Kobold

Template:Infobox Greyhawk creature Kobolds, called celbit in Flan, are aggressive, xenophobic, yet industrious small humanoid creatures, noted for their skill at building traps and preparing ambushes. In the original Dungeons & Dragons game, Kobolds were considered goblinoids but they have been depicted as reptilian humanoids since the release of the first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game.

Ecology

In newer versions of the game, kobolds are distantly related to dragons and are often found serving them as minions. In their original appearance, kobolds were described as doglike humanoids with ratlike tails, horns and hairless scaly skin, and were not associated with dragons. They were called goblinoids, although the word didn't have the strict meaning it acquired in the third edition of the game. Besides goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears, orcs, xvarts, and gremlins were also called goblinoids in the Monstrous Compendium series and Monster Mythology. In newer editions, the term "goblinoid" is reserved for goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, norkers, and similar creatures. Kobolds are much more explicitly reptilian in current editions, though they were egg-layers as far back as first edition AD&D.

Kobolds are omnivores with no scruples about what or who they eat. They can digest bark, dirt, leather, eggshells, or their own younger siblings if they're desperate enough.

Kobolds are extremely fecund egg-layers, having the highest birth rate (and death rate) of all humanoid species. A fertilized female kobold lays her clutch of hard-shelled eggs after two weeks, which must be incubated for an additional 60 days before it hatches. Kobolds reach maturity by the age of eight or nine and are considered "great wyrms" by the age of 121. They live up to 135 years. While they do bond with one another, they have no concept of monogamy.

Goblins have an extreme hatred for gnomes, who they compete for the same areas and mining rights, as well as pixies, brownies, and sprites. They are often at war with goblins, and the numerous kobold-goblin wars help keep the populations of both races down to a manageable level. Xvarts often act as intermediaries between kobolds and goblins, usually dominating and taking out their aggression on the kobolds.

Kobolds will sell some of their captives as slaves if there is a nearby market for it.

Environment

Kobolds are found in all climates, although as cold-blooded beings they must up to three times as much in colder climes. They seem to prefer dark, damp underground lairs and overgrown forests. They are industrious miners and if left to their own devices can carve out massive tunnel complexes, which they rapidly fill to accommodate thanks to their rapid rate of reproduction - which would explain their use as cannon fodder enemies.

Many kobold lairs are guarded by boars or giant weasels. Their lairs are fluid, with new tunnels continually being excavated and old ones collapsed. Most lairs include a temple or shrine, a kiln, an egg hatchery, and a place for storing food. Larger ones also contain places for cultivating food and livestock.

Typical physical characteristics

Kobolds stand a few inches over 2' tall, with scaly, hairless hides, reptilian heads, and tails, and weigh about 40 pounds. Males average three inches taller and ten pounds heavier than females. Their hides are typically a rust-brown or reddish black color, with ivory-colored horns. Their heads are described as doglike, but in recent editions they are illustrated as looking more like crocodiles. Their eyes glow red, and they can see accurately even in lightless conditions up to 60 feet away. Kobolds are described as smelling like a cross between damp dogs and stagnant water.

Unlike dragons, kobolds are cold-blooded. The scales covering their bodies are like that of an iguana or other large lizard. The scales that cover their tails are very fine, so that they resemble the naked tails of rats. Kobolds lose and gain new teeth throughout their lives, often saving and making necklaces from them. Kobolds favor raggedy-looking red or orange clothing made from leather or the silk of giant spiders. They never wear shoes, but they are fond of jewelry and other ornamentation.

Kobolds shed their skin about once a season, in patches, over the course of a week. They keep themselves well-groomed, regularly polishing their horns, claws, and teeth.

Alignment

Kobolds are usually lawful evil.

Society

Kobold society is influenced by their lawful evil alignment. They will plan and dig mines industriously, while laying cruel traps for interlopers. If they must confront an enemy, they will mass their troops for an ambush. Among the monstrous humanoids, they are known for cunning plans; unlike many, they also share those plans among the tribe. General plans and goals are common knowledge, and detailed plans are shared with all who ask, to allow them to work fruitfully for the good of the tribe. Kobolds have a natural hatred of other non-draconic creatures because of mistreatment of their race.

Kobolds have specialized laborers, yet the majority of kobolds are miners. The most coveted careers are trapmaker, sorcerer, caretaker, and warrior. Kobolds typically apprentice in their chosen profession at the age of three. A kobold's job may change over the years based on the needs of the tribe. Kobold tribes are gerontocracies, ruled by their eldest member, who is known as the All-Watcher. Often this leader is a powerful sorcerer. Kobold laws may change along with their leaders. Kobolds prefer exile to execution, and in some disputes, kobolds tribes will split in order to spread their kind over a larger region. Kobolds often lay eggs in a common nest, with specialized foster parents to watch over the eggs and wyrmlings (young under one year).

Kobold society is tribal with war bands based on clans. As many as ten families can be part of a clan. Each clan is responsible for patrolling a ten-mile radius. The most numerous kobold tribes include the Torturers, the Impalers, the Gougers, the Cripplers, and the Mutilators.

Religion

The main deity of the kobolds is Kurtulmak, the god of war and mining. The other main god worshipped by kobolds is Gaknulak, the god of protection, stealth, trickery, and traps. A lesser-known kobold demigod is Dakarnok. Individual kobolds and kobold tribes may worship other deities of the draconic pantheon; Tiamat and Io often play a significant role in their creation myths. Kobolds and gnomes have an instinctual hate of each other because of a "prank" played upon Kurtulmak by the gnomish deity Garl Glittergold. According to some kobold myths, Garl collapsed Kurtulmak's cave because the gnome god saw that they were likely to become the dominant race in the world. The draconic god Io offered Kurtulmak the chance to become the god of his race or to give him the strength to clear the mine. Kurtulmak chose to lead his race in the form of a god. The gnomes, naturally, have their own version of the myth which casts their god in a considerably better light.

Clerics of Kurtulmak are known as the Eyes of Kurtulmak. They rarely live long enough to become chieftains, but they have a great deal of power and influence, serving as mine supervisors and directing the tribe toward "divinely inspired" goals. Organized worship services are almost nonexistent, but most kobolds recite small prayers throughout the day.

Many kobolds believe in reincarnation, which Kurtulmak may use as either reward or punishment depending on one's service to one's tribe. One of the duties of a cleric is to watch over eggs and hatchlings thought to be the reincarnation of a distinguished kobold.

Language

Kobolds speak a version of the Draconic tongue, with a yipping accent (their voices are said to resemble the sound of small dogs barking). Some also learn to speak Common, Goblin, Orcish, and Undercommon.

The written form of Draconic was originally developed by kobolds in the service of dragons, as dragons themselves see little reason to write (and often have no fingers and thumbs to write with).

Notable kobolds

• Klobt-A-Lozn appeared in the AD&D first edition module In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords as the leader of a forgotten kobold tribe in the caverns below Drachen Keep, in the Pomarj.

Kobold subraces

Urds are a subrace of winged kobolds, who otherwise maintained separate societies from standard kobolds. In third edition, urds seem to have been replaced with a subset of kobolds known as the dragonwrought kobolds, who occasionally have wings or other draconic qualities, and hold an elevated status in kobold society.

The aquatic kobold, the arctic kobold, the desert kobold, the earth kobold, and the jungle kobold were all introduced in Unearthed Arcana (2004).

History

Kobolds have a scattered history, turning up in isolated regions with no apparent connection to one another. Even given the often nomadic nature of kobolds, divine agency is often evoked to explain how kobolds spread so far. Kobolds are thought to have began their existence as the servants of dragons.

Unlike goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs, no Suel name for kobolds is given in The Scarlet Brotherhood, suggesting they were not known in the ancient Suel Imperium.

Creative origins

The kobolds of Dungeons & Dragons were inspired by the kobold sprites of German folklore, but aside from their shared association with mining and their small stature, the creatures have little in common.

Publishing history

The kobold was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described simply as similar to goblins, but weaker. Kobolds were further detailed in Supplement II: Blackmoor (1975).

The kobold's first AD&D appearance was in the Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as a tribal creature with war bands, found in dank, dark places. The mythology and attitudes of the kobolds were described in detail in Dragon #63 (July 1982), in Roger E. Moore's article, "The Humanoids." A few years later, in Roger Moore's editorial "Tucker's kobolds" in Dragon #127 (November 1987), a scenario is described where a band of well-prepared kobolds uses tactics to significantly challenge a far more powerful party of adventurers.

The article "Hey, Wanna Be a Kobold?" by Joseph Clay in Dragon #141 (January 1989), presented kobolds, xvarts, goblins, and orcs as player character races along with two new character classes, the "shaman" and the "witch doctor."

The kobold first second edition appearance was in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), which also introduced the urd. The kobold was detailed as a playable character race in The Complete Book of Humanoids (1993). The kobold was presented as a playable character race again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995).

The kobold's first third edition appearance was in the Monster Manual (2000). The creature later appeared in the revised Monster Manual for the 3.5 edition (2003).

The kobold was detailed in Dragon #332 (June 2005), in the "Ecology of the Kobold". The kobold was detailed as a player character race in Races of the Dragon (2006).

The kobold made it's fourth edition debut in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008). In addition, Dragon #364 contained a variety of additional kobolds.

Bibliography

• Arneson, Dave. Blackmoor. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1975.

• Clay, Joseph. "Hey, Wanna Be a Kobold?" Dragon #141. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.

• Collins, Andy, Jesse Decker, David Noonan, and Rich Redman. Unearthed Arcana. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004.

• Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.

• Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1977.

• Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1974.
• -----. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1977.
• -----. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1981.
• -----. Dungeons & Dragons Set 1: Basic Rules. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.

• Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.

• Kestrel, Gwendolyn F.M., Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, and Kolja Raven Liquette. Races of the Dragon. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006.

• Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual, Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2008.

• Moore, Roger E. "The Humanoids." Dragon #63. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1982.
• -----. "Tucker's Kobolds." Dragon #127. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1987.

• Sargent, Carl. Monster Mythology. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.

• Slavicsek, Bill. The Complete Book of Humanoids. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.

• Smith, Mat. "The Ecology of the Kobold". Dragon #332. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.

• Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.

• Williams, Skip, Jonathan Tweet, and Monte Cook. Monster Manual. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
• -----. Monster Manual: Core Rulebook III v.3.5. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003.

External link

• Kobolds at Wikipedia.