Kobolds

Kobolds are perhaps the smallest and weakest of the scalykind family. Kobolds greatly resemble wingless bipedal dragons in their appearance and many of them seem to think of themselves as the children of these mythical beasts. Large groups of kobolds tend to dedicate their lives to worshipping a single brood of dragons, bringing them offerings and relying on them for protection. These relationships are usually one-sided, as the dragons themselves have no love for their kobold slaves and only tolerate their presence for as long as their patience lasts. The kobolds protect their dragon overlords from curious travelers and in return, the dragons keep them safe if a bigger foe threatens the whole colony.

Alone, the kobolds are quite measly creatures hiding behind their draconic pride and with the rarity of dragons, the kobolds have been having an increasingly difficult time in the world. Nearly all kobolds live deep inside desolate caverns, taking great care in protecting themselves from outsiders by using traps and various contraptions. From there, they venture outside in small groups to steal whatever resources they can to sustain themselves and their families. To a kobold, life becomes rather miserable without the presence of a powerful dragon and nearly all of these dragonless communities are doomed to fail. Individualism and freedom are both new concepts to kobolds, but they are becoming more common to them by the day. While shy and meager at first, kobolds can become trustworthy allies and clever companions to those that can protect them and this is how most kobolds integrate themselves to the larger world.

## Physical description

Compared to many other scalykind, the kobolds are extremely small. Males only reach about 90 centimeters in height and weigh around 13 kilograms, with females being even smaller, reaching around 80 centimeters in height and weighing about 11 kilograms. Kobolds can come with various features and wild colors, much like dragons. Their scales are quite thick and develop surprisingly strong tails considering their small size. Winged kobolds, also known as dragonmasters, are a great rarity and usually those born with wings are elevated to a position of power, being important mediators between kobolds and dragons.

Many kobold colonies originally formed around ancient dragons where kobolds evolved to imitate them, and the kobolds naturally tied their own identities to the dragons that ruled over them. It is a great honor for a kobold to have the same scale color as the brood of dragons he lives with. Like other scalykind, kobolds like to give birth to a dozen eggs at a time and they take great care of their young, even after hatching. They do not breed exponentially and are good at controlling their birthrates to keep the colony at a reasonable size. Unlike dragons, kobolds a very short-lived and usually die before reaching 60 years of age and reach maturity at around 12 years of age.

## Society

With the rarity of dragons in recent times, kobolds are also becoming quite rare. While before they were numerous and found living inside many caves across the land, it seems that they have either died off or gone into even deeper hiding than before. The aspirations of kobolds have always been great, but they are weak without the aid of dragons. In more recent times, many kobold adventurers have become motivated by the disappearance of dragons. These curious individuals have thus ventured out into the world in search of answers and clues. Though it is unknown if they will ever find these answers, the kobolds are not afraid to try and that is enough for them to go on. Perhaps now their true test has begun and they will have to begin their own legacy and move on from their forefathers; what becomes of the kobolds remains to be seen.

## Rules

* **Ability Score Modifiers:** Kobolds are fast but weak. They gain +4 Dexterity, –2 Strength, and –2 Constitution.
* **Size:** Small (Kobolds gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks and a +2 size bonus on Fly checks.)
* **Type:** Humanoid, reptilian
* **Base speed:** 30 feet
* **Languages:** Kobolds begin play speaking Draconic. Kobolds with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common, Dwarven, Gnome, Sherdanian, Abyssal, Goblin, Orc and Undercommon.

* **Scales:** Kobolds gain a +1 natural armor bonus to their AC.
* **Crafty:** Kobolds gain a +2 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Perception, and Profession (miner) checks. In addition, Stealth is always class skills for them.
* **Dragon Affinity:** Kobold sorcerers with the Draconic bloodline or Kobold bloodline treat their Charisma scores as 2 points higher for all sorcerer spells and class abilities.
* **Prehensile Tail:** Kobolds gain a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Climb checks, and can use their tail to draw a hidden weapon as a move action instead of as a standard action.
* **Echo Whistler:** Three times per day, kobolds can attempt to trick someone by making a Bluff check against the listener’s Sense Motive check. You get a +2 circumstance bonus on this check if you’re in tunnels or other structures where your voice can echo.
* **Darkvision:** Kobolds can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.
* **Light Sensitivity:** Kobolds are dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a *Daylight* spell.

### Alternate Racial Traits

The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above. In addition, kobolds have access to all alternate racial traits normally available to kobolds. Consult your GM before selecting any new options.

* **Winged Prodigy:** When a winged kobold is born, they are usually greatly elevated within their society because of their natural potential and closer likeness to true dragons. This means that they receive greater respect but might not learn skills or abilities that are typical of normal kobolds. Kobolds with this racial trait receive a +2 racial bonus on any Charisma check or Charisma-based skill check when dealing with other kobolds and dragons, and when encountering dragons, they begin with an attitude that is one step better than normal. In addition, kobolds with this racial trait receive a pair of wings and a fly speed of 50 feet (poor). This racial trait replaces Scales, Crafty, Echo Whistler and Prehensile Tail.