When a dragon lays a stillborn egg, by accident or design, the product is a kobold. The Kin usually view kobolds as hateful yet pity-worthy dragonkin, and dragons see them as nothing but expendable fodder and slave labor, practically an extension of themself. Kobolds see themselves as a peoples shunned and mocked, and they usually end up serving the most powerful bully around (which is usually the dragon that birthed them). Kobolds are inherently infertile by nature, though they have ways of reproducing on their own, see below.
Kobolds who emerge directly from the dead egg of a dragon are called “Urds”. They possess prehensile wings and limited arcane abilities. They are the most cunning and scheming of the kobold varieties, their brains being the closest to that of their mighty draconic kin. Urds are the natural leaders of kobold tribes, not only because they are the smartest and most skilled in the arts of magic, but also because they are the only ones who can control kobold reproduction. (As each generation of kobolds continues, the arcane bloodline dilutes more and more. A 3rd generation tribe may not even have any Trapsmiths or Dragonscales.)
If an Urd seeks to create a tribe, they fly out in the dead of night to the nearest Kin settlement, silently stealing away a Smallfolk. That Smallfolk is brought to the brink of death with a potent mix of alchemical herbs and taken to the locale that will become the lair of the new tribe. Then, the ritual begins. The Urd carefully slices the stomach of the Smallfolk open, removes all non-essential organs from the chest cavity, and bloats the body with foul and desecrated waters until it bloats. All this time, the pitiful creature is still alive. The final portion of the 8-hour ritual is when the Urd smashes the brain cavity in, screaming foul and unholy praises to some dark god. (The entire ritual is an instinct for Urds, which means that somehow, praise of an evil draconic god are written into their blood. Scholars are generally baffled by this.) The Smallfolk has become a bloated, thoughtless incubation chamber for new kobolds, known as a Maw.
After the torturous process of the creation of a Maw, the Urd spits into the hollow chest cavity, and the hideous womb closes like a clam. Within a day, new kobolds are created with every dollop of spit cast into the cavity. It is said that spitting blood into a Maw will create a Dragonscale, a particularly aggressive and loyal kobold, and that spitting mud into a Maw will make a Trapsmith, a kobold whose mechanical ingenuity almost surpasses the arcane cunning of an Urd. Typically, a Maw gives out after birthing 20 or so kobolds (the ballooned creature deflates in a pile of gore and murky water), and the last 5 or so come out twisted and mutated, so a kobold tribe is usually between 10 and 20 strong, more if they have the capacity to continually make new Maws.
If not led by a demagogue of some kind, kobolds will seek only to sustain their tribe and find a leader capable of strategically advancing their influence (i.e. boss them around). Their methods of seeking sustainability, however, usually involve robbing and plundering from the Kin, which is why kobolds are so often portrayed as cutthroat nuisances in Kin tales and legends. It is almost inevitable, however, that a kobold tribe will find some form of leadership, and they serve fervently until their Urd gives overriding instruction, for any reason.
If you’re playing a kobold, you’re probably playing one fresh from the Maw who escaped the warrens of their tribe and was found in a Kin settlement. However, you also might be playing a Dragonscale whose tribe was destroyed, and their impulses for defense and protection are now taking hold around a batch of Kin, or perhaps even an Urd who manipulates the party like chess pieces and views themself the party leader. However, kobold adventurers are quite rare, as there’s not really such a thing as a kobold tribe raised in Kin culture. The creation of a Maw is a crime beyond reconciliation, and a tribe can’t exist without one, hence the Kin and a kobold tribe are inherently at odds. (There are always exceptions, particularly on the island of Zzash and in the few pockets of the civilization in the Northern Wastes.)
URD CR 3
SP: CHA, DEX WP: STR
Traits: flying, pack tactics, sunlight sensitivity
Roll twice.
1 Boss around. Another NEAR kobold takes an action
2 Sacrificial dagger. 2d4 (must swoop down to attack)
3 Rune of Fire. Place on ground, next person to stop on it rolls DEX or takes 2d8
4 Up and Away. Fly straight up, out of CLOSE range
5 Drakenblast. FAR range, 2d6+2 damage of some element
6 Foetid Maw. If the Maw is on a timer, advance the timer by one. If not, the Maw opens and spits out d4 kobolds (80%), a Dragonscale (10%), or a Trapsmith (10%)
DRAGONSCALE CR 2
SP: STR, DEX WP: INT
Traits: pack tactics, sunlight sensitivity, unshakeable will
Roll once.
1 Defend. Add 5 to one random kobold’s AC in NEAR range (self included) until the start of the Dragonscale’s next round
2 Spear. NEAR range, 2d4
3 Spear. NEAR range, 2d4
4 “CHARGE!”. All kobolds in CLOSE range get to take one action
TRAPSMITH CR 2
SP: INT, DEX WP: STR
Traits: pack tactics, sunlight sensitivity
Roll once before combat to see what trap they have prepared. On a turn, they have a 1 in 3 chance of using their trap. If they don’t, they attack with a dagger, 1d6.
1 Bees?!. A swarm of bees flies in CLOSE range around the Trapsmith. Anyone who enters the ring of bees makes a CON roll or be stung for d6 damage. The Trapsmith is immune to the stings. Player ingenuity disperses the bees.
2 The Armor Ripper. +4 to hit, deals 2d6 damage on a hit and reduces target’s AC permanently by d4.
3 Tar Bottle. Thrown in NEAR range. If hit, restrained in flammable tar. Make a STR roll to try and get out, or risk being lit on fire like a sitting duck.
4 Acid Grubs. Thrown in NEAR range. In the vial of acid are little parasitic grubs. In addition to 2d6 acid damage, the grubs might burrow into your skin, or transmit a disease.
5 Skunk Catapult. A DEX roll from one random target in range prevents being hit by this skunk projectile. On a hit, the skunk latches onto your face, so you can’t see or do anything until you get it off. It can scratch you (d4) or spray you (CON or be stunned until you can succeed on the roll). Or anything else, it’s just a hostile trained skunk. It has 4 HP.
6 DM invention. Make up something particularly nasty or ramshackle on the spot, or prep some additional options beforehand!
KOBOLD CR 1
SP: DEX WP: STR, INT
Traits: pack tactics, sunlight sensitivity
Roll once.
1 Dagger. d6
2 Dagger. d6
3 Cut and Run. Retreat as fast and safely as possible
4 Get Help. Summon nothing (50%), d4 more kobolds (35%), a Trapsmith (5%), or a Dragonscale (10%)
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