Kobold thread

And non-humanoids?

Spiders.

Those could be nice mounts for kobold rangers.

I love the little bastards, but I'm somewhat concerned with a lot of people downplaying their nastiness, viciousness, and ugliness, and turning them into shortstack moes.

I mean half their appeal to me is how a kobold PC would be this vicious fish out of water, easy to hold a grudge yet also cowardly and easily scared, and has to face gradual character development before he becomes a hero and actually sort of adorable.

Anyone else think I might be on to something?

Yeah - kobold should be played as a monster with few small traits that evolve to turn them into heroes.

Adventurers.

Cutebolds were a mistake.

Would make for a nice meat grinder these

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They're trying to convince a silver dragon to be the new god of their evil cult.

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Given how silver dragons are, that cult probably isn't going to stay evil for long.

>"Guys, I told you I wasn't doing the human sacrifices. I don't care what your last dragon ate."
>"I'm really sorry about this. They didn't hurt you, did they?"

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Why would you bother censoring them when they don't show anything anyway?

Because it's funny.

Under what circumstances could a kobold live in a warren full of his own kind yet still start with a good alignment?

The kobolds worship a good-aligned dragon maybe?

Why are you guys calling them kobolds theyre called dragonborn

In 3.5 the book Races of the Dragon, on page 143 it gives a table for determining the predominant alignment of a warren.

Roll a 1d100
01 - 65 Lawful Evil
66 - 75 Lawful Neutral
76 - 80 Lawful Good
81 - 85 Neutral Evil
86 - 90 Neutral
91 - 94 Neutral Good
95 - 97 Chaotic Evil
98 - 99 Chaotic Neutral
100 Chaotic Good

So, that means your kobold has a low but still surprisingly good chance of simply coming from a good aligned warren. If you add all of the Neutral alignments, and just say that he came from a Neutral warren and was just a little nicer than his neighbors, then that number goes up quite a fair bit more.

play without alignments?
Not run races as having set or predominant alignments?

On the first its pretty implied although the second one is "clean" although both are transformation which is objective trash

Does he feel loyalty or love towards his fellow kobold? "Good" can grow from pretty much any positive trait so long as it's nurtured. Just like Evil can grow from any negative trait.

It could be as simple as having a pack mate that saved his life, or vice versa. Doesn't matter if that guy is evil, a good deed can become a defining feature. Protecting kin is good, even if your kin is evil. All it takes is for you to be removed from the warren full of evil kobolds and put into the wider world. Wanting to protect those close to you suddenly puts you deep into good territory.

It doesn't have to be like Dizzle Durdo where he's a shining paragon of virtue who hates his own race because he recognizes they are evil and he could never be evil. It could just be that he's a pretty good dude in a bad situation surrounded by terrible people. Lots of people with shitty families end up as nice people. Just replace "evil kobold race" with "shitty abusive family" and you've got an excuse for why a good character can come from a bad background.

Best kobold.

Dragonborn don't have tails XD

I posted this before, but since this is particularly about kobold PCs, what does the hivemind think of this concept:

A kobold born and raised in the underdark gets driven out and makes it to the surface half dead. He's found by a troupe of good-samaritan type monks who aid him and offer him a roof in exchange for work. Had never seen the surface before, Kobold didn't know acting this kind was even an option, and sees it regularly and people acting this way instinctively during his stay at the monastery.
Grows to believe EVERYONE on the surface acts this way, and the underdark is some sort of subterranean hell of cruelty and cold that folk like his are purposed to live in. Dedicates himself to wander the world and unlearn this cruelty. Due to sunlight maladaptation, believes the sun is some sort of protection for this realm of kindness that berates him for daring to walk around outside the underdark. Is determined to learn the kindness of these people and earn a place beneath the sun. Campaign spent tearing between natural kobold instincts and half-learned monastery good-samaritan lessons. Give DM free reign to turn the 'paladin falls' routine up to 11

I saw this one before, and think I commented on it then: I think it's ridiculous in the good, fun way, even outright wholesome and adorable. 8/10 Would DM for.

>Reptile
>Harmed by the sun

I'd be okay with the concept if he's given a parasol and refers to it as his 'protection from the belligerent hate orb in sky roof'. It has a happy kobold face painted on it.

The mental image is adorable.

I'm with you.
In my setting, they pretty much run the spectrum from mostly harmless and docile humanoids living in the shadow of more powerful beings to wildly feral and dangerous packs vicious killers fighting tooth and claw to survive.
They vary as much as dogs do.

GRONK!

>KOBOLDS
HP 4
Attack Power 1
Defense Power 0
Loot Minimal
Special Power : Charm

>BLUE SLIMES
HP 20
Attack Power 1
Defense Power 1
Loot Minimal
Special Power : Appearing every three goddamn steps

Slimes > Kobolds as the basic enemy.

That should be a kobold with a swat outfit on, a riot shield on the back and a big ass fuckoff nightstick for his weapon.

>HP x5
>Actual defense
>Appearing all the fucking time

If both are same level enemies, either kobolds are worthless or slimes are broken.

I wanna tongue fuck a qt Kobold gals booty hole

So a band of pesky adventurers enters a kobold enclave when suddenly pic related yells "FOR THE DRAGON LADY!" and owns them all.

How many proposals did he get from the female Kobolds?

All of 'em

kickstarter.com/projects/westfaliaminiatures/strongsword

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Dragonborn are to kobolds, what orcs are to goblins.

Can confirm- I actually ran a character that fits your description to a tee in a campaign about a year ago, and to say it worked out great would be an understatement.

He hated everyone in the party at first- almost got into a fight with the Gnome PC on the second session- and had refused to stick his neck out for them on multiple occasions. Over time, the squabbling with the party started to turn into a begrudging respect as they started to learn more about each other. When they finally reached civilization, they hit the bar together, had some laughs, got smashed, and the party's sorceress, uh... Introduced him to mammaries. From there it became a more touching story about this angry little gremlin learning trust, friendship, and love (for the sorceress).

It was a great time, super memorable, and it had a Disney-tier heartwarming ending in which he finally drummed up enough courage and compassion to attempt to sacrifice himself for the greater good, which Bahamut rewarded with dragonhood- which was a huge surprise to me, because I totally expected him to die making that sacrifice.

It was a fantastic session and the single most memorable character I've ever played, so I would absolutely say that you are on to something and would recommend that you give the archetype a shot sometime.

Oh look, a newfag who doesn't play ttrpgs.

Kobolds are small size. They are vaguely reptilian with minor draconic features.
Dragonborn are 7 foot tall fuckers who look very draconic and lack tails.
Lizardfolk are human sized bipedal lizards.

Lots of fucks on Veeky Forums seem to be utter idiots and can't tell the difference between the three.

Accurate.

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How'd he end up falling in love with a human? That's a couple more steps removed than with, say, humans and orcs.

Not a human. Tiefling, actually. Not that it would likely make much of a difference, really.

It was more strongly based on their good chemistry with one another than anything else- despite his claims that her tail and horns are what made it acceptable. She was the playful type, and would tease reactions out of him. She could get away with it while other party members couldn't (see; the gnome from earlier) because deep down, he liked it.

Not that he would ever admit it, of course.

Please rate my kobold.

>kobolds, dragonborn, lizardfolk
In my setting, I had dragonborn and kobolds develop from dragon lineage.
I still can't quite figure out where lizardfolk fit in, since they really aren't very draconic and every humanoid race has a clear evolutionary development.

is that some fucking age of wonders?

>ears
0/10

Dragonborn are high elves
Lizardfolk are wild elves
Kobolds are halflings

>ear-hater
Opinion noted.
Can I ask why you feel this way?
Personally, I like the variation from reptilian physiology and the nod towards the "dog-like" aspects of the original description.

>Dragonborn are high elves
>Lizardfolk are wild elves
>Kobolds are halflings
My issue with this is that I'd prefer a greater physical difference between dragonborn and lizardfolk than there is between high elves and wild elves.
Otherwise I'd just have different kinds of dragonborn.
In fact, in my setting, there is only one race of elves, although there are many cultures.
And there are no halflings.

>Can I ask why you feel this way?

I'm fine with both dog and lizard/dragon varieties of the kobold, but I'd like them to be firmly one or the other: the middleground just looks kind of ugly to my eyes.

>the middleground just looks kind of ugly to my eyes.
Fair enough.
To me, ugliness isn't a bug, it's a feature.

Wrong kind of ugly, I mean.

Not monstrous-ugly, like with orcs or gnolls, that'd be fine, but... ugly-ugly.

I was shooting for pathetic-ugly, the kind that supports idealized cute-bold-ism if the viewer wants to see them that way, but also perfectly "gronk".

In my setting, friendly kobolds exist, primarily as a method of survival.
But the wild ones are vicious and unforgiving as hell.

As a guy from the campaign those two were from, that's... not too far off. Though the dragon was red and recently Awakened. So while they were teaching it concepts, they were also trying to teach the hatchling not to eat kobolds from their clan.
considering they were the last two, they managed to at least sell that second lesson fairly well.

That thing's way too adorable for a red dragon!

Dragons are like alligators, they're cute until they grow up.

Well, it was originally a king's pet that we stole, so... being doted on probably made it cuter.

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I've always liked the idea that Kobolds and Dragonborn are pretty closely related to Dragons, since the idea of "families" of races is cool to me. So, in my setting I made it so that Io created Dragons, Dragonborn, Lizardmen, and Kobolds, with Drakes being to Dragons as Bees are to a Queen.

One big happy family of lizard things :D

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Telephone monsters
A gigantic skeleton pinball machine
Rock men with no face
The egg of a psychic monster, already deadly and hostile before it is even born
Goblins, drunk on a strange alien alcoholic booze
A flying skull who spouts riddles
A cabal of extremely violent thieves trying to steal from the dragons the kobolds revere as their gods

And the strange denizens of a magical Chemical City

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Please, let me come to one of your games.

I don't actually run games, and all of those concepts are stolen, but they're just stolen from things that won't miss them, like the lyrics to an obscure song

I want to run games, but I'm scared of putting other people's enjoyment in my hands

>I don't actually run games
I don't think anyone here does.

You should run games.

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Have you ever had an all-kobold party? How'd it go?

I personally prefer having a single kobold in an otherwise human or human-sized party. All-kobold parties easily slip into evil campaigns, and I'm not a fan.

Just use silver dragon that is trying to make them good.

Or make them warlocks of some good fey dragon.

Or any of the metallics really. Could make a good party composition with the kobolds emulating the personalities of the different metallics.

I do - and it so happen my campaign is reptile only due to curse that turns all other races into mutants

One should be a warlock of a ancient fey dragon - for something a bit silly XD

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I want to run an all-kobold campaign in the same manner as Pathfinder's Kingmaker adventure path: Youngster kobolds sent out to start a new lair. How do I keep it fresher than "oh no the monster of the day is attacking your lair"? In Kingmaker there was all kinds of diplomacy and politics between nations that I don't really see Kobolds having.

>In Kingmaker there was all kinds of diplomacy and politics between nations that I don't really see Kobolds having.
Maybe not kobolds, but add in dark elves from the depths, a bunch of dragons you might want to attract setting up shop in your warren, maybe some human villages to extort and bully - and if you're not low-key enough and they decide to send some level 1 adventurers to deal with it, you could take it as an opportunity to weed out the stupid and weak in the tribe.

I had planned on running something just like that a while back and came up with a number of plot hooks and potential story archs that I might use. Not sure if I'll ever make use of this now, so I'm dumping a rough outline of my notes and plans here.

A Friend in Need:
Assisting the Lizard folk in their time of need and potentially winning their full trust.

Invasion:
At some point, Through the players actions or inaction, the eyes of the established nations turn upon the new growing kobold "threat". Spurred on by the political intervention of the *Gnoooooomes Hissss* The neighboring forces must a force to nip the growing kobold empire in the bud. The players must find a way to stop the armies march through strategy and tactics, diplomacy, or stealth and subterfuge and sabotage.

The Enemy of My Enemy:
Enlisting the aid of the dwarves, be they Hill Mountain, Deep or Drouger. Main goal of this event is to highlight the striking similarities and common ground between Kobold and Dwarven culture. Depending on player actions, this could result in an alliance, sink the Dwarven nations into war with each other, or inadvertently unify them against the kobolds.

Bring Out Your Dead!:
A great plague is ravaging the new kobold kingdom, the team must now seek aid from other lands to find a cure. The isolationist followers of Kurtlmak are greatly opposed to this, believing that as the superior race they do not need the aid of the other lands. (The population will drop by a percentage for every month the players are away. If the players are unsuccessful, or take too long, the Plague will lift on its own after roughly 35% of the population dies.)

Great White War:
An evil white dragon hears of the growing kobold empire and decides that they would make great slaves. The major problem is that the traditionalist kobolds within the kingdom hold firm to their perceived duty of service to dragons. The traditionalists who want to cling to their own ways, and those looking to free themselves from draconic dominion. This creates a division in the kingdom that could lead to a civil war if the team does not resolve it in time. Resolution through slaying the dragon, or otherwise.

Hope in the grave:
After the civil war an opportunistic Kobold takes this opportunity to start a death cult. Popular among those that are dismayed by the kobolds lot in life they join and are unwittingly turned into shambling undead for his growing coup against the nation weakened by war.

Dance of the White Raven/(rat):
Political intrigue. Through the setting the kobolds are made aware of a Kenku (Or ratfolk) spy network. Should the party make us of it for information then as the double edged sword of the spy network swings back upon the kobolds, opening their own secrets to other nations.

The team must travel to the Kenku central command to address the issue. I am uncertain as to what the issue might be, but the consequence should be dire, possibly sparking the invasion stated above.
The issue could be a number of things. For instance the kenku could learn of how rich with priceless minerals the mines sitting below the main city are. Perhaps the mines contain minerals that were thought to be under the exclusive control of the Gnomes or Dwarves. Perhaps it is something that the party or the Followers did, and if the information got out about it, then it could mean dire consequences for there standing in the eyes of the other nations.

I read this one plot hook for just such a setting a while back and saved it. Can't remember where I saw it but it sounded cool.
The Balance:
The eternal war between Bahamut and Tiamut finally reaches the kobolds, and they are now given the ultimatum to choose a side. Will the evil which lurks in their peoples hearts win out and join Tiamut? or will the justice of Bahumut Triumph?.... Or will they discover that there is always a third option... Depending on what the party chooses, this has potential to spark a civil war within the growing kobold nation.

Kurtlmaks Reckoning: Potential End game arch
The team somehow strips Kurtlmak of his godhood, and they must now fight the mad god that failed them. In the end, if the players are satisfied with the game ending here, then they are raised as the new kobold gods to watch over their people. If not then an NPC will be assigned the task (... Pun Pun?...), and the players will become their champions and heralds, allowing them to continue exploring the world.