Quartz 5

Kobold

Properties1
tagsrace, twisted

3 min read

Kobold

“We like to belittle these creatures, if not for their stature than for their blind worship of dragons, the creatures they so closely resemble… they worship powerful creatures and so we mock them. A blunt allegory we all miss.”

  • Dimbaal Noretso Grim, Old Storyteller

Kobolds are often dismissed as cowardly, foolish, and weak - but these small reptilian creatures are clever with their hands and work together viciously to overcome their physical limits. They flee from a fight when they can, yet carry a fierce pride: they were chosen to be the blood-kin of dragons.

Description

Kobolds are short - the tallest barely three feet, weighing no more than 35 pounds - with sharp teeth and scales that vary widely in color (whole tribes usually share one or two colors, with no bearing on ability). They lay eggs, and can slowly change sex: if most of one sex in a tribe is killed, some survivors shift over months until the tribe is balanced again. Whatever their differences, every kobold believes itself descended from dragons, and acts accordingly.

Personality

Their small size pushes kobolds toward unorthodox victories - above all the traps for which they are famous. Reliance on the strength of the group tends to make them lawful, and beneath the cringing exterior lies real cunning, resourcefulness, and a courage all their own.

Society

Culture

Religion

Kobolds are renowned dragon-worshippers. Some tribes seek out actual dragons to serve, casting aside all pride to follow such mighty creatures without a thought of treason - tolerating even cruelty rather than seeking revenge. They hold dragonborn in high regard as heralds of their gods, to the frequent annoyance (and occasional flattery) of the dragonborn themselves.

Language

Kobolds speak Common and Draconic, the tongue of their draconic forebears.

Ecology

Kobolds are natural tunnelers, with a near-instinctive sense for which stone or earth is strong, weak, load-bearing, or likely to hide minerals and water - letting them build secure homes where other creatures would never feel safe.

History

Origins

Kobolds are counted among the Twisted Races, but their truest origin is draconic: the blood of dragons is said to have given rise to them, and their worship grants their dragon masters power in turn (see Dragons).

Appendix

See Also

Notes

  • Game mechanics (Burrower, Center of Attention, Skilled Trapper, etc.) were intentionally omitted.

Sources & Attribution

  • Primary lore: editions/5e-2014/species/kobold.md (Traveler’s Guide, heading chain The Twisted → Kobold), author TrueMichato; draconic origin from content/Creature/Creature-Dragons.md.
  • Superseded original: content/General/Kobold.md (moved to content/private/_originals/General/).
  • Credits (not embedded): original kobold concept by u/nielspeterdejong; art by Bryan Syme and László Szabados.

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