Kobolds are craven reptilian humanoids that worship evil dragons as demigods and serve them as minions and toadies. Kobolds inhabit dragons' lairs when they can but more commonly infest dungeons, gathering treasures and trinkets to add to their own tiny hoards.

Strength in Numbers

Kobolds are egg-laying creatures. They mature quickly and can live to be "great wyrms" more than a century old. However, many kobolds perish before they reach the end of their first decade. Physically weak, they are easy prey for predators. This vulnerability forces them to band together. Their superior numbers can win battles against powerful adversaries, but often with massive casualties on the kobold side.

Tunnelers and Builders

Kobolds make up for their physical ineptitude with a cleverness for trap making and tunneling. Their lairs consist of low tunnels through which they move easily but which hinder larger humanoids. Kobolds also riddle their lairs with traps. The most insidious kobold traps make use of natural hazards and other creatures. A trip wire might connect to a spring-loaded trap that hurls clay pots of flesh-eating green slime or flings crates of venomous giant centipedes at intruders.

The Lost God

In addition to the dragons they revere, kobolds worship a lesser god named Kurtulmak. Legends speak of how Kurtulmak served as Tiamat's vassal in the Nine Hells until Garl Glittergold, the god of gnomes, stole a trinket from the Dragon Queen's hoard. Tiamat sent Kurtulmak to retrieve the trinket, but Garl Glittergold played a trick on him, collapsing the earth and trapping the kobold god in an underground maze for eternity. For this reason, kobolds hate gnomes and pranks of any kind. Kurtulmak's most devoted worshipers dedicate themselves to finding and releasing their lost god from his prison-maze.

Small, dog-faced reptilian humanoids

Kobolds are small, dog-faced reptilian humanoids. A kobold is 2 to 2½ feet tall and weighs 35 to 45 pounds. They prefer ranged combat, closing only when they can see that their foes have been weakened. Whenever they can, kobolds set up ambushes near trapped areas. They aim to drive enemies into the traps, where other kobolds wait to pour flaming oil over them, shoot them, or drop poisonous vermin onto them. Kobolds have Darkvision with a range of 60', and suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls in bright sunlight or within the radius of light spells. Kobolds typically wear leather armor in battle. Kobolds are cunning foes. They see all larger races as enemies, and are thus likely to be hostile when encountered. However, they are naturally cowardly, and prefer to avoid combat, leading enemies into ambushes or traps rather than facing them directly. Sometimes kobold tribes build and inhabit extensive dungeon areas filled with deadly traps which only they know how to avoid.

Small, wicked, hairless, canine humanoids with scaly, rust-coloured skin. Dwell underground.

Small, dog-faced reptilian humanoids

Kobolds live in a tribal society. They tend to make their lairs in dark places such as caves or deep forests. They detest direct sunlight and fight at -1 if they are exposed to it. They have infravision which allows them to see well in total darkness (60-ft). Kobold raiding parties are led by a sergeant and 2 assistants who fight as goblins. They tend to wield cheap weapons like slings or clubs in combat, and are typically unarmoured. Their AC results from their scaly hide. Their lairs will be ruled by a chief and his 5d4 body guards (all fight as goblins). They often use wild boars or giant weasels to guard their lairs. Kobolds are hateful creatures, but they especially despise brownies, pixies, sprites, and gnomes, which they will attack on sight. These creatures speak lawful evil and their own tongue. Some also speak goblin. Description: Kobolds stand 3-ft tall and have a dark skin tone (brown to black), with no hair. They are vaguely reptilian in appearance with scales, small horns on their heads, short snaky tails and red eyes. They have an average lifespan of 135 years.