Kobolds ; The little Dragonfolk

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Kobolds

Kobolds are often characterized as filthy little reptiles barely better than goblins. They’re malicious but of little actual menace. Catch kobolds in their lairs, where they are almost certainly hard at work mining, and such a description might be fitting. No one ever suspected that being underestimated was the kobolds’ goal.

Kobolds are meticulous creatures with sorcery in their blood, a variety of reptile with a strong work ethic. Discounted as pests or worse by many others, kobolds are a long-suffering race with many talents and clever tricks. Only the foolish overlook the threat that kobolds actually pose.

Appearance

Kobolds are short, reptilian humanoids with bony frames and small tails. They stand approximately 2 to 2-1/2 feet tall and weigh 35 to 45 pounds. Sinewy, double-jointed legs, naturally bent and poised for sudden speed, contribute to their height. When her legs are stretched out, a kobold can increase her height by up to 1 foot, but doing so is uncomfortable.

Kobolds have scaly skin, varying in color from rusty brown to reddish black. They have strong teeth, and their hands and feet have long digits tipped with very small claws. A kobold’s face is like a crocodile’s, with a jaw that can open wide enough to hold a whole melon. Constantly alert and wide, the eyes of a kobold range in color from burnt ochre to red. A ridge of small, hornlike bone juts above each brow and sweeps backward, the protrusions growing larger and more pronounced toward the rear of the skull.

Kobold Racial Traits

• +2 Dexterity, –4 Strength, –2 Constitution. Kobolds are
  weak and frail, but their size grants them quickness.
  
• Small: As a Small creature, a kobold gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –4 size penalty on grapple checks, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but she uses smaller weapons than humans use, and her lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
  
• Humanoid (dragonblood, reptilian): Kobolds are humanoids with the dragonblood and reptilian subtypes. For all effects related to race, a kobold is considered a dragon.
  
• Kobold base land speed is 30 feet.
  
• +1 natural armor bonus.
  
• Darkvision: Kobolds can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight. Kobolds can function just fi ne with no light at all.
  
• All kobolds add Craft (trapmaking) to their list of class skills.
  
• +2 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Profession (miner), and Search checks.
  
• Light Sensitivity: Kobolds are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
  
• Automatic Language: Draconic. Bonus Languages:
  Common and Undercommon.
  
• Favored Class: Sorcerer. A multiclass kobold’s sorcerer
  class does not count when determining whether she
  takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.

Age

Once hatched, kobolds mature at a breakneck pace, using the same life cycle as dragons, but only living one-tenth as long. By the time a kobold reaches the age of eight or nine (on average), she is mentally and physically able to assist her tribe in any capacity.


Random Starting Ages

Race	Adulthood	Simple¹	Moderate²	Complex³
Kobold	6 years	+1d3	+1d4	+2d4

¹ The simple classes are barbarian, rogue, and sorcerer.
² The moderate classes are bard, fighter, paladin, and ranger.
³ The complex classes are cleric, druid, monk, and wizard.

Kobold Age Categories

Categories	Age
Wyrmling	Up to 6 months
Very young	7 to 18 months
Young	19 to 30 months
Juvenile	31 months to 5 years
Young adult	6 to 10 years
Adult	11 to 20 years
Mature adult	21 to 40 years
Old	41 to 60 years
Very old	61 to 80 years
Ancient	81 to 100 years
Wyrm	101 to 120 years
Great wyrm	121 years or older

Aging Effects

Subrace	Middle Age	Old Age	Venerable	Maximum Age
Kobold	60 years	90 years	120 years	+Cha years¹

¹ Dragonwrought kobolds with chromatic dragon ancestry multiply this number by 5. Dragonwrought kobolds with metallic dragon ancestry multiply this number by 10.
Ability penalties due to age do not apply to dragonwrought kobolds. See the Dragonwrought feat, page 100 of Races of the Dragon.


Height and Weight

Kobolds are Small creatures, weighing slightly more than they might for their height due to their tails and bony frames.

Random Height and Weight

Subrace	Base Height	Base Height Mod	Base Weight	Base Weight Mod
Kobold, male	2'1"	+2d4	40 lb.	x 1 lb.
Kobold, female	1'10"	+2d4	30 lb.	x 1 lb.

Physiology

Kobolds have close biological ties to dragons. The most important difference between the two, however, is that kobolds are cold-blooded creatures, and dragons are warmblooded. While kobolds do generate some internal body heat from taking in food and engaging in activity, they are dependent on their environment for warmth. This is one reason why they live underground, especially in their native temperate climate.

Being a cold-blooded humanoid has advantages and disadvantages. Warm temperatures are comfortable to kobolds, who can sustain their bodies by literally soaking up heat. A kobold who inhabits a region with a temperature of 40°F or above for 24 hours can go for another three days after that time before having to eat normally. The downside is that kobolds feel the cold more profoundly. Sudden chilling temperatures, such as being struck by a cone of cold spell, do not affect kobolds more than normal, but prolonged cold increases their need for sustenance. After inhabiting a region with a temperature below 40°F for more than three days, kobolds must consistently consume three times as much food per day than is normal for their size.

Kobolds can eat a wide variety of foodstuffs, drawing nutrition from a broad, omnivorous diet. Evil kobolds have no scruples when it comes to eating, even considering other intelligent creatures as options for the stewpot. Kobolds who are desperate for food, especially when traveling through cold regions, can eat almost anything. They can metabolize many forms of organic matter, including bark, bones, dirt, leather, and shells. A tribe of kobolds that is short on provisions feeds its youngest members whatever they can eat.

As reptiles, kobolds are hatched from hard-shelled eggs. Once a female kobold has been fertilized, she lays one egg within two weeks, with a 10% chance of laying two eggs. The egg must be incubated for 60 days, after which time it hatches into a kobold wyrmling that is able to walk and feed after only a few hours.

An average tribe has one egg and one child per ten kobold adults, while a particularly prosperous one might have double this number. Tribes with a scarcity of food have fewer young.

On rare occasions, a kobold female lays what kobolds call a dragonwrought egg (see the Dragonwrought feat, page 100 of Races of the Dragon). These eggs are spotted with the color of whichever true dragon influences the dragonwrought kobold within, with such mottles increasing in number and size as the wyrmling inside grows.

Kobold embryos are resilient and not easily disturbed when moved or transported. A kobold embryo rarely expires unless its egg is broken before the final 15 days of incubation. A kobold embryo inside an egg that is broken after that time suffers no ill effects, though the wyrmling may take a while longer to reach physical maturity.


Clothing

Kobolds are pragmatic about fashion. They dress appropriately for the occasion, which includes finery for special celebrations and ceremonies. While an individual kobold enjoys looking distinguished and fine, tailored or inlaid clothing is an extravagance seen only in the wardrobes of tribal dignitaries and leaders. Most kobolds spend all their time mining, however, and working kobolds wear work clothing.

Kobolds do not usually have access to resources such as cotton, but they readily harvest silk from underground spiders, worms, and other insect larvae. Along with silk, leather sees widespread use. Such hide, once cured, creates the most durable clothing for mining and requires the least amount of maintenance.

As a miner, the typical kobold dresses for freedom of movement, which usually takes the form of a sleeveless leather tunic and breeches that stop above the knee. The consistent temperatures found in underground environments mean kobolds usually don’t have to consider dressing for warmth.

Footwear does not exist in kobold society. The idea of wearing footwear has never occurred to kobolds, not even for comfort. Kobolds rely heavily on their double-jointed legs and articulated feet to maintain their speed and balance. Moving across rugged terrain poses no difficulty for a barefooted kobold, whose feet are so naturally tough and callused that gravel and rough stone cause no pain.

Well-dressed kobolds enjoy making bold statements, so popular colors include dark reds and fiery oranges to accent one’s eyes. Such pigments are easy for kobolds to acquire in their subterranean lairs. Kobolds value all sorts of dyes, often accenting their clothing based on their affinity with a certain kind of dragon.

Due to the prolific mining of the typical kobold tribe, those kobolds able to afford it favor metal and gem-encrusted adornment. While they are usually sensible with the cut of their garments, kobolds love jewelry and ornamentation. Both sexes wear all sorts of jewelry, including tail rings. Warriors often don symbolic metal armor pieces such as bracers, decorative gorgets, and greaves.

When it comes to real armor, kobold warriors prefer leather, avoiding anything that might slow them down. Kobolds perceive speed as their greatest tactical advantage. As a substitute for metal armor, some kobolds have been known to wear armor made from the shells of giant beetles (see page 121 of Races of the Dragon for more information on chitin armor).


Grooming

Mining is a dirty profession. It requires endurance and determination. Few humans can mine for an extended period, but every kobold can. Being grimy is a part of the mining life, but kobolds are far from uncivilized when it comes to hygiene.

For a kobold, a lack of hair doesn’t mean less grooming. As reptilian humanoids, kobolds shed their skins like other reptiles do. This is not a simple procedure in the manner of some snakes that can shed an old skin in one piece. Adult kobolds shed their skin in patches. This process takes up to a week if allowed to transpire naturally, but kobolds accelerate the shedding by scrubbing the old skin from their bodies.

A growing kobold sheds her skin at intervals ranging from once a week to once a month. Adult kobolds shed their skin about once a season. Many adults use a bottle of replenishing oil made from a plant called bitterleaf to strengthen their scales and keep them shiny. Regular application of bitterleaf oil (see page 122 of Races of the Dragon) can delay shedding indefinitely.

Between shedding cycles, kobolds are quick to take advantage of the natural springs discovered in their excavations. Swimming is one of their favorite pastimes. Although kobold tribes don’t actually construct public baths, all kobolds gather at pools to bathe and socialize.

Kobolds are meticulous about their teeth and claws. A fl at stone in every kobold dwelling serves as a tool for polishing claws. Kobolds chew roots and bones to strengthen their gums and clean the surface of their teeth.


Psychology
“We suffer and yet prevail.”
—Thurirl, High Priest of the Sacred Mine,
Keeper of Dragonwrought Eggs

Kobolds exist in a world much larger than they are, dwarfed by creatures usually at least three or four times their physical mass. Living among such competition could be a constant struggle to assert dominance, with kobolds making sure they are never overlooked or taken for granted. But kobolds spend their energy elsewhere.

While gnomes and halflings often integrate into other races’ societies, kobolds turn inward. The kobold deity Kurtulmak (see page 48 of Races of the Dragon) doesn’t allow such fraternization. Kobolds have their own culture and a set of deeply introspective traditions.

To generalize kobolds as xenophobic is misleading. They are perfectly happy to be overlooked by others, having disdain for other races and preferring to conduct their activities in secret. Being consistently underestimated is seen as a gift - one they have taken advantage of for
countless generations.

The intimate thoughts of a kobold would probably surprise most other individuals. Kobolds live in an undeviating state of contentment, despite any setbacks experienced by their tribe. It’s strange for others to imagine that such weak creatures can lead such fulfilling lives, until you consider one lingering piece of knowledge that kobolds have never overlooked: They are kin to dragons.

The origin of this connection is unclear, based heavily on folklore and myth, but the relationship is undeniable: The two races are related. Being completely certain of their heritage gives kobolds a confidence that is neither troubled by self-doubt nor arrogantly expressed. It affords individual kobolds great comfort to think that no matter what happens to them, the dragon can never be taken from their blood. A common saying among kobolds expresses this view: “The dragon scale toughens our skin. The dragon bone adorns our skull. The dragon heart flames our sorcery. We are the dragon, and for the dragon we live. Long live the dragon.”

This draconic heritage invigorates kobold culture with an indomitable will to endure any hardship. While kobolds do not have the benefit of longevity that dragons enjoy, they do understand what it means to take the long view. Their individual lives might be fleeting, but the impact of their presence in the world is widely felt.

A powerful, self-sacrificing instinct rules kobolds whenever their tribe is endangered. Kobolds readily struggle against impossible odds or unconquerable foes simply to buy time or coordinate a diversion. The needs of the tribe outweigh the continued existence of any one kobold. This is not to say that kobolds needlessly throw their lives away; they value their lives no less than any other creature, retreating when necessary.

Kobolds are intimately aware of both their shortcomings and their strengths. Small and weak, they use numbers to aid in bringing down a larger foe. They employ their speed to divide enemies, set up flanking maneuvers, and create hit-and-run assaults. Clever and inventive, they safeguard their homes with cruelly ingenious traps, using tight spaces and passages through which only creatures of their size can travel easily. If all seems lost, kobolds throw themselves bravely at an enemy, hoping beyond hope to stop it.

This selfless behavior carries over into everyday life. Expansion of the tribe is more important than personal accomplishments, and any personal accomplishments should advance the tribe. Success of the tribe is personal success.

It is only through vast population, however, that a tribe can hope to thrive and become wealthy. So, kobolds shamelessly reproduce. Impersonal mating is commonplace, with females choosing mates by practical measures instead of influences such as love or lust. While kobolds do form bonding relationships, the idea of sexual monogamy is alien to them. Kobolds desire to spread their kind everywhere, and the inability of one warren to contain a tribe’s population is celebrated. Part of the old tribe breaks off to expand into new territory.

Frequent overcrowding in their lairs has permanently erased the concept of privacy from kobolds’ lives. Sleeping quarters are shared, with children having the least privacy. In most tribes (except for newly split-off groups), not enough room exists to comfortably accommodate everyone, and only the hardest-working members of a tribe are afforded any degree of personal space.

Lack of privacy has also resulted in the absence of modesty. Kobolds are not self-conscious about nudity, whether in the presence of the same or the opposite sex. They still wear clothing for protection and decoration, but clothing is not seen as essential.

Living in such close quarters means conflict is always a possibility. Kobolds don’t hide their feelings, instead quarreling openly when they need to. When emotions run high, kobolds express themselves immediately and without holding back. Despite the intensity of such displays, they rarely turn lethal because the proximity of other kobolds prevents such interactions from taking place discreetly. In this way, all problems are dealt with before they can fester and grow.

Kobolds aren’t as forgiving of other races. They have long memories and are not quick to pardon, nurturing hatred like a favorite child groomed for a specific purpose. Most kobolds wait until their enemy has been brought low by circumstance—or better still, by clandestine kobold interference - before delivering a decisive and premeditated reprisal. In short, kobolds love revenge.

Roleplaying Application

Realizing that free will and instinct fight for dominance in every kobold is perhaps the most important step in understanding the race’s psychology. Where does your kobold character fall between those extremes? Do you focus less on tribal preservation and more on yourself? Is your demeanor quiet and introspective, or do you fl aunt your dragon heritage? How strong is your sense of duty and work ethic when away from the tribe? Do you pursue your own interests at the expense of others? Does the intimacy of living in close quarters appeal to you, or are you happier when afforded some space? How do you behave when living among nonkobolds? Do you respect their standards of privacy, or are you oblivious to their need for solitude? How do you express your emotions to nonkobolds?

Source: Dungeons and Dragons - Races of the Dragon

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Kobold Life

Kobolds are ingrained with certain behaviors. Subterranean and insular, kobold culture has had little influence from the outside. Nevertheless, kobolds have habits similar to those of other humanoid races.


Arts and Crafts
“Even tall ones are shorter than I am,
when they’re flat on their backs in a hole filled with spikes.”
—Irthos, master trapmaker

Among kobolds, traps are an art form. Few artisans are as obsessed with the minute details of their work as a master kobold trapmaker. These creatures revel in the intricacies of their inventions. Kobolds rarely indulge in creativity over function, but exceptions are made for a cunning trap.

One-upmanship is definitely present among kobold trapmakers. They find ingenious ways to incorporate bizarre spells, technological advances, and unexpected twists into their traps. In fact, the inventive ways in which kobolds defend their lairs compares favorably to the technological and magical marvels created by their hated foes, the gnomes.

Kobolds take great pride in designing their warrens. Digging a labyrinth or a mine is no offhand matter, with careful planning of a layout taking place before excavation begins. To aid in this process, kobolds use divination magic to identify the location of large ore or precious stone deposits before a single shaft is dug. Whenever possible, kobolds leave no part of mine construction
to guesswork, allowing them to concentrate on both functionality and appearance.

One part of every kobold lair is reserved for historical depictions of the tribe’s mythic genesis, including all the difficulties encountered
and overcome. Because personal dwellings are also mined, every family is expected to hew out space for itself, which it similarly engraves and inlays with symbols of events significant to its history.

Kobolds’ craftsmanship of everyday objects is neither crude nor exceptional. They excel at making useful objects rather than beautiful artworks. The only time kobolds invest any extra effort into their craftsmanship (aside from mine layouts and trapmaking) is for jewelry.

Kobolds love jewelry, and individuals can be exceedingly particular in their tastes. Such jewelry is often crafted from an exotic array of colored metals, either mined from veins of rare ore or using different minerals smelted together to create new and unique amalgams. Kobolds are more than a little materialistic when it comes to accumulating baubles and trinkets, not unlike dragons and their hoards.

Although far less common than sorcerers, kobold bards are also valuable members of the tribe, acting as the keepers of lore. Kobolds rarely sing, so kobold bards are masters of various percussion and wind instruments. Percussion provides a rhythm for work and can be used to send messages over distances. Wind instruments can also sound across expanses, but some can serve to calm the mind and provide a soothing background for workers.


Magic and Technology
“You don’t know what hard work is until you’ve seen a kobold mine in full swing.”
—Morent Wolfstone, dwarf adventurer, head of clan mining.


On a theoretical level, kobolds draw very little distinction between magic and technology. They use muscle and tools to move and shape their surroundings and to defend themselves, and they use magic to do the same. Magic and technology are complementary disciplines with practical applications. No wise kobold leader fails to invest in both.

Kobolds are a hardworking race, easily rivaling dwarves for productivity. What they lack in physical strength, they more than make up for with numbers. Kobold labor forces are a marvel to behold. When fast at work, kobolds function like a hive of ants. Despite the swarming masses of bodies devoted to one task, they rarely trip over each other, instinctively knowing where to apply their help most efficiently, using their tails to help avoid collisions.

This work ethic permeates every level of magical and technological advancement in kobold society. From planning to execution, kobolds work competently and with amazing speed.

Alchemy is known to kobolds. Their most widespread invention is a domestic one, a time-honored creation known as bitterleaf oil (see page 122, Races of the Dragon). Adult kobolds use this concoction to keep their scales healthy and shiny (with the additional benefit of delaying periodic shedding, as mentioned earlier). Bitterleaf oil also comes in handy for healing purposes, minimizing scarring from minor wounds. Kobold miners, who endure daily cuts and bruises, appreciate this substance immensely.

Curiously, kobolds have a near-fatalistic attraction for volatile chemicals. When dense stones obstruct mining, kobolds reduce them to rubble with explosives they call ditherbombs (see page 122, Races of the Dragon). Ditherbombs are also used in war and in trapmaking.


Searching for the Dragon

At the start of every day, before the work of mining begins, the entire tribe comes together in a large, usually rough-hewn and unfinished community hall. Each kobold chooses a place on the floor, closes his or her eyes, and casts the mind inward, embracing the wellspring of kobold heritage. The silence and stillness of a tribal meditation is awe-inspiring. One can hear drafts blowing in the empty tunnels and an unattended fire crackling in the distance.

This daily meditation lasts for at least 15 minutes and is known as Searching for the Dragon. Sorcerers prepare themselves to cast spells, and nonsorcerers take advantage of this time to be alone with their thoughts. Those who undertake the Draconic Rite of Passage (see below) find that the Searching for the Dragon ritual is a vital part of their daily lives.

Draconic Rite of Passage
The Draconic Rite of Passage awakens the sorcerous power within the blood of kobolds.

Prerequisites: Only kobolds can undergo the Draconic Rite of Passage. A kobold requires no one else to perform the rite; it is a solitary activity.

Benefit: Upon completing this rite, a kobold chooses any 1st-level sorcerer spell. He can now use that spell once per day as a spell-like ability, using his character level as his caster level. Each day, a kobold must complete the Searching for the Dragon meditation (see above) in order to recharge this spell-like ability for the day. No kobold can benefit from this rite more than once.

Time: A kobold who undergoes this rite must first endure nine days of fasting. Immediately thereafter, the kobold must succeed on a DC 10 Concentration check to enter a deep trance that lasts for 24 hours. If the check fails, the rite must begin anew.

Cost: This rite requires sacrificing a gem of at least 100 gp in value. The kobold also permanently loses 1 hit point upon completion of the rite.


Love

Kobolds put great energy and care into fostering kobold wyrmlings. Few experiences are more gratifying to an adult kobold than being treated as a model for the life of a young kobold.

Kobold adults go out of their way to encourage juveniles who show promise, to steep them in the traditions of kobold culture. Kobolds teach using simple instruction and swift punishment in case of error or failure. Punishment is often physical in nature, though usually geared toward causing instructive pain rather than injury.

Next to children, kobolds love work—and by natural extension, their tribe—more than anything else. For a kobold, work defi nes life, filling her with a sense of belonging and purpose. Even young kobolds exhibit this feeling as they start to mimic working adults early in their lives. A kobold who does not lend a hand is useless and threatened with exile.

Kobolds only rarely engage in any activity resembling romantic love. Most find their communal life among tribe members satisfying enough. A kobold can live her whole life without forming a bond to any sort of significant other. This doesn’t mean that kobolds are asexual. They mate regularly. The impulse for doing so, however, is mostly instinct tempered with a sense of duty. All kobolds desire to keep their tribe fortified with as many healthy young as can be fed and housed.

Kobolds who form an emotional attachment to another kobold are drawn to that one out of mutual respect and increased productivity. The potential partners often meet because of having to work with one another, and then find that they work better jointly than they did alone. As such, kobolds who don’t work together only rarely become romantically involved.

Kobolds who are attached in this manner take an oath to serve and care for one another, each becoming the other’s “chosen one.” The would-be couple’s all-watcher (see Society and Culture, below) must approve the match, and with that done, a priest witnesses the oaths and blesses the joining. Such unions are rarely monogamous, because both sexes are still compelled by mating instincts and are likely to succumb to those influences if separated from one another for long. Since sex itself has little emotional value to kobolds, these extramarital liaisons create no friction between couples.

Couples who bond together in this way are provided with personal living quarters if their status and contributions to the tribe merit such a privilege. Usually, the all-watcher allocates an area that the couple must then excavate.


Kobolds at War

In times of warfare, all adults are expected to fight, but patrolling warbands exist to protect kobold lairs. These warriors are also responsible for trap maintenance, resetting devices that have been sprung and replacing broken or expended parts.

Kobolds have one of the highest birth rates among the humanoid races, causing their population to grow on a regular basis. When a warren can no longer sustain a tribe’s numbers, the population divides in half, with each half including representatives from every part of kobold society. The two halves become much smaller but still complete kobold tribes. One of the newly formed tribes then migrates far enough away that both groups of kobolds do not compete for the same resources.

This expansionist cycle usually heralds a time of war for kobolds, especially in crowded regions with several neighboring races. If unoccupied lands cannot be found, a wandering kobold tribe encroaches into gnome territory first. If the coming confl ict is known of ahead of time, the parent tribe aids the migrating tribe in the war.

When taking the offensive, kobolds prefer ranged weapons, delaying melee combat indefi nitely if possible. Most kobold warriors are able slingers; others specialize in hit-and-run tactics with light crossbows. Only strong kobolds use shortbows.

Kobolds like to improvise traps on the battlefield. A popular tactic is to create a shallow moat of pitch behind the fi rst few lines of warriors, wait until the enemy draws close, and then suddenly fall back, igniting the moat and turning it into a wall of fire. Kobolds then shoot through the flames at short range. The enemy must either drive through the flames and face ranged attacks at the same time or fall back, allowing the kobolds to maintain the battle from a distance.

When it comes to melee, kobolds are trained to use reach weapons, which keeps a healthy space between them and their opponents. Once armies are within melee range of each other, kobolds commonly rely on spears, either charging with the weapons outstretched or setting them into the ground to receive a charging enemy. When this defensive posture fails, kobolds simply push forward from behind, forcing wave upon wave of spearwielding warriors against the enemy.

Specialized melee combatants are rare among kobolds, but they’re easily distinguished by the chitin armor (see page 121, Races of the Dragon) they wear. Particularly strong and brave kobolds become dire weasel riders. These few form the light cavalry in a kobold army.

For sieges, kobolds use rolling ballistae and light catapults. Crossbow-wielding troops protect siege engines, supported by slingers. Sorcerers defend strategic positions, while the most capable of the spellcasters become living artillery. Kobold military leaders also use ditherbombs (see page 122, Races of the Dragon) to break through enemy barricades and fortifications.

Kobolds believe that no obstacle exists that can’t be defeated by strength of numbers. They are one of the few races that strikes fear into their enemies not due to combat prowess, but rather because of the suffocating wave of bodies they can muster. A kobold army is a pounding onslaught of flailing weapons, hurling itself against supposedly impenetrable defenses until those defenses crack, buckle, and break. This time-honored tactic, although completely devoid of elegance, has been the turning point in more than one battle, shifting the balance of a stalemate in the kobolds’ favor and winning the day. To that end, kobold commanding officers plan for and accept a large number of casualties among their troops.

Although capable of holding their own on a battleground, kobolds do not willingly engage in large-scale warfare, doing so only as necessary when a tribe divides and migrates. Kobolds much prefer to operate in warbands around an established lair, defending their lands with a dizzying array of traps that minimizes their need to engage in melee combat. For this reason, they have never developed a strategic approach to warfare and often withdraw when a battle starts to become prolonged.

Kobolds see no profi t in long military engagements and would rather cut their losses by retreating. The only time a roaming kobold tribe makes a final stand is when its back is truly against a wall, lacking either the resources to travel farther or a nearby region in which to settle.


Death

In addition to having one of the highest birth rates, kobolds have one of the highest mortality rates of any humanoid race. This latter statistic can be deceptive, however. Kobolds who remain in a lair and never migrate with a newly formed tribe can enjoy lives well into great wyrm age (past 120 years).

The body of any deceased kobold is considered waste material and incinerated immediately. No preferential treatment is given to the body of any member of kobold society, no matter how important her position. Many members of other cultures fi nd this approach callous, but they fail to grasp the underlying motivation. Kobolds place no emphasis on the body, attaching far more importance to their belief in a cycle of reincarnation.

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 hatched, the resultant wyrmling is groomed to fill a position of importance, if not the position of the recently deceased kobold. Such wyrmlings are given the name of their predecessor in some form.

When a tribe is wiped out, kobolds believe that Kurtulmak distributes the souls of the deceased to other tribes.

If a kobold dies while serving her own needs rather than those of the tribe, Kurtulmak reincarnates her as the next pup born in the dire weasel stables—she becomes a domesticated animal unable to choose whether to serve.

Kobolds who die betraying their tribe are reincarnated as giant stag beetles, which kobolds hunt for chitinous armor.

The greatest glory a kobold can gain is to die not only in service to her tribe, but also in a manner that involves sacrificing her life for the tribe’s greater good. Kurtulmak welcomes such brave kobolds into his own mine to boost the ranks of the kobolds already toiling within. Kobolds hold that the most loyal and productive among Kurtulmak’s laborers are eventually reincarnated as chromatic dragons.

With every type of death comes an obvious lesson: Kobolds should serve their tribe above all else. As a byproduct of this outlook, kobolds spend almost no time mourning their dead and remain focused on their assigned tasks.

Source: Dungeons and Dragons - Races of the Dragon

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Society and Culture

Kobold society is strongest when work is abundant. The bustle of a kobold lair when a new vein of metal or deposit of precious stones has been unearthed is energized and high-spirited. This is the beating heart of kobold culture - the acquisition and processing of wealth deep beneath the ground. When it comes right down to it, kobolds and dragons both suffer from an inexplicable and almost pathological materialism.

The challenge for a leader is to make every kobold feel that she is benefi ting from and contributing to the wealth of her tribe, rather than simply working for the sake of working. Kobolds earn positions based on merit, with no arbitrary system of social classes to prevent advancement. Aristocrat and commoner nonplayer character classes do not exist in kobold society. A tribe is largely made up of experts and warriors, with adepts supervising the mining operations.

Roleplaying Application: Kobolds are intimately familiar with every aspect of their society. Figuring out how your kobold fits into this culture can further define your character. Are you descended from the working majority or the expert specialists? Were you chosen during a Searching for the Dragon ritual and trained as a sorcerer, or were you born into a position of status and importance within the tribe?


All-Watcher

A kobold all-watcher is the leader of her tribe and the accountant of the tribe’s accumulated wealth. In addition to approving “chosen one” bonds and arbitrating matters of betrayal and exile, an all-watcher is concerned with the dispersal of wealth generated by the mines. This duty not only involves allocating wealth among the tribe’s major groups, but also deciding how resources should be spent to strengthen the tribe’s position in the world.

Experts offer a steady stream of proposals for augmenting the tribe’s lair and expanding influence. Kobold scholars, priests, and arcane spellcasters similarly propose areas where kobold knowledge and power can be increased to lucrative effect. Military commanders recommend feasible and beneficial engagements. A kobold all-watcher must weigh all these options and choose where to devote assets.

Beyond these responsibilities, an all-watcher must be an unyielding taskmaster. She must set deadlines for projects and allocate workers to them to ensure their timely completion. Most all-watchers are also capable sorcerers.


Specialists

Kobold experts are the specialists of kobold labor forces. Such individuals are responsible for development and research in a kobold tribe. Despite having specialized skills, kobold experts are treated the same as any other worker. They enjoy different challenges than a miner might but are expected to serve the tribe like any other member.

Kobolds instructed by tribal sorcerers are directed into one of four areas of magic—augmenting, offensive, pragmatic, or preemptive. One out of every four sorcerers studies augmenting magic, designed to shore up kobold weaknesses and give them greater stealth. Spells such as enlarge person, bull’s strength, and haste are common choices for the augmenting sorcerer. Three out of every four sorcerers become offensive magicians, focusing on damaging targets from far away, using spells such as magic missile, flaming sphere, and fireball.

Two out of every three offensive sorcerers become pragmatic arcane casters, concentrating on every day work and mining in particular, focusing their efforts on effects such as fabricate, locate object, stone shape, and transmute rock to mud. One out of every two augmenting sorcerers is eventually directed toward preemptive magic, looking for impending threats to the tribe with spells such as arcane eye, detect scrying, and scrying.


Kobold Merchants

Kobold merchants are the most independent-minded members of a tribe, and for good reason. They spend more time above ground than any other kobolds, negotiating with other tribes and some other races. Kobold merchants are the face of a kobold tribe in the world, and that face is one they prefer to disguise.

When delivering goods to a customer, kobold merchants magically pose as members of other races, hiding behind glamors and illusions. Kobold tribes aren’t ashamed of their interactions with other races, but they prefer to operate in secrecy to protect themselves. Because of this, most trading partners are ignorant of the fact that they’re dealing with kobolds, which is a testament to the guile of kobold merchants.

Since kobold merchants are independent and allowed to operate in other societies, one sometimes goes rogue. In developing multiple connections with powerful leaders outside their tribes, kobold merchants find it easy to corrupt their warrior escorts with promises of wealth. The break starts small but could lead to the merchant starting a new mine, creating her own base of profit.

Clever kobold merchants time their plans to coincide with a population explosion in their original tribe. When the kobold populace finally divides in half, the merchant already has a location picked out, ready and waiting to be mined, over which she serves as all-watcher.

This type of self-interest actually works out well for all involved. Insightful all-watchers deliberately choose kobolds with individualistic tendencies and leadership potential to become merchants for their tribe. Thereby, prospective troublemakers are kept out of daily tribal life, and the likelihood of successful kobold proliferation is increased.


Workers

Most kobold workers are miners, the group that makes up the vast majority of any tribe. Kobold miners have levels in the expert class (DMG pg 109).

The trick to leading kobold workers is to let them lead themselves. Left to their devices, kobolds from every profession embrace their daily rituals and motivate themselves to work. If a decision needs to be made and a cleric of Kurtulmak is not around to make it, kobolds either find a way to stay busy or make the decision collectively.

For instance, a kobold mine is extensively discussed and illustrated before construction begins. A simplified form of the layout is put on public display, and overseeing clergy draw up detailed plans. Miners wondering what to do next can consult either. Those most experienced at following design plans lead the work effort, allowing the rest to follow with or without the direction of a priest.


This independence empowers kobold workers, because they know their opinions and the opinions of their respected colleagues are trusted. Living in a society with no defined social structure, but a heavily defi ned working schedule, furthers the self-esteem of all kobolds.


Family Bonds

Since most females mate many times and with many partners to ensure fertilization, no one devotes any effort to monitoring which couplings are responsible for which eggs. Kobolds instinctively know their blood relatives by subtle scent and avoid mating with them, since such unions are sterile. To further blur the lines of family, all kobold females lay their eggs in one area of the tribe’s lair, resuming their duties immediately after laying.

Specific individuals, known as fosterers, are responsible for tending and warming eggs. Many of these kobolds are also strong warriors, so that they can guard the eggs and young effectively.

Wyrmling kobolds are initially named and cared for by the fosterers. When they can move nimbly and feed themselves (at the age of eight to twelve months), young kobolds enter tribal life and become the responsibility of all adults. Young are given minor responsibilities, nurturing their work ethic and self-esteem.

At about three years of age, juvenile kobolds undertake training in a profession suited to them and the tribe’s needs. They become part of a group already doing such work. This communal approach to raising children ingrains important lessons into the mind of every growing kobold. She learns to take action and to help without being asked. Her value is tied to what she gives to her tribe, and her life is connected with the lives of her fellow tribe members.

Kobolds treat their tribe as an extended family wherein professionals group together to accomplish needed tasks. The familiarity engendered by these professional groups comes the closest to resembling an actual family by the standards of humans and other, similar humanoids. These professional families live together for the sake of centralization and efficiency. Kobolds find a sense of belonging in this microcosm of tribal life.


Kobolds and Other Races

Kobolds dislike other humanoid races. They are isolationists who see others as a threat, and they surround their lairs with traps to keep outsiders at bay. Kobolds also have a persecution complex, taking offense from simple misunderstandings. When kobolds do interact with other races, they do so with a chip on their collective shoulders, sensitive to even the smallest disrespect. As lawful evil creatures with a love for revenge, kobolds respond to perceived insults with actions rather than words, often blindsiding the offenders.

This paranoia and oversensitivity means kobolds often enter confl icts where none need have occurred. Other races regard kobolds suspiciously at best, since more than one diplomat has never returned from kobold-held territory. Kobolds’ antisocial behavior becomes raw hatred in the presence of fey or gnomes. Those who enjoy good relations with those races rarely have any love for kobolds.

Dragonborn: The kobolds’ view of the dragonborn is that of suspicion tempered by grudging respect. It is difficult for kobolds to overlook the fact that dragonborn were not born with the dragon within them. The touch of Bahamut elevates the dragonborn above their unfortunate nondragon origins, but it is difficult for a kobold to wholly forget a dragonborn’s origins, especially when that dragonborn was formerly a gnome. Still, kobolds have been known to cooperate with dragonborn on occasion, when their goals coincide.

Dragon-Descended: Kobolds view the dragon-descended races with almost the same reverence that they reserve for dragons, particularly when they encounter a half-dragon. While no kobold tribe would consent to devote itself to any but the most exceptional and charismatic half-dragon, it would still be willing to go out of its way to help out any half-dragon or draconic character, regardless of what that character’s dragon heritage is.

Dwarves: Dwarves and kobolds are competitors for resources in the underground world. As such, they perceive each other as enemies and frequently butt heads over subterranean claims. The dwarves’ close ties to gnomes do not improve their relationship with kobolds, since dwarves frequently ally with or champion gnomes in battle against kobold tribes. While dwarves and kobolds don’t always attack each other the way gnomes and kobolds do, both sides need very little provocation to start a fi ght. On the other hand, if dwarves and kobolds end up working together through circumstance, they discover a common work ethic, which has forged respectful friendships.

Elves: Elves bear far too much resemblance to fey for kobolds to trust them. Kobolds acknowledge that the history of elves is long, like the history of true dragons, and that elves have arcane power, albeit learned from books. These facts lead kobolds to afford elves a small degree of respect. On very rare occasions, elves and kobolds even swap lore about arcane magic. Elves bring a wealth of knowledge to these discussions. Kobolds, whose lives are fleeting by comparison, offer the recorded history of their draconic heritage.

Gnomes: If kobolds love one thing, it’s seeing a gnome beg for his miserable life. They despise gnomes, and the feeling is mutual. The two races barely manage civility toward each other even under optimal diplomatic conditions. Despite how well she may hide it, a part of every kobold is constantly looking for a dagger whenever a gnome is present. This racial hatred seems to have stemmed from the injustice heaped on Kurtulmak by Garl Glittergold (see The Ascension of Kurtulmak, page 50, Races of the Dragon). For as long as that legend has been told, both races have committed atrocities against each other. If gnomes and kobolds are ever in proximity to one another without fighting, it’s only because each side is taking the time to plan a decisive assault.

Half-Dragons: Half-dragons are fascinating and enviable creatures, but kobolds assess each individual half-dragon on its own merit, taking specific interest in its draconic heritage. A half-gnome half-dragon is an abomination to be destroyed, lest it continue to pollute the draconic bloodline, while other half-dragons receive some degree of reverence. Dragon disciples, who come into their dragon powers through sorcery, are also a curiosity to kobolds.

Half-Elves: Kobolds see half-elves for what they are - the product of an uncommon union between elf and human, nothing more. Kobolds regard half-elves as social creatures that try to facilitate communication between different races. If kobolds were ever to trust nonkobolds with the task of representing their interests (not likely), they would probably rely upon half-elves.

Half-Orcs: Kobolds perceive orcs as disorganized, ill-bred warmongers and associate half-orcs with their fullblooded cousins. Orcs are too unpredictable to trust on any level, but kobolds are not above selling metal and goods to orc armies. Dealing with orcs during such a transaction,
however, is out of the question. A half-orc representative must broker such trade pacts. While kobolds see half-orcs as the most reasonable members of orc society, the reverse perception holds when dealing with half-orcs from human lands. Only a half-orc who speaks Draconic can earn any real regard from kobolds.

Halflings: Kobolds hate fey, and the pleasant demeanor of halflings reminds them of such creatures. This is not a fair assessment of halflings, but kobolds indulge their suspicion of other races first, especially races with possible ties to gnomes. Beneath the judgmental eye of kobolds, halflings are duplicitous creatures constantly looking for ways to exploit others. The fact that no self-respecting halfling rogue would, honestly speaking, disagree with this assessment only feeds the kobold opinion. The two races can find common ground in trapmaking.

Humans: Humans are mysterious to kobolds, sometimes enemies and sometimes friends. Kobolds realized long ago not only that human behavior couldn’t be easily predicted, but also that humans apply energy and conviction to whatever they do. If humans weren’t so numerous and ubiquitous, kobolds would avoid them. Since that isn’t possible, kobolds test the waters of nearby human populations to determine whether they are friends or foes.

Spellscales: Despite being obviously descended from dragons, spellscales find themselves the object of exasperation and disgust on the part of kobolds. Kobolds view spellscales as chaotic, selfish individuals who drift aimlessly, squandering their birthright. The only exception to this outlook is held by kobold sorcerers, whose annoyance is tempered by their respect for the sorcerous power that spellscale sorcerers hold. Being in the same place as a spellscale for any length of time, however, is a trying experience for any kobold.

True Dragons: The body and soul of any kobold is dedicated to dragons, whether literally or figuratively. Kobolds search for the dragon in themselves, and they pledge themselves to the dragon in their rites of passage. In the presence of an actual dragon, kobolds are servile, doing anything required of them. Kobolds see dragons as older and wiser kin and cultural heroes. Kurtulmak is the kobold deity, but dragons represent a tangible glory that Kurtulmak cannot provide.

Roleplaying Application: How do kobold preconceptions affect your kobold character’s mindset and prejudices? Are you naturally suspicious of other races, or do you keep an open mind? Do you share in kobold hatred for all gnomes or wish to end the cycle of retribution? Will you serve dragons, or do you act independently from them?


History and Folklore

Finding traces of ancient kobold settlements has always been difficult. When kobolds exhaust the resources of a mine, they abandon it, taking everything of value with them. Left behind is only an empty lair, rich with kobold history etched into the walls. Kobolds are excellent recordkeepers, engraving the events of their lives into the walls of every new lair, regardless of how many times they migrate from one location to the next.

Kobolds’ abandoned mines are eventually occupied by roaming creatures that turn such lairs into their homes, making exploration dangerous. Subterranean races have also been known to gut old kobold lairs, knocking down walls and reshaping the interior. Archeologists have even discovered traces of kobold history engraved into the corridors of ancient dwarf strongholds.

Kobolds have a scattered history, turning up in isolated regions with absolutely no historical connection to the place. Even taking the nomadic nature of kobolds into account, moving from one mine to the next in search of additional metals and precious stones, early kobolds could not have achieved the widespread dispersal their current whereabouts seem to indicate. For this reason, some sages see divine agency or draconic influence in the common kobold.

Roleplaying Application: Every kobold is familiar with the history of her tribe, but how much inspiration does your kobold character draw from her ancestors? Do you steep yourself in time-honored stories or intend to make legends of your own? Are you informed about the lessons learned by previous generations or determined to learn from your own mistakes? Do you emulate any historic kobold figures or try to set a new standard for other kobolds to follow?


Language

Kobolds speak a version of Draconic, inherited directly from true dragons. The written form of Draconic was developed long after the spoken version, but not by dragons, who have little need to write. The recorded history of kobolds chronicles their relationship to dragons throughout the ages. This history began with paintings, gave way to pictograms, and gradually developed into the runic script of Draconic still used today.

Elf scholars have objectively connected the creation of Draconic runes to kobolds rather than dwarves, as was previously thought. These runes have a link to dragons from many millennia ago, when kobolds split off from dragons either through arcane meddling or divine will.

Regardless of their true origins, it is widely believed that the earliest kobolds served dragons, learning dragon ways. This education included instruction in a variety of Draconic dialects and accents. When kobolds became independent, forming new tribes and lairs for themselves, they took the Draconic language with them.

As these early, self-suffidcient kobolds interacted with each other, either for conquest or survival, their inherited Draconic dialects mingled. These dialects gradually became the amalgamated form of Draconic spoken by many kobolds today. Kobold sorcerers learn how to speak true Draconic, which requires much more exacting pronunciation.


Settlements

Whether or not a kobold tribe enjoys prosperity, its numbers invariably swell. Tribes try to accommodate their growing populace by mining out additional living quarters and enduring cramped conditions, but eventually population overtakes space. The all-watcher then announces that the tribe must split.

This decree marks a time of celebration for kobolds. It means that the tribe can expand into new lands, spreading the influence of kobolds even farther and relieving overcrowding.

The tribe divides the population evenly, allocating representatives from every profession necessary to maintain a new kobold lair. The departing group includes a large number of young adults with the vigor to create a new living space from the wilderness. Older and more experienced kobolds might join the new tribe later on, but only after construction is well under way.

A new kobold lair must contain large veins of metal or significant deposits of precious stones, preferably both. Not content to leave fi nding such a place to chance, kobolds rely on sorcerers and priests to identify a suitable locale for a new warren.

Kobolds never start mining a new lair until a profitable site has been found. Such spots are scouted out well in advance of a wandering tribe embarking on their exodus. Scouts note potential competitors and other dangers, determining the need for war. Common locations include mountains with lush valleys or natural rock formations near rivers. Natural caverns are also good, especially if the cavern provides ample shelter without modification.


The Kobold Economy
“Good friends are reliable, close family members stand by your side,
and a well-chosen mate might die to protect you,
but only a kobold tribe serves without fail.”
—Vignarthurkear,
a blue dragon giving advice to one of her hatchlings.

Kobolds have been keeping a secret about themselves for untold millennia: They’re rich. Not just rich as in having a good year at the diamond mine, but as in huge, cascading mountains of gold. They have been wealthy for a very long time. The obvious question asks, “If kobolds are so rich, then where is all their gold?” The answer to that is not that difficult to fathom—kobold treasures line the beds of dragons, the kobolds’ greatest allies.

Dragons and kobolds have been immutably linked since there fi rst were dragons and kobolds. One sprang from the other. Dragons love precious metals and gems, and kobolds are the most industrious of humanoids when it comes to extracting such things from the earth. Some kobold tribes
even mint gold coins with a likeness of the dragon they serve. Not even dwarves can compete with their productivity.

As neighboring peoples discovered the kobolds’ penchant for mining and the kobolds discovered a demand for their skills, the little reptiles quickly became suppliers for realms that have no desire to do business with dwarves. Kobolds have been quietly underselling dwarves ever since, thanks to disguised and glamered kobold merchants. As their network of business connections grew, these merchants eventually established their own tribes, becoming all-watchers themselves. The kobold cycle of wealth is thereby sustained.

The functioning of the kobold economy gives kobolds power on two fronts. First, kobold tribes that provide wealth to dragons gain status among those dragons as if they were dragons themselves. Second, once civilizations become dependent on kobolds for metal, that region is usually less of a threat to kobold existence and becomes a tool in kobold schemes.

Source: Dungeons and Dragons - Races of the Dragon

[sandcastles]

Kobold Religion and Mythology

Religion

Kobolds have no time for organized religious ceremonies, but they are pious despite their preoccupation with work. Hard work is worship to a kobold, and action on behalf of the tribe is a prayer for success.

Still, every kobold lair includes one or two temples to Kurtulmak, limited only by spatial confi nes and mining priorities. These temples serve as housing for clerics and adepts and as storage places for the tribe’s important treasures, not as congregating halls for sermons or worship. Clergy must travel to the flock, and clerics oversee workers and provide support and admonishments to keep going. In this way, religion helps to maintain productivity. Priests help kobolds affirm their devotion through living by the ideals of hard work and sacrifice.

Primarily, dutiful kobolds prove their worth through steadfast dedication to their tribe. In this regard, kobolds who work to exhaustion are considered upstanding role models. Kobolds who willingly suffer injury so that the daily work can continue without interruption are treated with praise as zealous disciples. Finally, kobolds who sacrifi ce their lives to facilitate the tribe’s success are remembered as folk heroes (the equivalent of saints).

Every kobold mining crew includes at least one adept whose constant presence is meant to keep kobolds strictly motivated. Adepts also serve as onsite physicians, healing and treating workers’ injuries. Kobold adepts and clerics move among the workers, divinely bolstering stamina where needed. For this reason, kobold adepts replace animal trance with lesser restoration and daylight with create food and water on their spell lists.

Besides supervising mining operations, kobold clergy also look after the eggs and wyrmlings thought to be reincarnations of distinguished kobolds. On a ritualistic level, kobold clerics receive the vows of kobolds selected by instructors to become lifelong sorcerers. Kobolds worship Kurtulmak, but individual tribes and kobolds might venerate another dragon deity. See Dragon Deities, beginning on page 149, Races of the Dragon, for more on draconic divinities.


Kurtulmak
The Horned Sorcerer, Steelscale, Stingtail, Watcher
Intermediate Deity

Symbol: Gnome skull
Home Plane: Baator
Alignment: Lawful evil
Portfolio: Kobolds, trapmaking, mining, war
Worshipers: Kobolds
Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE
Domains: Evil, Law, Luck, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Spear

Kurtulmak is the god of kobolds, distinguished by his large size, mottled scales, and long tail tipped with a dreadful stinger. Kurtulmak encourages his followers to win battles by any means, retreat to fight another day, and to mete out revenge on every enemy, regardless of how long that retribution takes to achieve. Kurtulmak has hated gnomes ever since Garl Glittergold collapsed a mine on him (see The Ascension of Kurtulmak, page 50, Races of the Dragon).

Cleric Training

Kurtulmak’s clerics begin their careers as miners, learning how to appreciate the kobold work ethic. Kobolds who regularly sustain injuries while mining are selected to become adepts or clerics (before they end up getting killed on the job). Such clerics train under military discipline, learning doctrines for defending and leading the kobold race.


Quests

Any task that furthers the power of the kobolds and their propagation is a holy undertaking. Kurtulmak’s followers find suitable locations for new lairs and mines to accommodate swelling populations. Kurtulmak directs such expansions to push into gnome territories whenever possible, dealing the maximum number of casualties to the kobolds’ racial enemy.


Prayers

Kurtulmak’s prayers have a rhythmic quality to them that can be easily recited while swinging a pickaxe into the ground. Many of them also contain references to dragons and reptiles, such as “O Watcher, I slither before your scaly majesty.” Prayers to the Horned Sorcerer can also take the form of battle cries and promises of revenge. (“By the point of Kurtulmak’s spear and the tip of his poisonous tail, I will see every member of your family perish.”) Kobolds evoke the name of Kurtulmak when facing daunting odds or difficult situations.


Temples

Kurtulmak’s temples are carved out of earth and solely used to house adepts, clerics, and the tribe’s most valuable treasures. Not surprisingly, these temples are protected with small, twisting tunnels and a staggering array of deadly traps.


Rites

Kurtulmak guides the souls of hard-working kobolds back to their original lair for reincarnation. His coming-of-age ceremonies involve crafting and defeating traps.

Herald and Allies

Kurtulmak’s herald is a fiendish kobold 5th-level cleric/5th-level sorcerer/10th-level mystic theurge. His allies are horned devils, pit fiends, and salamanders.

Mythic Origin

While Kurtulmak is reputed to be a mortal ascended to divinity, kobolds credit Io, the Ninefold Dragon, with their creation. It is told that when Io first created true dragons, they were originally immortal gods, less powerful than Io but much like him. To make each one of his creations distinct, Io gave each a different aspect of his personality. These divine dragons rarely got along, pursuing only one goal in common - the acquisition of material wealth.

The true dragons quickly realized they lacked the power to manipulate creation in all the ways necessary to accomplish their goals, and they petitioned Io for aid. Io, being an impartial god, would not play favorites with his creations and gave each dragon the same choice. He taught them how to create life by giving up a piece of themselves, but he warned that in so doing, they would permanently be rendered mortal and eventually die. The life they created, however, would serve their
desires without fail.

Perhaps not yet wise enough to appreciate their divine existence, the dragons accepted the knowledge Io offered and departed for the world below. They took up residence in widely separate lands. There, the true dragons did as Io instructed, each severing a single limb. Not only did each limb start growing back immediately, but the severed part also grew into an adult dragon. The original true dragons thereby gained mates.

Furthermore, wherever the dragons’ blood had spilled, little creatures began to emerge out of the ground with alert, crimson eyes, already looking up at their creators for guidance. Thus were kobolds born, witnesses to the moments during which the immortality of the true dragons slipped away.


Legends

Kobolds record their histories in writing. Kobold priests and bards are expected to remember and document kobold stories, usually by engraving such tales into the walls of tribal lairs. The only place myths are spoken aloud with any frequency is in the hatchery, where kobold wyrmlings are educated on their culture and their racial history.


The Ascension of Kurtulmak

The most venerated kobold legend is the origin and ascension of Kurtulmak. While the particulars of the story vary from tribe to tribe, a popular version is related below.

When Io gave the secret of creation to the true dragons, the first dragon to put that ritual into practice was Caesinsjach, a green dragon. The fi rst kobold to take form out of her blood was Kurtulmak.

From the beginning, Kurtulmak was much larger than any of his kin. For this reason, Caesinsjach always commanded her kobolds through Kurtulmak. As a result, the towering kobold naturally ascended to a position of leadership.

When Caesinsjach told the kobolds to mine for precious metals, Kurtulmak invented a pickaxe. When Caesinsjach told the kobolds to tile her lair with gold, Kurtulmak minted the first draconic coin. When Caesinsjach told the kobolds to mine precious stones, Kurtulmak taught himself sorcery and learned how to divine where minerals were located.

When Caesinsjach’s lair was finally completed, laden with platinum, filled with gold, and gleaming with gemstones, she had become the wealthiest true dragon in creation. Without further need for mortal servants, she released the kobolds from their duties to embrace their own destiny.

In emulation of his former mistress, Kurtulmak immediately began mining a lair of his own. Although he never asked for any help in this endeavor, he nonetheless received it, assisted by every kobold he had worked beside for the past several decades.

Kurtulmak found a spot in the ground where a near limitless supply of metal ore and precious stones were waiting to be mined. Once properly unearthed, a discovery of this size could sustain kobolds for millennia and serve as the foundation for their society. With Kurtulmak commanding the operation, it quickly became the most structurally sound and resourcefully designed mine the world had ever seen. Kurtulmak called it Darastrixhurthi, a fortress fit for dragons. Nothing rivaled it.

Garl Glittergold was not pleased. He looked upon Darastrixhurthi and beheld the marvel Kurtulmak and his followers had created, surpassing any achievement his own people had mastered in the same time. While gnomes were playing useless games, kobolds had been busy working and were now fi t to emerge as one of the dominant races in creation. And so, with a casual wave of his hand, Garl collapsed Kurtulmak’s mine, crushing all the kobolds inside.

The gods were appalled and demanded an explanation from Garl, who could only sputter out that his actions were intended as a joke, as if that could somehow excuse the heartless massacre he had committed. Garl had acted out of spite and, even more degrading for the gnome god, jealousy over mortal accomplishment. And yet, regardless of all the berating Garl received from his equals, not one deity came forward to reverse the damage done, leaving the crime unpunished. Then Io moved on behalf of Kurtulmak.

Once the Ninefold Dragon realized that no god would champion the kobolds, he searched through the souls of those who died that day until he found Kurtulmak’s broken body, still clinging to life. Even buried under so much rock, Kurtulmak wouldn’t give up on his people, refusing to let go of his mortal form until he could find the strength to dig them all out.

Io gave Kurtulmak a choice. He would either empower Kurtulmak with the strength to rebuild the mine, or he would make the mighty kobold a champion of his people for all eternity. In this latter case, the loss of Darastrixhurthi would remain, but the memory of what happened would endure in the minds of kobolds forever, ensuring that atrocities of this magnitude would never be overlooked again.

Kurtulmak made his choice, and because of that decision, this story can still be told today.

Adventure Hook: Elf historians show the characters some charcoal impressions and drawings of ancient Draconic runes taken from the wall of a neglected dwarf stronghold. The runes are certainly kobold in origin, and they mention a fortress called Darastrixhurthi in particular. The dwarves of the hold rebuffed questions about the runes and soon after cordoned off the area due to “structural instability.” The historians have since discovered that the entire area has been slated for destruction, and the runes they recorded were merely a small portion of a larger wall. The characters must circumvent dwarf security and decode the runes for the sake of history and a nice recovery fee. In doing so, the heroes find out the dwarves have greater interest in the runes than they let on, causing both groups to race for what could be the original
kobold mine that Kurtulmak built.

Source: Dungeons and Dragons - Races of the Dragon