KOBOLDS! A Different Perspective on using them
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2018
- Kobolds! We take a look at this DnD race that you may find in many fantasy role playing systems and how we can take a different perspective on them and how we can use them in your RPG such as DnD5e.
#GMTips #RPGRaces
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For me, Kobolds and Goblins have always been vastly different. Their stats may be similar and they're both tribalistic but that's really where the similarities end in my eyes.
Kobolds are typically found underground, in caves and warrens, and mines. They are expert trap-makers, riddling their lairs with a variety of complex and well made traps, and they are typically extremely community focused while also being rather selfish. They will do whatever is necessary to protect the tribe, while trying to put themselves in the least possible danger, even if it means throwing another kobold out to die while the others escape. They are also more magically adept, versatile, and artistic compared to goblins, often having sorcerers and shamans among their number leading them, and their draconic worship comes about in idols and carvings which can be found throughout their lairs. Diplomatically they are also much more reasonable, as they would certainly prefer trading resources than risk a home invasion unless they were well prepared for such an event (negotiations would likely occur after adventurers make it all the way through to the heart of their territory). I could also see them with their own underground farms.
Goblins on the other hand are typically found above ground, and are a lot more spontaneous than kobolds are. The equipment and traps that they use are not as well made as the kobold's, and usually such items are fragile or were taken from other races. Sure you may find them in caves and whatnot from time to time but it's usually the result of occupation rather than creation. Kobolds make their own lairs while goblins will take whatever they can find. They are not quite as community focused either, as they stick together out of necessity more than a sense of community, and are always looking out for themselves rather than their community. They are also much more reckless. Shamans and sorcerers and druids may also crop up among the goblin's numbers, though their magic would be less focused on utility and more on offense, usually fire. Goblins may be more alchemically adept than kobolds though, crafting bombs and whatnot designed to cause chaos. Diplomatically they are not reasonable at all, and will typically attempt to murder you or flee to live another day unless you take them over by force.
That's just my general take on these two races though and how I usually run them, I'm sure other people may see them differently.
I also think that what is deemed cowardice in Kobolds isn't truly fear. They are a draconian race that doesn't have the same emotions as most humanoids. They don't have the same interactions with concepts of "honor" and "duty" than others and retreating when confronted by creatures 3-5 times your size is just the right answer and isn't a fearful or cowardly move. I think people underestimate the difference in psychology that would evolve from a communal living species of tiny sized dragonoids.
candroo, very similar to how I see it, goblins offensive, kobolds more defensive and very trappy.
Shivan Zombie, also agreed. Running a kobold rogue as a player in a current game(their warren was destroyed), and Kree sees "cowardice" as just a pragmatic attitude to have. Running away if outmatched, killing when you have the least chance of being hurt, that's just good stratagy.
The very next character I will be playing is going to be Kobold. I have really enjoyed using them as a GM and I can't wait to get to play one.
Shivan Zombie It's fun. I've got the Ride Along Ninja trick and Agile Manuvers, (Pathfinder) because my kobold's thing is he kills anything bigger than him like he's playing Shadow of the Colossus: he climbs enemies and stabs them in their weak points(sneak attack).
Well logically that just means that the two are the same species with different societys. This could easily be explained in the same way humans from different parts of the world look different and have completely different societys (in a non globalised world, that is)
The biggest difference I see between kobolds and goblins is shown in their alignment, a kobolds #1 priority is safety and they'll sometimes even broker deals for peace, while goblins will go start a war just cause, lawful vs chaotic
Solar,
Exactly... Alignment is such a terrible concept that has little to no mechanics at the best of times.
Alignments make perfect sense, you just don't know how to use them. Alignments are a guideline, not a railroad, for how the character reacts to the world. Lawful appreciates the rule of law while Chaotic appreciates freedom. Good is more self sacrificing while Evil is more self serving. Neutral bridges the gap.
If you have a player that says "Oh, I'm going on a murder spree and I'm betraying the group. I'm chaotic evil, it's what I'm supposed to do." That's just a bad player. Evil generally doesn't realize it's evil. Evil just thinks it's doing what needs to be done. Conversely you may have a player that says "I have to throw away my life and constantly refuse rewards. I'm lawful good." Self interest is not an evil act. Good does what it can to help whenever it can, but not to the point of insanity.
Love when people say 'you do not know how to use Alignments' when the debate is older then I....
More so when I toothed on 2nd edition and rubbed shoulders with people who collected clippings!
My personal view on Good/Evil is this:
It isn't the ends, it is the means....
My personal view on Law/Choas is this:
Day to day life is vital....
My problem with alignment, as per my original post on the topic, has always been the lack of solid mechanics behind the concept. Each alignment has an incompletely description and... nothing much more then that. There is no mechanism at play that determines what our characters starting alignment will be. Simply: Pick whatever you think best fits the NARRATIVE of the character you want to make. Alignment changes are left entirely up to the Storyteller's arbitrary whim, because there is are no rules that detail the specific situations in which one goes about changing alignments.
Smite... Detect Spells... very few times alignment 'mechanics' have actually matter during the course of a game.
PS, Paladins do not like being in my games.
Sure, you saved the village but chose to slaughter sentient creatures in order to do it - not good!
(Seriously, how is killing your next-door neighbor because they are 'goblins' any less evil then them killing you for being 'humans?' This should never be on your 'list of plans,' let alone be labeled as 'Plan A.' It is also insane meta-gaming to assume every 'monster' you meet is going to be 'evil by default' so you can simply go up and smite it dead without repercussions)
Sure, paying tax is proper and all, but you let your armour and weapons rust on multiple occasions - not lawful!
(Being lawful is a lot more then 'obey the legal systems' to a religious degree, it involves having as structured and organized a life as possible. There is enough down time for you to complete a few 'rituals of maintenance,' and there are cloths to wipe blood off between oiling regiments... your a soldier of god, damn it, not a filth covered marauder!)
I have to agree with Lucas: alignments make clear sense if you keep them clearly defined as a game rule, instead being all wishy-washy with them.
I've been playing since 2e in the early 90s and have never had a problem using alignments as a player or DM.
Personally I think this is a very good video for lizardfolk, and that sort of thing, but I always viewed kobolds as more like rat-dragons. Love the idea of the underwater swarming though, and I think Lizardfolk even get a swim speed and 15 minute breath holding.
A lot more communal than a goblin, with a more positive emotional slant. Say a goblin is motivated by greed, or fear of a greater goblinoid like a bugbear or hobgoblin, but a kobold tends to think in terms of group survival. Communal sleeping areas and shared responsibility of the young leading to the sort of mindset that prompts an old, weak kobold to sacrifice itself to lead enemies into a trap, allowing the escape of the others. In some cases they are even hired by cities to live beneath and handle sewage tunnels, and in return they are protected and fed.
That and I love oneshots with people playing as kobolds serving a chromatic dragon.
I use Goblins and Kobolds as tribal societys with very diferent "cultures".
Gobblins are the scavengertypes. They prefer a nomadic lifestyle where they go somewhere, grab whatever peaks their interest (Food, Shinys, Fancys and specialy Meat). Their homes are mostly shallow caves or tenttowns. They also keep beasts of labor (sometimes). They have the creativiti and viciousnessof prescoolers. Their simple minds dont understand the pain they cause their victims, and the whay they defend themselves is based on tradition and painfull experiences. They usualy dont have any religous background, and even if a tribe stumbles on a trigger wich creates some kind of cult, it ofthen dies down within the next few generations (4 or 5).
Kobbolds are teretorial. Their homeland provides them with the balanced thermic conditions aswell as bigg enough foodsources. They stay within their teretory, and onely fight to hunt our defend themselves. Their homes are deep tunnlesystems built in a confusing manner so outsiders struggle to navigate. They never fight unless they see a whay to winn, they also dropp back outof combat if things go south in order to regroup... Kobolds rarely fight outside of their lair, they also use fear as first line of defence (They show some numbers at a defencive stance by grouping up and throwing rocks towards intruders from well out of reach). They don't care about anything without function unless it's related to their religion. Kobbolds have a very high chance of cultistic activitys, or atleast worshipp Dragons as goddly creatures. Kobolds may not build cittys, but their tribes bringforth adult minds wich might be able to negotiate with outsiders... aslong as it hapenes far enough awhay from their lair (seriously, DONT go into a Kobboldtribes lair).
Posted this In an extra coment, but it fits here: a short explanation on how goblins and kobolds can be the same species but still completely different:
Lets say that the two are the same species with different societys. This could easily be explained in the same way humans from different parts of the world look different and have completely different societys (in a non globalised world, that is)
This way it's not only the humans that have different societys but also the "monsters". And you could say that kobolds and goblins are the same species but really different version, like Neanderthals and Homs sapiens (they can interbreed but are physically quite different)
I like your take on kobolds. Now I feel like you need to make a video differentiating kobolds and lizardfolk.
Differentiating between kobolds and lizardfolk is very easy. Kobolds are draconic, warm-blooded and diminutive, relying on communal swarming, cowardice, harrying and traps for defense.
Lizardfolk are reptilian, cold-blooded, and individualistic, often fighting (expressly) as disorganized individuals. They rely on frontal assaults and often try to force enemies into water in order to gain an edge. They are strong and durable and stupid in all the ways kobolds are not.
Luckmann But this video is going on the premise that Kobolds are cold-blooded.
I'd suggest the big difference between lizardfolk and kobolds is that lizardfolk are a low population, high level predator, while kobolds act as something of a swarm.
Most of what I've seen of lizardfolk (outside of Warhammer) has them as individualistic, with the communities operating together more along the lines of a leaderboard - think of the Fortnite or Starcraft communities, people whose goal in the community is to become the best.
Conversely, this swarming take on kobolds calls for a something of a hive mind mentality. These are tactics used by ants and the like in nature, and the only example I can think of in human terms is the old style armies, where you just send in another troop of 1000 men (be they medieval serfs with pitchforks or disciplined professionals with muskets) and you don't really care that a third of them died, as long as the mission got done.
Side note: Warhammer Lizardmen (especially the Total War Version) are the most badass version of that design trope out there. When I got into DnD I was disappointed how boring their version of the lizardmen is.
Talking about Warhammer, I always saw Goblins as the weak caste in a bigger societal structure with Hobgoblins and Bigbears, in fact like the lizardmen in Warhammer, while Kobolds were these independent little buggers who would serve only themselves or a dragon overlord.
Christopher White I definitely feel like they're closer than a comparison to goblins so I want that video also. I would also advise to beware saying that they don't have a good sense of smell since their most mammalian feature is traditionally their doglike nose. Granted dogs don't always smell "pleasant" naturally but in terms of logic keep it in mind imo.
Of all people, I would have thought you had this answer a long time ago:
The difference was always Narrative.
As for my Kobolds:
Tucker's... anyone?
Yeah, not mentioning Tucker's Kobolds bothers me almost as much as the way he keeps referring to kobolds as reptiles and as being cold-blooded.
I kept wanting to refer to Taking20's channel, 3 months ago they touched on this same topic.
Feel they got into the bed of a Kobold better... head, I mean head!
I always presented them as better organized and community based than goblins and more victims of circumstance. They worship dragons who use and dispose of them on a whim. But they can come to worship anything or anyone sufficiently powerful enough to impress them. Which is typically something evil. In one campaign the dragon used them and the adventurers and as soon as it got what it wanted it just flew off never to be heard from again. The kobolds turned to the adventurers as their new masters. By mid level they're such a non threat that theyre adorable and my players ended adopting the scheaming little suck ups. Eventually growing quite attached to them. By the campaign end the general consensus was how much they're going to miss their groveling little reptillian murder hobos.
Right now I'm working on a campaign were the players can encounter a good aligned kobold clan under the protection/employ of a gold dragon. I like to do different things with monster races and always thought why not good kobolds? But I do agree kobold and goblin are vastly different to say and treat them the same would be to treat dwarves and elves the same.
I would think to have a difference between 'metallic' and 'chromatic' kobolds, just like there are differences between elves and drow, and dwarves and duergar(?), gnomes and svirfneblin, etc.
I had been working on something similar since I reread the bit about the WAY in which they served dragons, just felt so thematic for both monsters. Would be neat if individual kobold clans took on the hue and damage resistance of the dragon they serve, which could potentially buff a kobold player character up a bit, as well as make interestingly themed lairs and traps.
Great ideas, well presented! I would add: a kobolds' lair will be much more silent than a goblin's lair. Reptiles usually don't make much noise in comparison to other creatures. So there, you have it: hot, humid and muddy holes where there is hardly a sound, even as scores of cold-eyed kobolds are watching you.
Ive played a rejected trapmaker kobold once, he got turned into a dragonborn seeking redemption from Bahamuth. It was magical.
SvenOkonomi Dragonborn kobold.. God among his species?
That's actually exactly what happened. :') I was a reclusive little trap and bow crafting kobold that got rejected from his tribe for being too soft (everyone bullied me for choosing knowledge over force), but a party of adventurers found me and befriended me. Then one night Bahamut came to me in a dream, bestowed dragonborn status upon me and told me to seek him out because he needed help. During the night I was turned into a giant scaled egg for a week. (my team had to drag me around, heheh). Eventually I hatched (going from 3ft to 8ft is hilarious!), helped my deity, and returned to my tribe who immediately accepted me as their divine ruler.
In the end I was a devine shape shifting bronze dragonborn with a pair of (replacable) kobolds at my side.
This video had great timing. My players are visiting a Kobold Mine today and now i have a different way to describe it. That helped a lot. Thank you!
I usually have them as a more standard race due to their higher intelligence and organization skills, allowing the more standard races to accept their proximity.
One thing I've always wanted to explore is an empire, ruled by dragons, where Kobolds and Dragonborn are the two dominant races and the first class citizens. I also see them as being very bronze age/ ancient Egyptian in style, don't why I just do.
The midgard setting has that- see kobold press
I love these videos, they really allow me to rethink some creatures I never gave much thought.
Hey, Guy! Big fan of you here, love your channel! Keep the great content!! 😉
Likely my favorite of your videos. Thanks!
Are dragon's cold-blooded? Are saurians or birds cold-blooded? Kobolds, being dragon-kin may be very warm-blooded.
No, kobolds are not reptiles and they are not cold-blooded. They are draconic and warm-blooded.
It bothers me a lot that he repeats points about "reptiles" and so much he mentions is wrong, and so much of what he describes deals with them being cold-blooded, which they are not.
If you ask Siegfried, he will absolutely testify that Dragons are warm blood creatures...
I mean, dragons could possibly be cold blooded but at the same time heating their blood with the "internal furnace" inside them, they exhaust that for some reason and they fall into lethargy, this could give some strategic limitations to these great creatures and gives them a reason to live nearby active volcanoes and calderas.
CDgonePotatoes Having an internal heat source for your blood is what warm blooded means. Also, birds are warm-blooded which is why birdlike (classification not actually a thing of wings) dinosaurs are theorized as having warm blood.
The video is wrong about the smell of reptiles as well. They all have tongues and a good sense of smell, they just smell different to us like most other animals. I'm pretty sure crocodiles' huge tongues have taste buds because all crocodilians (like alligators & crocodiles) use taste and smell to decide what to eat. People who feed or catch them use very smelly bait for this reason.
rifter rifter I was just trying to assess the matter by making dragons an in-between, behaving hot blooded if they don't expend their fire breath but they can still survive if their body temperature significantly drops by acting like a cold blooded reptile, so while hot blooded creatures depend on having a constant body temperature to stay alive, dragons don't like a cold blooded creature but at the same time have this feature that allows them to keep their blood hot even in winter it's like keeping your pet lizard close to the fireplace in winte, very close in fact.. too close... don't throw your pet lizard in the chimney.
I don't agree with what Guy said about snakes and crocodiles, I just wanted to share an idea on dragons
Most interesting and most informative. Thank you for sharing.
Guy, it is time for a challenge. what are your thoughts on using and roleplaying *Warforged* characters?
Erik McCreary ^ someone answer him lol
I think that warforged are really interesting in the right setting. in one setting im running warforged are not considered people until they "turn on" each warforged will gain sapience at a different rate depending on their design. but until then they are considered property. old warforged are more commonly scene as adventurers because they were warmachines in their "toy days" as they call them. while newer warforged are more commonly seen in more sedentary life styles. warforged mages are somewhat uncommon but only really because mages themselves are uncommon.
Warforged are robots...
Incapable of exceeding their programming (can not gain levels)
Watching this video has given me a good idea of the first task for a pirate-themed D&D campaign I’m running for a friend. A half-underwater Kobold den. It’s a great twist on what would be a classic introductory D&D dungeon
I've always played them as mini wannabe dragons. I give some of the more powerful ones a breath weapon to keep adventurers on their toes. Especially during this one campaign where I had an Ancient Red Dragon trying to attain godhood.
I also give them little treasure hoards hidden away. Nothing super impressive, just shiny stuff and the odd magical trinket hidden in muck.
An occasional Kobold might have wings and breath weapon. Very rare and revered by all Kobolds. Seen as a vile aberration by any dragon or dragonkin.
@@fhuber7507 Depends on the setting I think, Winged Kobolds(Urds) in 5E are usually disliked by other kobolds, per Volo's Guide, due to the betrayal of Kuraulyek, a winged godling servant of Kurtulmak
Yay been w8ing for this!
"that is the future generation, or at least breakfast tomorrow"
Nice
I think you and I have very different "kobolds". Mine are draconic in nature (as opposed to "reptilian"...I do not consider dragons to be reptiles, appearance notwithstanding) and so they're naturally very resistant to environmental changes, though they prefer the warm. You could call them tribal, having a strong connection to family and familial units. They're fairly small, but mine are designed to be reminiscent of the Jurassic Park style raptor (or more appropriately Deinonychus), complete with running endurance and claws, and so in a group they're absolutely lethal. Even so, they don't tend to pillage or raid; rather, they tend to be very territorial, as their draconic heritage might imply.
Goblins on the other hand are raiders who employ skirmish tactics. They CLAIM to be highly family oriented, but in reality they tend to in-fight a lot. They also don't possess the lethal natural weapons kobolds do, which is one reason they raid a lot.
Deinonychus - BOOM!!!
Been waiting since 1993 for someone other than me to say that.
Planning a Kobold party kampaign, so this was a good talk or me. Lots of good ideas. Have to learn the players the ways of kobolds and the perspective.
I think you just made lizard folk.
I knew i was not the only one who heard all the lizard talk and just thought "wait, isn't this literally lizard people"
Big mistake I keep seeing, and am very confused by. Dragons aren’t cold blooded in _nature._ They’re very emotional and hold strong positions with good, evil, law, chaos. Lizardfolk and yaun-ti are neutral!
He made small lizardfolk.
Dwarven-lizardfolk.
As someone who is running a very dragon themed campaign, a popular enemy my enemies come to blow with are the cunning and cruel kobold. So I wanted to offer here my own imput.
The lair to which you describe in your video is the lair of your standard Black Scaled Kobold. They take after their dragon counter parts and they live in wet, swampy places. Due to their keen swimming and breath holding they often make such swamp caves their lairs and have a nasty habit of pulling people under. However there are other kobolds.
You will encounter kobolds for one of a few reasons; either you've stumbled into their domain. They've been recruited into some kind of religious dragon cult. Or they've been enslaved. - The most dangerous of the kobolds are their sorcerers, for they have the bloodline of dragons.
Red Kobolds, your most traditional, do make home in hot places. Making use of incredible heat for their homes because, well, they are red scaled. Maybe around a volcano, or something else that is extremely hot.
The green kobolds you might find in overgrown forest caves, but they are just as likely to build their nests in dense foliage. They are the only kobolds that usually do build their nests outside because of their forest incline. And so here you might encounter plants and beasts they've subjugated or befriended. And if they are befriending beasts they most likely will have kobold druids amongst them.
The blue kobolds are desert kobolds and they'll often be found in desert caves. Having an affinity to lightning and thunder, electricity will be a common theme for things you'll encounter battling them.
And finally you have the White Kobolds. This defies the previously mentioned cold blooded reptile because, they have cold resistance. These kobolds will build their nests in ice caves in the coldest places in the world. THey usually detest heat and so wont resort to fire for a few reasons. Damaging their home is one.
There are a lot of things you can do with them. They are prone to be greedy and horde items of magic, with a great favor to items of dragon nature. They can be great cultist material in the setting of Faerun due to Tiamat. - Kobolds abducting villages who are friends of a gold dragon to sacrifice to the dragon goddess.
Kobolds are dangerous because they can be rallied behind a cause, and they are dangerous because of the magics that some of them can bring to bare.
After just watching the hour long Kobold documentary by MrRexx or whatever his channel was called, and idk how new his video is, the difference between Kobolds and goblins are vast already, and I rather like the plucky communal self sacrificing to the point of a bloody torrent mini dragon things. I like your take in a specific thematic sense, but as far as the established lore I certainly enjoy what they already have to offer.
A few weeks ago I just played in my first campaign, centered around a crazy witch lady who had enslaved a warren of Kobolds to bring tiamat to the mortal realm. Was a one shot that took us all day, and set us up to jump into horde of the dragon queen. The story revolved very heavily around the Kobold element, and the way he presented them was quite similar to the existing descriptions of them and it was marvelous.
First off I like the points you make. Secondly I've started running a large array of my monster type beings with subtle differences as far as tactics and mannerisms depending on where there from, there leaders or lack of. Very good video as always. On point and thought provoking. Thank you.
There is, or should be, a big difference... Goblins are Chaotic/Evil while Kobolds are Lawful/Evil. Kobolds stick to their traditions and rules, they have a religion, they like to follow the orders of an authority, especially if it is a dragon whom they revere, they value promises and pacts, and it would make perfect sense for them to care about their own. Goblins should be the representation of bad anarchy and supremacy by being the most aggressive or strong. With kobolds you could make civilized deals, with goblins you couldn't.
I really liked the idea of giving them crocodile-like connotations. Very interesting idea.
A wonderful look at the kobold! Ill be adding these ideas (and my own take on them) to my world =)
I appreciate this video a lot.
In our homebrew campaign, kobolds are actually a force to be reckoned with. Yes, they are pretty much a servant race. But they are also master philosophers. Pun-Pun is not a thought experiment in breaking the game, but the setting's equivalent to Sun Tzu. Not only did they essentially author the Art of War, but they also mastered techniques that let them push an agenda from a servile position. Commenting on ideas they had "that could never work" in earshot of their masters, accomplishing certain tasks with zeal while dragging their feet on others, lauding certain ideas with honesty while sounding like sycophants when they don't agree with something.
"The greatest accomplishment of a servant is to have the master's will coincide with their own, without the master realizing it was the servant's idea in the first place."
I rather enjoy your idea on how to run with this! For my world, Kobolds are interlinked with Dragons, which aren't cold blooded for me as they're magical beings, but that just means we have to add a way for their 'god' to come and go somewhere up high. :D And thus, if the players want to GET to the dragon, they have to go through the horrible, dank, acrid kobold tunnels.
Crocodiles do have tongues, but they are stuck inside their mouths with a membrane.
An excellent analysis of the Kobolds.
I created a tribe of kobolds called the "Redfoot Tribe". They were a mining tribe who traded with people who passed their village, which just so happened to be next to a major trade route, and they were very peaceful. The daughter of their chief, the princess if you will, was kidnapped and my party rescued her and escorted her vack to her peopl. This was a job given to them by their adventurer's guild. The tribe also had a very rare material they called glass-stone. A dark, glass-like material, and they used it to make sunglasses, guarding the secret to making them like crazy.
I'm playing a Kobold Rogue that is working as a kind of ambassador to the Dwarves who are encroaching on Kobold lands. The original concept for the character was to be a servant for a rich person as an acquisitions specialist. Ah well. Cool thing is, we already used the difference between Kobolds and Goblins. "It puts hair on your chest." "Kobolds don't grow hair." And in the game world we're playing in, Goblins are more...cannibalistic. We'll delve more into it as the game goes, since we just had one game thus far.
I absolutely adore Kobolds and use them as much as possible. I have three different PCs who are Kobolds and one who has a Kobold as a parent.
This video was quite informative indeed. It was a problem I faced during my DMing: Monsters behaving too similar. Starting from the physiyological part was smart. Thx a bunch. Kobolds being Lawful evil, will also behave in a more orderly fashion I believe. They will have a chain of command, probably some dragon on the very top of that. And having an equivalent Int score to humans they will be more tactical. Goblins will be more like strongest rules the herd kind.
I had just written a kobold encounter, this came out just in time. Ill incorporate some of this.
The way I've taken Kobolds is very much like intelligent worker bees to a dragons"Queen-dom". I usually think of everything they do is in service of their 'queen' and without one are otherwise crestfallen. In practice I see it as Kobolds either living along side a dragon as servants, carving out defenses in a dragons current place of residence, such as digging in murder holes, arrow slits etc, to make the lives of any potential threats seeking to defeat, steal or undermine the dragon leader as difficult as possible. Beyond the Kobold/Dragon hive I usually try to make it so any Kobold action is in direct service to their master, such as acquiring wealth and magic, acting as ambassadors to the dragon or otherwise expanding its sphere of influence. That being said, another excellent video, and I will definitely be using some of these ideas for my Lizard-Folk tribes.
Love this take. Just started a new campaign based around dragon-kin and cults, so this couldn't have come at a better time. I'm working the characters towards entering a Kobolds lair, but the standard dungeon design was leaving me cold. Trap, tunnel, yawn. I love the idea of using the "cold blooded" factor. Forget the traps and dark stone corridors, now I have the idea of heavy humid tunnels, swamped caves and little tunnels were Kobolds slide in and out, its just far more appealing, game wise. Hands reaching out for your feet, under murky water, is far more disturbing than a pitfall trap any day! Thanks.
Very interesting!
Before watching, my own opinion was to see goblins as a much more offensive race. There would be the rabbitlike warren that overflows every season, and a whole lot of gobbos would leave to venture the surface as a war band or camp, to find more food and pillage, maybe even find a new nest site.
They are defined by the fact that there's always lots of them, they breed like rabbits, so some of them have to leave and get in conflict with other races. They are much more likely to be found above ground, though they breed in warrens, and will eagerly swarm opponents with smaller forces than their war band, attacking with mismatched found weapons, possibly simple traps if the environment allows.
Warlike, goblins that get a taste for blood and have any success may be found riding wargs or boars like orcs(possibly multiple goblins, like a siege engine, considering their size) and attacking with some stratagy, but they aren't patient creatures, and they are always hungry.
Kobolds, on the other hand, are very defensive. You are much more likely to have to go to them. Much more industrious, with a complex warren containing a shared nest at the very bottom, and above levels filled with traps. I define them much more by the traps, because kobolds are very cowardly. Yes, goblins will run if something kills too many of them, but Kobolds would rather not have anything to do with a fight in the first place.
Their traps are insidious. A kobold fund down the tunnel ahead of the adventurers, seemingly for its life, but the pit trap dressing only falls under the medium creatures' greater weight. Swinging rocks or logs would knock down or brain humans, but the kobolds just run underneath, and stab the prone adventurers to death. They kill you while you crawl through small sized tunnels, unable to fight back. They build traps that do require several kobolds to set up, but are very lethal.
Much more likely to cooperate with each other, kobolds, they all lay in the same place, and communally raise the eggs and children. So although they may not be nice to each other, they consider all kobolds from their warren family. Anyone else small like them, or at a disadvantage, they will kill or enslave. Much larger monsters(see dragons) they may worship out of fear, and build their warrens near or under, for safety. They proudly claim heritage from dragons, but secretly envy the beasts and hate their own small stature, taking this out on those they can bully. They are much more likely to live in relative peace with other races though, sometimes living under cities above ground with none the wiser.
I had never thought of the water aspect, seeing most of the red ones as more of the lizards that live in arid areas, but water traps are certainly something kobolds would do! Perhaps the green or black ones, to add yet another layer of deviousness to their traps.
For me, the difference in their traps is that the Goblins are trying to trap you or kill you so that they can eat you later, while Kobolds just want to drive you away. In my campaigns Kobolds are actually employed in large towns to create and maintain the sewer system. I had one session where the local nobility stopped paying the Kobolds and even sent adventurers (the PCs) into the sewers to kill them off. When the Kobold Sorcerers died Gelatinous Cubes that the Kobolds had been using to filter the water were released, some of them squeezing up out the fountains while giant rats (the Kobold's food source) started running amok.
This is very helpful, I used to have the difference be that goblins are clumsy, and kobalds are serious
awesome video. I wasnt a fan of kobollds but this helps.
Despite my comments I really did enjoy your video and your take on kobolds. I comment as a fellow player just having a conversation. Please take my words as possible critiques and not criticisms. You have a great channel here.
I like thinking of kobolds as a much more militaristic society, with ranks and officers and the like, while goblins are more like a wild, chaotic bunch. Kobolds use strategy, they got smart positioning and will use terrain to their advantage. Goblins will jump on you trying to stab stab stab as much as they can, shouting and spitting and cursing.
Also goblins use traps, true, but kobolds are OBSESSED with traps: they will place as much as they can, and the players will be extremely weared out before encountering the actual kobolds.
I also like to think that they are more rational and more detached, so they are more inclined to cooperate with players once defeated and will always choose personal survival over... pretty much anything (loyalty, vengeance, hatred etc.)
By the way, I take the occasion to thank you immensely, you are a real source of inspiration and I always get cool new ideas watching your videos! For one of the next topics I would love to hear what you think about gnolls and their eternal hunger (I fell in love with them playing Warcraft 3 and since then my fascination has never stopped growing)
Ciao!
In my sub box, the length of this video is lit. I mean leet. Wait, I mean...
We aren't just cannon fodder! We can bring high level parties to their knees!
Our party may have doomed our world accidentally by successfully deceiving a Kobold leader that we (the party) were the aspects of Glamring, the great dragon in the sky, and that they must pay their respect by bringing us gold in large quantities.
We pretty much started a Kobold crusade by telling them to spread the word of Glamring.
By Volo's Guide to Monsters, Kobolbs are VERY communal and will all sacrifice themselves for the good of the group whereas Goblins fight each other constantly.
this vid gave me an idea for a steampunk-pirate dnd campaign I'm working on and I want to have ship battles happening outside of the player's control/presence.
both goblins and kobolds are very pirate-like in their culture - goblins more so than kobolds, but kobolds have a thing for minerals and tech and that would fit in perfect in a more tech inclined setting.
For kobolds, some have wings so maybe they don't even need a ship and they just swarm airships with overwhelming numbers. Even if not I'd imagine their craft to be more intricate and maneuverable, maybe they model their ships after the dragons they worship, If so Kobolds would certainly be very proud of their crafts.
Goblins, on the other hand, would be less crafty with their vessels so either take the tip from warhammer and have their ships made more haphazardly stitched together or just steal and repurpose ships from other races. Fitting of their roguish nature, goblins are not proud of their craftsmanship but instead of their feats as sky-criminals
I like your take on kobolds, especially the lair and the idea that they are more defensive and focus on defending the clutch.
I've always felt like kobolds are a bit more primitive than goblins, tending toward implements of stone and wood, while goblins have metalworking. Goblins wear armor, and are more prone to stand up fights as opposed to kobolds mostly doing hit and run tactics with traps set for those that try to chase them down.
This makes kobald's so more interesting i am running the hoard of the Dragon queen so this is essential
I like the idea of trying to make them inspired by raptors or compsognathus.
I like to mix things up by grabbing the original mythology: the original idea of a "kobold" was a fae creature, so mine are potentially terrifying fey creatures which can dislocate their jaw and go through small tunnels which defy normal space, meaning is their lairs get non-euclidean. However, I also have a rule against making any race inherently evil, so I've had players negotiate with them: the story of the players negotiating with the seemingly insane creatures, getting some sort of fetch Quest or Monster slaying contract in exchange for the child the kobolds were going to sacrifice to the Fae so they could do it themselves, and then having to race against the clock before the kobolds get tired of waiting, is a much more intriguing story to me than the typical Kobold Slaughter Festival that these things become.
When I run them in D&D, I've also played up the draconic factor, making them the Servants of the dragon that the players are trying to deal with, crawling around in its Lair, ready to attack the party for it or warn the dragon that they are there. The dragon might even find them to be pleasant on some level, considering they are other Dragonoids, and the things they consider to be comfortable are far more aligned with it than goblins.. This makes things much more interesting.
I really like what you've thrown down here though. The next time I run any sort of lizard pack, I'm going to make their lair warm and moist, possibly have parts for the players are waiting through knee deep mud.
This was good, but I'm going to echo the sentiment that this really works more for Lizardfolk (who have an excellent write up in (I think) Volo's Guide). I would approach them as some sort of degenerate Dragonborn or some other sort of Dragon-made servants. So I'd pattern a particular tribe's habit and lair after whatever dragon type they originated from. I wouldn't limit it to chromatics, either. I think metallic kobolds who assist in the defense of a dragon's lair would be neat, or act as emessaries, or the eyes and ears of a reclusive Gold would be good as well. So, yeah, for me, I'd take the dragon link and run with it.
One of my personal sticking points with Kobolds has always been Kurtlemak (Kobold diety) and in particular the feud with Garl Glittergold that seems to seep in to every DnD setting/lore and creates an annoying race-war. I always find these things limiting from a narrative perspective and limiting in terms of world-view. I could see it from a particular tribe, or collection of tribes that have feuded with a clan of gnomes for generations, but not every kobald/gnome everywhere. So, that would be something I'd drop so I have the freedom to create the culture I want.
You know what I think would be a neat twist on the whole Kurtlemak thing.... Have it turn out that Garl Glittergold in fact DID NOT steal from Tiamat's hoard, and lied.... Tiamat seeing through his lie but wanting to get rid of Kurtlemak on account of him having the worship of all of the Kobolds(Which would eventually make him the more powerful diety out of the two of them, given that Kobolds reproduce quickly and have a natural lifecycle that if not cut short would lead to him having MANY MANY followers.... ) Well Tiamat decided to take advantage of Kurtlmaks trust in her and sent him to raid Garl Glittergolds domain and steal back the non-existant treasure.... Took many milinia before he finally said "Wait..... Did she just send me on a snipe hunt to get rid of me?"
Needless to say if this came out the resulting war between the worshipers of Tiamat and the Kobolds would be interesting.... Just imagine all in a sudden Tuckers Kobolds are now out to murder the Cult of the Dragon, and their basic strategy is "Build our secrete lair all round the enemy all sneaky like so they don't realize we're here before the traps are all set and there is no escape that isn't fighting their way through our trap filled dungeon...."
Kobolds and Goblins are cool races to me . I like Them a lot. And in fantasy books I like developing their cultures a little more exciting
I've got such a soft spot for Kobolds. I interpreted them as Clan-Oriented Urchins with delusions of grandeur. Now that's not very different from the text itself, but as a character I tried to put them in a light of "i am on an adventure to help my clan become dragons again" or deeply respected and recognized in the Dragon Space. It is always a futile effort, stupidly so, but I felt that flavoured them rather well.
Kobolds in my world hold the last traces of true dragon blood. They reside in most cities in the alleys sewers and self dug Warren's under the cities. They are often tinkers rat catchers and run lamp lighter guilds.
I have always loved kobolds but in the 90s i equated them more to skaven but with less fecal-covered weapons in AD&D 2nd Ed. Now i have a "civilized" colony under a major trade town that maintains the sewers and aquaducts in exchange for goods. They are even allowed to visit shops and openly trade.
One other big way to differentiate kobolds from goblins is to have the dragons actually tolerate their diminutive worshipers. It's more of a change to dragons, but if you start massacring kobolds when their god is 2 rooms away and may well decide to check on what all that noise is (provided this is a dragon-sized tunnel, of course), you've got a party that's in conservation mode. No sorcerer is going to waste a valuable fireball on a group of kobolds when he's expecting a dragon to pop around the corner.
Of course, you probably need to establish this pattern early on, by, say, having some kobolds take over the fortress built on top of a cave system because they've figured out that there's a wyrmling aged dragon hiding under it, and tasking your level 2 party to go root it out. Thanks, Eucharion (my DM).
I haven't watched yet, but I'm pretty sure my answer is no because kobolds are **AWESOME**. Best little monsters in the game
I’ve never played RPGs previously, so no pre-established ideas about Kobolds. But I like your idea here. To extrapolate a bit, if Kobolds like warmth, humidity and water, we might suppose that Kobolds act something like certain ants, termites, ground-dwelling wasps, and even beavers. All those creatures build their dwellings to “engineering” principles that maintain ideal levels of temp, humidity, air-flow and/or water access. These nests will require cooperation to build and maintain so that they continue to function correctly. It might well be a very chaotic-looking sort of cooperation, of course, but it will work reliably because the group would die if it didn’t..
Anyway, this would give Kobolds an interesting view of humans - how superficially social we try to appear, when in actuality we would seem sort of like beasts barely able to cooperate and live with one another.
It would give Kobolds a great reason to fear and loathe humans - the way we “carelessly” divert watercourses, callously drive ditches and footings and shafts through extended Kobold ventilation and access systems, etc.
Anyway, just my thinking.
I’ve always had a fascination of things like oozes and slimes.
I've been wondering how to play a kobold as a spare character in case my current one dies (which has nearly happened 4 times), especially since I kinda want to play as a monk, with a more," Vash the Stampeed" feel
This video helped a lot, thanks
I like that. Changes my idea, I've never really used Cobalts for that exact reason why not just use goblins.I might run kobold Den for a bounty board or something like that.
Putting together a game world and came up with some new Kobold lore for it, basically Goblins and Orcs will breed with anything they can and Kobolds are a stable race of what happens when a Dragon and a Goblin get it on.
One idea I had to differentiate them is this:
Kobolds often serve dragons, and likely are tasked with digging up gold when they don’t pillage for it. This, along with any technical know-how, would make them great miners and even smiths! And with any sorceries kobolds, may even know how to fashion lesser magic items if taught by their dragon lord.
This can either be used to make the kobolds the techy ones or simply make them a related but different profession than goblins. Goblins can spend time in workshops, no matter how rudimentary, while kobolds live deep underground slaving away at the mines. Perhaps their dragon blood makes it easy to sniff out precious metals even!
For civilized kobolds, what if after a dragon was slayed the kobolds made out with some treasure or even helped the adventurers as hireling for killing their tyrannical master? Kobolds could even then be good merchants; would add some diversity to their lines of work outside of minion, miner, or belittled shaman. They could even be good architects who designed and built their dragon master’s lair from the mountain, take a leaf out of the dwarves’ book (of grudges because some kobolds may have stolen the blueprints) and they prefer to live life large in defiance of their size. Wishing to be large and powerful like the dragons they frequently serve.
The inherent magical abilities could also be focused on. Goblins sometimes have Fey magic but kobolds being the race with more sorcerers or even wizards and other sorts could make more sense. Nature for goblins, arcane for Kobolds.
You can even go back to old editions and grabby them puppy-like kobolds and just make them dog people, even modern dragonkin kobolds have many puppy-like characterization so lean into that instead!
And I liked that one line you had: kobolds aren’t looking to rule the world, that’s for goblins and big folk. Maybe the Urd for sorcerer wants to become a dragon, but the rest of his kin likely wants to just live in peace.
I’ve gone a long time about the kobolds. For the goblins, their hierarchy is much more involved. Instead of just a dragon or a shaman at the top and a generally shallow beirarchy, goblins can be defined by it. There’s always a bigger guy further up the ranks and a goblin either puts up with it or has to be sneaky about things. Goblins likely want to be their own masters but rarely have the wit, until one goblin comes along that does. They break off from the others and find lesser beings to lord over and even enslave, getting fat off the cows their subjects pillaged.
If you want the more civilized or simply inventive goblins, you can start with the outlander types that are short Bear Grylls. Lots of snares and pitfalls to catch good game. Perhaps they even live connected to nature purposefully. Or you can simply make them surprisingly smart but bullied by those bigger.
One idea I got (thanks FFXIV) was that goblins love certain food luxuries like cheese! Or beer! Or pretzels! They invented their own tech to satisfy their odd food obsessions, perhaps they’re natural gourmands (or with Fey origin remember the fine wines and hor d’oeuvres of the Fey court and almost instinctually act to reclaim that taste) that will stop at nothing for good food! Would explain why the rambunctious ones raid for quality farm animals!
You could also make them cursed gnomes not dissimilar to Tolkien’s orcs and could even explain their gadgetry know-it-how.
Or you can simply decide which one of them looks funnier with an oversized gun they misfired 😂
My concept of what a kobold looks like got messed up because when I was younger I loved the Landover series by Terry Brooks, he had a couple of kobolds that were important characters and they were described as apelike creatures. And I had an early Magic the Gathering card that was a kobold and the picture was a purple skinned goblin with a beaklike face. It wasn't until I read some D&D based webcomics that I found out they were supposed to be little dragon people.
I started playing D&D with the red box set in the early 80s. Kobolds then were doglike and I built a whole dog culture around them. with packs of dogs, gnolls up in the caves of the foothills. They would of course have a good sense of smell and be very defensive.
lizardfolk are like emotionless instinct robots, kobolds are stunted dragons with humanoid bodies, like a stupid dragon that got halfway stuck between a human and dragon metamorphosis
Great advice about water. I'm going to make that a bigger feature for them snd other reptilian creatures.
Mostly i see kobolds dutiful reliable and loyal to tribe above all... And the tribe is loyal to a dragon whenever they can find one.
Goblin loyalty extrnde only as far as fear of the boss. When a Goblin makes a suicidal attack they are motivated by fear, greed, and bloodlust. A Kobold would be motivated by loyalty, duty, and to protect their community or dragon.
Guess who is easily broken during an interrogation?
Kobolds VS goblins? Give kobolds fire breath. It’s what I do
Would love to see a video on Angels.
If I am running kobolds based off of the Dungeons and Dragons version they are related to dragons. As such, that makes them warm-blooded because dragons are warm-blooded. As a quick note, dragons, throughout our world history, tend to have a mix of serpent, big cat, and bird of prey characteristics. As such, it might make sense to adopt these into kobolds since they are related to dragons. That is assuming you bring in elements of our world's legends about dragons into your fantasy setting.
I think it might be fun to focus on them being more like dragons to some degree. That would mean maybe different tribes/settlements of kobolds have particular theme related to the type of dragon they are most closely related to. For example, there could be a group of blue kobolds that specialize in lightning magic and traps.
In my last setting I had them take on the roles of engineers in mix population cities. I based this off of the fact kobolds are known their traps and from real world legends they are associated with mining. This basically turned them into inventors and machinists.
I think my whole opinion of kobolds has been shaped by the Sunless Citadel (where mine have been known to comment with disgust at how unsanitary goblins are) and the various pet lizards I have had. Generally chill, but territorial, liking things warm and dry except for the occasional luxurious soak. And fanboy obsessed with everything dragon, tending toward dragon decor and collecting shiny things in hopes of attracting one. I see Lizardfolk more like the description here.
Love kolbold
Like your take. I personally do also take a coldblooded approach. but i kind of take them more of a swampy approach and, use them more as raiders. while i see goblins as more of small kingdoms. i admit i kinda take goblins into a small evil kingdom of sorts to use against humans. I also see kobolds using most of the trap making focused on their liars and area surrounding. while with goblins i kinda change their trap making nature to more of an engineering nature instead. thus making them more built for sieges and conquest. But thats just my thoughts on it.
This makes me wonder about underwater combat
The key difference is the alignment; kobolds are usually lawful evil and work together, and are all around more industrious than goblins, setting much more elaborate and complicated traps. Goblins are usually chaotic evil, by comparison, and tend to be more primitive, tribal, and respond only to suitable displays of strength.
Personally I've never seen them as particularly similar. Goblins have never in my eyes been known for making traps. They might sometimes be known as tinkers or alchemists, but I've never considered them trappers. Kobolds on the other hand are huge trap makers. It may seem like a slight difference, but it really informs a lot about the two. Goblins are chaotic creatures, tend to be tricksters and destructive with a particular love of fire, and tend to be far more aggressive as a whole. Kobolds are lawful creatures, are much more defensive minded (hence the trap focus) and far more willing to be cooperative if it is in their interest. You could likely write a small book about the differences between the cultures. Kobolds dig out tunnels and mines of their own, they're rather industrious, while Goblins tend to live above ground in camps, or caves they've found as opposed to digging out themselves. I do like the idea of helping note the distinctions between them though.
Patient ambush hunting. That is a great point for cold blooded creatures.
I'd like to see your take on Hags, or on Fey in general. Lots of story and roleplaying room there
I like your take on Kobolds. I will use that approach when I get a chance to use them. Now what about Xvarts? It would be interesting to hear if your perspective on them.
I love the hot humid lair filled with pockets and passage ways of water that's some good flavor for the game. I'm not disputing the claim about reptiles stench and maybe kobolds wouldn't care but maybe they would. They are sentient creatures with an a big average intelligence approximately equal to the average human. That is to say they may concern themselves with things unimportant to lizards, turtles, and crocodilians.
part of the issue i think is mythology wise goblins and kobolds come from very similar sources and indeed kobolds used to be more human or dog like than lizard before they came into pathfinder and D&D. in my game kobolds are living mostly to a central island home. A small jungle covered volcanic island. Two tribe of kobolds live there, red scales who live under the volcano in tunnels and a coastal settlement they built to look like a pirate city some silly kobold sailors found. they also live around a sleeping red dragon who they tend to let be for the most part.
Second group i have to explain how i've changed them and dragons. I've based them more on Dinos so some dragons actually have feathers in my game. the second tribe of kobolds are based off feathered green dragons, so there the green feather tribe. They are surface dwelling forest kobolds who build in trees or under there roots and tend to make the most traps like pit falls and tend to ambush from trees. they have one kind of fighter called flying scorpions who are winged kobolds with tail spikes who fly or glide from tree tops and sting at critters with poisoned tail spikes. the also have more magic users (mainly druids and shaman) than other kobolds.
My worlds tend to have a little more of a fantasy tech element to them where I like to focus on a fantastical version of machinery and inventions. Kobolds land in here as the shoddier part of the triangle of inventor races.
Typically, I'll make Dwarves reluctant to incorporate new things and stubbornly resilient to updating tech that still works. Gnomes fiddle with everything and anything and will try their best to make something new and never before seen. Kobolds also build stuff but it's often cheaply built and a little more unwieldy, possibly with extra features it ordinarily wouldn't have. It is done very quickly and likely with random junk.
For example, a craftsman of each race has to make a repeating crossbow.
The Dwarf will deviate little from existing designs and make something solid, dependable and capable. It'll be well built but kinda standard, except for the decoration the Dwarf would put on it.
The Gnome might have about five different versions. One that can autofire, one that loads throwing knives instead and another two that attempt to use weird looking bow designs before finally handing over a strange looking contraption that can shoot knives from a loadable magazine. It'll break every twenty shots but it looks cool.
The Kobold hammered this thing out of a few blocks of wood, some nails and a little twine. It works, it's not amazing; but it'll do in a pinch and it's easy to fix as it's effectively cobbled together junk that cost twenty copper. It will do the job but break relatively often like an arts and crafts project probably would.
I tend to lead with that angle. As I quite like Kobolds. I keep adding ones that aid the players in someway because of this.
Pretty amazing your take on Kobolts is allmost 100 % similar to mine.
Allthough I think it is pretty close to how Kobolds are described in Pathfinders Golarion backround. A bit more detailed and gritte (canibalism and stench) but close.
Since I for some years now did not run a fantasy campaign and the GM who does for my group doesn't like giving creatures classes and level the group had no Kobolt encounter. The GM likes Goblins and we simply level to fast so we are out of the range of Kobolts after a few sessions. I would run it differently but his style is fun for us to play too and its pretty close to the old D&D and AD&D experience.
I do play a Kobold character though. So in a sense the group has a constant Kobolt encounter all the time. Just not a combat encounter. When we started the new campaign I wanted something different I haven't done befor and I wanted to stay away from min-maxing... at least a little. It was pretty obvious that the party would contain the usual mixture of Tieflings and Dwarf-Subspecies because of the allmost insane power gaming posibilitie. So I deliberatly picked a race that seems weak, small and is commonly looked down upon.
My cobolt is an Alchemist. Red scaled and indeed cold blooded. Which means he has a natural afinity to fire and heat. He dislikes cold. It caused quite some problems when we had to cross a mountain range and go stuck on a pass in a snow storm.
He also doesn't wear clothes. At least not out of an inside motivation or urge. Armor yes clothes no. He started to wear some to blend in and project status and wealth now.
His lack of sense of taste and disgust also has caught the attention as the group. The ability to eat allmost everything can be very practical and create lots of roleplaying opportunities.
I play the alchemist in the direction of a mad scientist. Not completly out of control but too curious and not enough foresight for his own good. This is what got him trown out of his tribe in the first place.
He is a bit of a racist. Thinking that Kobolts are superiour to most other races including dragons which are just degenerated, mutated and enlarged Kobolts to him. He can and will start a rant with lots of sciency babble if asked for the reasons. He is constantly trying to empower and improve himself to become what a Kobolt should be like. Befor all the other yealous bigger races drove them underground. Hopefully being able to extend this onto all Koblod-Kind to lead them to the place where they rightly belong.
He is not evil or malicious though. He just lacks common sense and restraint. The ends often do justify the means for him. In additon to that are the kultural differences. For example he did not jump into a river to rescue a child being washed away. Even though he easily could have done it. Concidering this as a natural way of finding out if the growing hatchling will be a future asset for his tribe. Which caused quite come controversy at the table. In character and out of.
There is a series, I for get the series name but the books are Orconomics and Son of a Liche, and it has kobolds making a living as Purse Kobolds for elves, essentially playing the roll of adorable pets for money.
I honestly viewed kobolds differently due to knowing them from an outside source, I thought of them as independent bandit reptiles, who were small, a little bit wild, but civilized between themselves to protect on higher being within a desert village that they would control.
I've had a vastly different take on kobolds. I once wondered on the same question and did some research on the folklore/mythological origins of these creatures, and found even D&D has strayed from the origins.
That said originally they where believed to be spirits that sometimes aided and sometimes caused problems for humans. (The name for the metal Cobalt, comes from the idea of kobolds turning valuable ores into something useless. Human miners that upset the kobalds could expect an increase in "accidents". Other kobalds where bound to homes rather then mines to aid families in daily chores (likely inspiration for J.k. Rowling's "house-elves"). Families would leave offerings at some sort of totem to keep the kobald happy. A good kobald was never seen or heard. If the family, however, failed to offer appropriate gifts or angered the kobald in some other manner, they could begin causing problems for the family. Accidents around the house could be blamed on the creature.
This sort of take could be incorporated into a game as a sort of symbiotic relationship gone wrong. It would focus more on the creatures tenancy to remain unseen and rely on traps. They could present a unique challenge in that players would have a difficult time even locating them. While elimination could be an option, appeasing the kobalds might be a more interesting option. Drawing on the folklore idea of presenting kobolds with gifts this could easily lead into some other fetch quest. To make things more interesting, the item requested could go against the players own interests.
I like this idea, but I do prefer having my Kobolds being craftier. Creating their own inventions and traps to use. While goblins might steal or adapt something they’ve found to use for themselves
I'd be interested in seeing your take on other extremely similar monsters like Orcs vs Hobgoblins, Worgs vs Dire Wolves, or Wights vs Ghasts
I've got a great backstory for a kobold.
Pretty simple with the new tasha's backgrounds n such. Have a kobold that was raised on a farm "hatched" from a chicken egg and raised by a little girl.
He could worship chickens instead of dragons as well as no light sensitivity.
I am sure the bearded Guy is 3 Kobolds under a Coat ;)
Nice points. Another difference, in my opinion, is that goblins are part of the larger goblinoid family, They will almost always have other (bigger and nastier) hobgobs or bugbears around, especially when encountered outside the lair/encampment. A warband is extremely likely to be mixed. I view Kobolds as somewhat xenophobic, by comparison.
I've kinda always played them as italian mobsters personally. They do pretty well for the archetype with their very tight familial relations and their habit of ganging up on things. Plus I can see them getting along decently well with other humanoids because of their lawful nature. If the terms seem to favor the kobolds then there's no reason they wouldn't agree to live peacefully with a city or town in return for a service.
I’m playing a Kobold this Saturday.
How did that go
Paul Fuellbrandt fantastic! Black scale Kobold ranger named Coal and he was super fun