Kobolds
Basic Information
- Size: Small
- Height: 2–2.5 ft (60–74 cm)
- Weight: 35–45 lb (16–20 kg)
- Lifespan: Typically up to 50 years, though some reach 120 under ideal conditions
- Type: Humanoid
- Alignment: Lawful evil
- Patron deity: Dreadthorn
- Languages: Draconic, Yipyak
Physical Traits
- Skin color: Reddish brown to rusty black, with some variants showing a greenish tint from exposure to corrupted energies.
- Eye color: Predominantly red, though some elite kobolds have glowing yellow eyes.
Distinctions:
- Covered in tough, dragon-like scales.
- Clawed hands and feet adapted for tunneling and setting traps.
- Elongated snouts and sharp teeth that give them a reptilian appearance.
- Some have vestigial horns or spines along their backs.
Abilities and Traits
- Darkvision: Kobolds see in darkness as if it were dim light, though they struggle in bright sunlight.
- Sunlight sensitivity: Bright light hampers their sight and reduces accuracy and awareness.
- Pack tactics: Fighting in numbers gives kobolds a strategic edge and makes them far deadlier as a group.
- Trapmasters: Their cunning shows most in their skill at laying deadly traps, ambush points, and underground pitfalls.
- Tech scavengers: Kobolds in Emberdown have learned to repurpose stolen Landfolk technology and enhance their weapons, armor, and constructs with salvaged components.
- Corrupted variants: Some kobolds give off strange metallic odors and have green-tinged scales, which points to an unnatural influence, possibly a new form of mutation tied to Dreadthorn’s growing power.
Culture and Behavior
Social Structure
- Highly hierarchical, led by a chieftain or warlord, often under the influence of Dreadthorn’s priesthood.
- Elders and shamans wield influence and often claim visions from Dreadthorn.
- Engineers and trapmakers hold high status, because their creations determine the clan’s survival.
Religion and Beliefs
- They worship Dreadthorn as a god and believe themselves the chosen vessels of his will.
- They view the enslavement of Landfolk as both vengeance and a holy duty.
- They ritually carve dragon-bone ornaments into their scales as a sign of devotion.
War Tactics and Combat Style
- They prefer ambushes, swarm tactics, and tunnel warfare.
- They are willing to sacrifice themselves if it benefits the greater cause.
- They use stolen Landfolk weapons, often modified in unstable but terrifying ways.
- They employ smoke bombs, pit traps, and mechanical snares to weaken larger enemies.
Notable Enemies
- Landfolk and Mountainfolk, whom they see as ancestral oppressors.
- Mastiffs, which they fear and despise because of their long history of fighting against kobold forces.