment kobolds feel toward other races is
nothing compared to their animosity toward other kobold
tribes that intrude on their mining operations or partake of
the food sources their tribe considers its own. The resulting
wars are fierce, bloody, and swift, with both tribes attempting
to slay as many opponents as possible until one chief dies.

Once a tribe has lost its chief, the losing tribe's demoralized
survivors become slaves to the victorious tribe, and are sent
into the mines to harvest out all the minerals they can for
their new masters. If adventurers manage to make it through
a tribe's traps, it's inevitably these same slaves who are armed
and sent to confront the threat, generally with little hope of
winning the ensuing battle. Though some might wonder
why kobolds condemned in this way don't turn on their
masters, the sad truth is that those who want to rebel are
usually cut down before their attempt gets off the ground.

Most kobold tribes are led by a single chieftain, whose
authority is rarely questioned. If a kobold tribe is ruled by a
non-kobold, such as a young dragon, a kobold chiefis still
in charge of carrying out the ruler's instructions and seeing
to day-to -day administration. Chieftainship is usually
decided through combat, though accidents involving traps
are tacitly considered fair game.

Kobolds worship the dragon gods, and in many cases
dragons themselves, seeing little difference between all powerful
deities and (to them) essentially all-powerful
dragons. The dragons themselves tend to enjoy the constant,
obsequious worship of their lesser cousins-though
the occasional solitude-loving dragon may decide that a
kobold supplicant makes a better meal than a servant and
kobolds' naturally ordered and hierarchical society
makes it easy for a creature at the top to command them.

Although kobolds feel a particular kinship with
chromatic dragons and have less affinity for metallic
ones, kobold scale colors are not nearly as personality
defining

as those of true dragons, though some tribes
have superstitions and other beliefs about scale color.

Color is inconsistent in kobold genes, and parents of one
color may give birth to children of several different scale
hues, leading to a full spectrum of the chromatic tones
that have little or no correlation to abilities.

The few metallic-colored kobolds are an exception
to this rule. Though no more good-inclined than their
fellows, these metallic kobolds are seen as special or
marked by some higher power, and often go on to become
great chiefs or shamans. Of course, this marking is a
double-edged sword, as not every chief wants a potential
usurper hanging around, and even those tribes who seek
honestly to make use of their "blessed" members may
subject them to a battery of dangerous tests in order to
ascertain what powers these individuals might possess.

FACT 1: "KoBOLDS ARE DRAGONS"
Just ask any kobold-she'll tell you, confidently listing
off a number of similarities, such as basic skull shape,
tooth structure, horn composition, ear frills, and scale
coloration. And, when one considers the uncommon but
not entirely rare instances ofkobolds with wings and even
breath weapons, the parallels are even more unmistakable.
These similarities raise the question as to whether kobolds
are a lesser, undeveloped version of their dragon kin-or
if, in fact, they're a more advanced (albeit less impressive)
subspecies, destined to outlive their larger cousins.

FACT 2: "KoBOLDS CAN TURN
ANYTHI NG I NTO A TRAP"
Give a kobold a little time with a handful of odds and
ends, and he'll turn it into a contraption that can hamper,
incapacitate, maim, or kill. The kobolds' diabolical
obsession and skill with trapmaking is unparalleled.
Outsiders who want to improve their skills with traps seek
out abandoned kobold traps to study, or pay kobold tutors.
Some governments-and even thieves' guilds-are
rumored to contract kobolds to design and build incredibly
complex traps for vaults and other highly sensitive areas.
The intricate construction and unconventional approaches
kobold trapmakers take when creating their masterwork
traps make them not just difficult to spot or disarm, but
astonishingly difficult to replicate.

FACT 3: "KoBOLDS AREN'T EASILY
REPULSED OR NAUSEATED"
Get within 20 paces of a kobold mounted on a slurk, and
you'll be convinced that kobolds have no sense of smell.
In fact, they have a remarkable sense of smell that allows
them to appreciate the nuances of a staggering range of
scents-much as someone might savor even the most
intense flavors. Between this range and their ability
to consume nearly anything, it's extremely difficult to
find something that will challenge a kobold's incredibly
repres s ed gag reflexes.

FACT 4: "KosoLDS NEVER G ET losT"
Follow a kobold moving through the snarl of her lair,
and you'll quickly realize two thing s : first, kobolds
have an uncanny sense of direction; and second, you're
hopele s sly lost. Kobolds ' direction sense goes far beyond
not getting turned around easily-it als o provides them
with exceptional spatial awareness. This, once again, is
easily demonstrated by a tour through a kobold snarlthe
fact that they tunnel such complex labyrinths without
careful planning or surveying is mind-boggling.

FACT 5: "KoBOLDS TASTE TERRIBLE"
Thi s is b est taken on faith. With the sheer number of
creatures that live in the Darklands that are more than
capable of plunging past any defenses kob old s can
mu ster, there mu st be a reason kobolds aren't a regular
part of s omething's diet. That reason i s biological:
kobold scales, mus cles, and dige stive organs contain
sub stances that are distasteful, repellent, or poisonous
to most large predators.

llFE CYCLE
Hard- shelled kobold eggs-and the embryos within
them-are remarkably sturdy, able to endure being moved
or exposed to relatively harsh conditions or treatment for
short periods of time while still remaining viable. After a
45- to 65- day incubation period, a kobold hatchling breaks
out of its shell using its two most prominent cranial horn
buds. Measuring from 6-8 inches tall, a newly hatched
kobold is fully formed and immediately able to fend for
itself. It typically spends the first hour ofits life consuming
the remnants of its shell or anything else near its birth
place that seems appetizing. Some voracious hatchlings
have been known to cannibalize their weaker siblings, an
act adult kobolds allow, seeing it as a sign of strength.

Hatchlings develop quite quickly, doubling in size
each year until they reach the juvenile stage at around 3
years of age and full adulthood by their tenth year. Male s
and female s a r e virtually indi stinguishable to other
races, even after reaching adulthood. Life expectancy for
most kobolds is about 30 years, though some particularly
hardy and careful kobolds have been known to live up to
i40 years.

EXTERNAL PHYSlOLOGY
The average kobold stands around 3 feet tall and weighs
ab out 40 pounds. Though physically weak, kob old s are
remarkably quick and agile.

Kobolds' flexible tails, which extend roughly two -thirds
their height in length, provide excellent natural balance
and are integral to many of the creatures' gestures and
subtle nonverbal cues.

Their highly sensitive eyes, which allow them to see
perfectly in pitch darkness, are protected by a nictitating
membrane. This thick, transparent eyelid guards against
debris and other irritants, but doesn't negate the discomfort
caused by bright lights. Because closing the membrane
causes a subtle shift in eye color, it may signal when a kobold
is about to attack or anticipates a dangerous situation.
A kobold's scales, teeth, and horns are always growing
and scales are shed with regularity. A full set of 54 teeth is
lost and replaced every 5 years or so, with the second set of
teeth seen as a sign of adulthood. Horns grow extremely
slowly, taking nearly a decade to accrue any noticeable
length or curvature.

Kobolds' thick hides vary in color. Most have scales
that match those of chromatic dragons-red being the
most prevalent-though some exhibit more exotic colors,
including orange, yellow, gray, and purple.

1 NTERNAL PHYSlOLOGY
Kobolds are omnivorous, and becau s e of their powerful
j aws, sharp teeth, and tough gizzards, they eat anything
they can chew. Furthermore, they have a slow, highly
efficient metabolism. As such, they require relatively
little food and water, a key factor of their remarkable
work ethic-they aren't di stracted by hunger or thirstand
their ability to survive underground.

Kobolds are fertile throughout their entire adult lives.
Females typically produce one egg every 20-25 days,
though under ideal conditions an undisturbed female
could lay a clutch of up to six eggs at a time. Remarkably,
a female kobold's body can retain viable material from
a single coupling with a mate for as long as 6 years,
producing fertilized eggs during that entire time.

KOBOLD HAB1TAT & SOC1ET Y
Kobolds are everywhere. That is to say, kobold lairs have
been encountered in every conceivable part ofGolarion.
Due to their light sensitivity and size, kobolds
construct their lairs anywhere that's suitably dark
and restricts the movement of anything larger than a
kobold; thi s could be deep within a forest or swamp,
but most lairs are lo cated far underground. The
maj ority of kob old s in any given tribe typically share
scale coloration with the type of dragon that favors that
region-white - s c aled kobolds in cold regions, bluescaled
kobolds in de s erts, and s o on.

The most notorious feature of a kobold lair is the mazelike
network of tight tunnels and trapped pas sages that
surround it. This deadly labyrinth is known by kobolds as
the lair's "snarl." Buried deep within the snarl, the main
kobold lair is a series of natural
and constructed caverns that
s erve s as the communal home
and workspace for all the
members of the tribe.

Most kobold tribes are organized
as a communistic society,
with everyone both working
to contribute and sharing
practically all resources,
workspaces, and living
quarters. Kobolds
might each
have a small number of personal possessions, but rarely
claims ownership of anything they can't carry with them
everywhere and at all times.

Though cooperative and industrious, kobold society is
also draconian. The tribe is only as strong as its weakest
members, and those "softscales" are constantly culled for
the benefit of the tribe. Weak, incompetent, or dull-witted
kobolds are regularly employed to test traps, mine in
dangerous areas, and (especially) j oin patrols, where they
are often charged with "taking point" or "holding off an
attacker" while others retreat. This explains the common
idea that kobolds are foolish or cowardly creatures-those
are the kobolds most adventurers encounter.

All tribe members contribute equally, but s ome
contribute more equally than others. That is, certain
role s are afforded more respect, power, and privilegeusually
because the role is more critical to the security
of the tribe. This lo o s e hierarchy, in order of de s cending
importance, would be s orcerers, trapmakers, warriors,
nestwatchers, priests, miners, crafters, animal handlers,
and farmers.

LEADERSHlP
Most tribes are led by a chief, commonly the eldest
member of the tribe. Each chief determines tribal
laws ; the s e vary wildly from one chief to the next, as
each establishes laws that punish or eliminate rivals. A
chief usually reigns until death-whether due to age,
"accident," or outright treachery.

Most often the chief is a p owerful s orcerer or priest,
but she could also be a skilled warrior or other kobold
that has proven to be wis e and wily enough to survive
and lead. Age alone doesn't guarantee the leadership
position. Any particularly heroic, powerful, or otherwi s e
impressive kobolds may rise to the role of chief even
non-kobold leaders aren't unheard of.

A small council of important kobolds
advise the chief. Members might include
elders, military leaders, trapmasters, nestwatchers, and
master crafters. If the tribe is allied with a dragon, the
dragon's herald is always head of the council, and usually
become s the chief as well.

DRAGONS AND Kosotos
The most fortunate and powerful kobold tribes are tho s e
who boast (and boast they do) an alliance with a dragon.
In the s e remarkable circumstances, the tribe's lair
connects to the dragon's (whether by a single passage or
with full integration.) Kobolds are absolutely subservient,
focusing their efforts toward pleasing their draconic ally.

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