Kobold

Kobolds are a fictional species featured In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Aggressive, xenophobic, yet industrious small humanoid creatures, kobolds are 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.

Publication history

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

Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)

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).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)

The kobold appears in the first edition 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 are 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.

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

Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)

This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the kobold, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983). The kobold was featured as a player character race in the Orcs of Thar gazetteer (1989). Kobolds were also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

The kobold appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), which also introduced the urd, a winged version of the kobold. The kobold and urd are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The Dragon Mountain kobold appeared in the Dragon Mountain adventure set (1993).

The kobold is detailed as a playable character race in The Complete Book of Humanoids (1993). The kobold is later presented as a playable character race again in Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1995).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)

The kobold appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)

The kobold appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).

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

The kobold was detailed in Dragon #332 (June 2005), in the "Ecology of the Kobold".

The kobold is detailed as a player character race in Races of the Dragon (2006).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)

The kobold appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008). In addition, Dragon issue 364 contains a variety of additional kobolds.

Ecology

In newer versions of the game, Kobolds are distantly related to dragons, and are often found serving them as minions. Kobolds speak a version of the Draconic tongue, with a yipping accent. In their original appearance in the canon, kobolds were described as doglike humanoids with ratlike tails, horns and hairless scaly skin, and 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, norkers, and similar creatures only. Kobolds are much more explicitly reptilian in current editions, though they were egg-layers in previous editions as well.

In earlier editions of the game, there were also winged kobolds known as urds, who otherwise maintained separate societies from standard kobolds. These 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.

Environment

Kobolds are found in all climates and seem to prefer underground lairs. 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.

Typical physical characteristics

Kobolds stand about 3' tall, with scaly hides, reptilian heads, and tails. Their hides are typically a rust-brown color, with ivory-colored horns. Their heads are described as doglike, but in recent editions they are illustrated looking more like crocodiles.

Alignment

Kobolds are almost always Lawful Evil or Lawful Neutral and a Lawful Good Kobold is likelier than any Chaotic ones

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. The kobold Government is a combination theocracy/Republic/magocracy.

Kobolds have specialized laborers, yet the majority of Kobolds are miners. Kobolds prefer exile to execution, and in some disputes, Kobolds will split tribes in order to spread their kind over a larger region. Kobolds are also extremely fecund egg layers, having the highest birth rate among humanoids, and mature quickly, in 6 years. They often lay eggs in a common nest, with specialized foster parents to watch over the eggs and wyrmlings (young under 1 year).

Religion

The main deity of the Kobolds is Kurtulmak, the god of war and mining. The other main god worshipped by the Kobolds is Gaknulak the god of protection, stealth, trickery, and traps. A lesser-known Kobold demigod is Dakarnok. Kobolds and gnomes have an instinctual hate of each other because of a "prank" when Garl Glittergold (god of the gnomes) collapsed Kurtulmaks cave killing estimated 3,000,000 kobolds because the gnomes had been joking around and the kobolds were likely to become the dominant race in the world. 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.

Notable kobolds

• Deekin Scalesinger is a Kobold bard who is an NPC minion found in several of the expansions to Neverwinter Nights. Deekin is a shopkeeper in Neverwinter Nights 2 as well.

• Kol XIV was the high doge of Kol in the Broken Lands region of the Mystara campaign setting. Born Constantin Diocletius, he inherited his rulership from his parents. As a skilled politician he prevented the domination of Kol by King Thar making Kol an ally of Thar's. After the Wrath of the Immortals he became the prince of New Kolland in Glantri, the first humanoid to become a prince in that country. Kol XIV is middle aged and stands at four and a half. He has a thin white mustache. Usually he wears a red Toga and a crown made of fungi.

• 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 region of the World of Greyhawk campaign setting.

• Meepo is a Kobold who shows up in a number of settings and contexts., such as the set War of the Dragon Queen for Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures.

• Tucker's kobolds were a tribe of kobolds featured in Roger E. Moore's editorial in Dragon issue 127. They were used by a Dungeon Master, Tucker, who ran an adventure for high level characters featuring an ordinary tribe of kobolds who utilised traps, ambushes and local knowledge to significantly challenge the party, going against the stereotype of kobolds posing no significant threat. Tucker's kobolds became a famous part of Dungeons & Dragons lore, often referred to as an example of how cunning and local knowledge can be used by physically weak opponents to overcome much more powerful adversaries.

• Pun-Pun is a kobold who was created by a poster on Wizards of the Coast's Character Optimization internet forum as a thought experiment on creating omnipotent characters through exploitation of rules loopholes. He has since gained some notoriety as 'the most powerful DnD character ever'.

RPGA

• The RPGA Living Greyhawk campaign recently allowed PCs to play kobold characters with the appropriate player reward card. The exact details of this card are not available at present, although it is expected to heavily utilize the Races of the Dragon supplement.Template:Fact

Additional reading

• Greenwood, Ed (1995). "Elminster's Notebook". Dragon #216. TSR.