How long do kobolds live

This is called "Scaletaint". TheUnexpectables Wiki Explore. Aussir Ghost Snowflower Valcenien. Popular pages. Explore Wikis Community Central. Because Pack Tactics require the character to make a weapon attack in order to get advantage, any class that gives you a fistful of weapon attacks is a viable option, making the Fighter the obvious choice.

A Kobold Fighter that uses ranged or finesse weapons like a rapier or two daggers can be a formidable melee combattant. A level 5 Kobold Monk with an ally backing them up can burn a Ki Point to make an eye-watering four attacks at advantage every round, for near-guaranteed damage. Because scoring a critical hit allows Paladins to roll double their dice when Smiting, giving yourself advantage through Pack Tactics is going to mean more critical hits and more smite damage as a result.

Paladins traditionally choose Strength as their primary ability score, but Dexterity-based Paladins are absolutely viable. Also, the idea of a Kobold Paladin is a fascinating idea. Are there orders of Kobold Paladins, sworn to serve as elite but laughably unnecessary bodyguards to their dragon queen?

One of the best ways to guarantee your Pack Tactics advantage is with a companion like a familiar or, in the case of the Beastmaster Ranger or maybe the Swarmkeeper if your DM is willing , an animal companion. Choose an animal companion with Pack Tactics for even more rolls at advantage. Roleplaying a Kobold is actually a lot like playing a Drow.

A Kobold adventurer is likely to live life way outside of their comfort zone basically all the time, and the unique perspective you bring to an adventuring party can be a great source of drama, comedy, and unique solutions. Set up traps to take enemies unawares, use your surroundings to your advantage, and make liberal use of your Grovel, Cower, and Beg ability to get the drop on your foes. Basically, make sure that underestimating you is the last mistake your opponents ever make.

Kobold culture centres around their distant draconic heritage, and they tend to have more lawful, structured societies than outsiders might expect. If left alone, Kobold societies tend to strive towards nothing more than living in peace, digging tunnels, and raising their young within their underground warrens.

Of course, their relationship with dragons, not to mention the threat of more powerful monsters, often makes that difficult. When a dragon takes up residence in an area, Kobolds just begin to appear in nearby caves and ruins, their population growing in proportion to the size and age of the dragon they serve.

In addition to dragon-worship which often leads Kobold populations to genuflect before the altar of the queen of evil dragons, Tiamat Kobolds also worship a lesser-known deity known as Kurtulmak. 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. Once they have, the threat of their defenses serves to dissuade attackers and prey on the unaware. This could come down to those that simply know about the kobolds and those that have faced them. The former will encompass most regular people, as kobolds will not directly interact with nearby towns.

General townsfolk might know that a den has moved into a cave or ruin but will lack specific knowledge. They will also rarely feel threatened, treating the den as a nuisance and something to be avoided. They may even argue against it, to prevent the possibility of the den striking back or moving to a worse location. The latter group will, of course, have more information. Interaction with them should show more of the true danger in a den, though you may wish to limit their knowledge depending on how much you want the party knowing.

The number of these characters should likewise be limited, most likely to whichever poor soul s discovered the den and informed the rest, or perhaps a group seeking to access the dungeon.

They will still see them as an annoyance or pest, though one that is dangerous to approach. As we discussed, these individuals tend to change the entire den around them and shape them in their image. This can lead to them being more violent or confident, with their reputation shifting to center on the leader themself.

In this case, focus more on the creature itself with the den as an additional danger. Unfortunately, the specific details of all of these changes are hard to define, as they depend on the leader. Consider how their actions and goals would make others view them, as well as how much of a reputation they have garnered, and build from there. By this point, you should hopefully be able to easily and effectively plan your entire kobold den.

This brings us to how they will play out in your game, whether that be in combat or interactions. Each step should continue to link back to everything you have written thus far, to maintain cohesive realism and inform your players.

We will begin with the different units and traps involved, before moving into a more direct explanation of how encounters will play out. When planning the units for a kobold encounter, it is important to realize two major differences between them and goblins: kobolds are not warriors and are rarely accompanied by other races.

This links back to their prioritization of traps over direct attacks and means that most of your combat units will simply be basic kobolds. Most of your variation will come from the traps and their battlefield control. Kobolds, even those without an allied beast, will breed smaller vermin, reptiles, and insects for use in traps. They may have jars or cages hidden around the map or even carried with them, giving quick access to chaotic reinforcements.

Swarms of bats , rats , insects , and poisonous snakes are fitting places to start. While it should rarely be the focus of kobolds, there are ways to expand the little reptiles themselves with new abilities. The simplest way is to just give them varied weapons and armor. This not only gives them additional options in combat but also helps each encounter feel different as their strategies change.

Just keep in mind that the traps are still their priority. You can find examples like caltrops in official rulebooks, or look at magical items and spells for inspiration. Basic formulae or single-use devices could replicate the effects of first and second-level spells. Coating their feet in adhesive could act like Spider Climb , while throwing a jar of it might catch opponents in a Web or Grease.

Look at other reptiles and the abilities they possess and incorporate level-appropriate versions into your kobolds. We would advise not overwhelming yourself, so keep these additions simple and easy to track. Perhaps some kobolds have become crazed and rabid, lashing out mindlessly but gaining the Blood Frenzy of a hunter shark or sahuagin. Finally, you can always give them magic and other abilities.

A kobold sorcerer, for example, might have several levels in the sorcerer class. You can do the same for a fighter, rogue, ranger, or even warlock.

Just remember to adjust the necessary stats to make them useful. If you wish to avoid some of the minutiae, take the basic humanoid statblocks and adjust them as we did with our goblins , only with a kobold flavor. As always, remember to balance around your players and encounter. The main reason we limit adding to the kobolds themselves is because the party will be facing a battle of attrition against traps. Likewise, be sure to represent additional abilities in your visual descriptions.

They can be as simple as robes and a component pouch or deftly twirling a dagger. This is to give players subtle hints and avoid them feeling duped. Traps are where the race excels and where you get to use as much creativity and variety possible.

Much of this stems from an old editorial by Roger E. Instead, we will focus on key points and what can be learned from Tucker and his kobolds. They did this by exerting total control of their level of the dungeon, covering every hallway and surface in different traps. The kobolds played it smart and safe, never facing the party directly. Instead, they herded them through fire, crossbow bolts, and dead-end pathways.

They were like a den comprised entirely of Batman, prepared for any plan or action the party might try. This is how we elevate a basic creature beyond its challenge rating and force players to think about every move they make. This forms the basis for how your kobolds should approach combat. All of their resources will go into ensuring that the players can never even reach them to attack. Concentrate your traps and defenses in the dungeon tunnels that protect the den, with kobold patrols ready to react to trap triggers or sounds of movement.

Their density and level of control can vary depending on how long the kobolds have been present. Keep in mind, though, that this setup is often their first priority in new territory. The longer a den has been present, the more opportunity they have to rig the dungeon and equip themselves. They can use them for cover, grant intelligence to their timing, or simply shoot at the distracted party. The idea of using as many varied traps as possible is easy to understand.

It ensures they do not become predictable and avoids an encounter or delve feeling repetitive. But it can also lead to a rapid burnout of ideas. So how do you come up with which traps to use? We find the easiest way to find inspiration is by breaking the traps down into several factors and using each as a springboard for development. When one avenue dries up, try approaching from another angle and see if something new comes to you.

Perhaps the most basic is simply stepping back and looking at what the kobolds have access to. What resources does their environment provide? Do they have pets to incorporate? Have they taken anything from previous victims? An example of this is wood. Mountain, desert, or deeply subterranean dens are unlikely to have direct access to wood but they may have managed to secure carts and carriages from other travelers, giving them a limited supply.

They might use it sparingly and avoid burning or breaking it. By contrast, a forest den can easily create smoke traps. What they will have easy access to are stone and soil.

This can shift their focus from punji sticks and javelins to collapsable tiles, falling stones, and manufactured cave-ins. Remember to think about these factors realistically and in a timeline. They may have taken it from another faction or a group of explorers, acquiring their belongings in the process. The kobolds knew this and forced the party to descend further, only to have to fight their way back up. Fill a locked hallway with it and wait for your wizard to panic- Fireball.

Another avenue of inspiration is to look at the dungeon and tunnels themselves. For a start, any good dungeon likely came with its own traps. An established den might have then added to these with their own flavor.

Next, look at your map and consider where triggers can be hidden, then what those might result in. A torch sconce might be a weight that triggers a trap if the torch is removed, releasing flammable powder over the person now holding the lit torch?

Giant spider webs might be the only support for a crumbling ceiling. Pulling a door open could trigger a trap on the other side, like a swinging log. Or maybe the door has multiple locks, all but one of which are actually hidden triggers? Disarming the tripwire of one trap could even set off a secondary trap behind the player.

Be as creative as you like, while keeping it realistic and fair. If you involve magic, your options are almost limitless! We cannot stress enough that your traps still need to be fair and balanced.

The first room of a dungeon should not be a TPK and players should always have the opportunity to discover and navigate around traps. Half the fun is having the party know that there are traps, but not where or what they are. The damage they deal should likewise be staggered.

Your kobolds might wish to kill the party but that should not be your goal. Ultimately, the aim is always to have fun. A kobold den acts more like one long, continuous encounter, in contrast to a quick goblin ambush or attack. Your players will spend most of their time dealing with traps while the kobolds act in the background striking opportunistically. This makes it more important to understand their intentions and capabilities than defined actions. Kobolds will use their parallel tunnels to stalk intruders.

When their prey is distracted, they will release a volley of arrows and then immediately use their movement to escape back into cover. They have no stealth advantage or Nimble Escape, meaning they are not suited to repeat attacks. This is why they use narrow openings in walls, attached to small-sized tunnels, to leave the fight rather than taking the hide action.

They will, however, attempt to hide between volleys as a way to gain advantage on the next shot. Their dungeons and dens allow them to follow targets and wait for key moments to strike. These will be when the party is in a trap or fighting another group. This minimizes the risk of them retaliating against the kobolds. They will likewise attempt to divide the party and sow chaos for the same reason. These tactics also provide extra ways for the kobolds to gain advantage, by targeting restrained or blinded enemies or those already in a fight to make use of Pack Tactics.

This, along with general damage and debilitating venoms, is a key reason for them to use disposable pets. It is a common temptation to use kobolds and similar humanoids as cannon fodder for players but your tactics should be built on what the creatures themselves are thinking.

Kobolds are not brave or courageous. At some point, the party is likely to attack them back, break into their tunnels, or otherwise retaliate.