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LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:29 PM 

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The Super Fancy Preface to The Compiled Kobold Lore (extravaganza) Thread!

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For Amia-specific Kobold Mechanics, go here:

    :!: Remember that the DMs have final say on things concerning the setting of Amia. :!:

Table of Contents - Select a section to go directly there:



Enjoy! (AND TOIL ENDLESSLY)


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Image: 4E Kobolds from: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Kobold
Image: DIG! Kobold propaganda from : Dark Places


Last edited by LetumLux on Thu, Mar 20 2014, 8:13 AM, edited 13 times in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:30 PM 

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Kobolds are often characterized as filthy little reptiles barely better than goblins. They're malicious but of little actual menace. Catch kobolds in their lairs, where they are almost certainly hard at work mining, and such a description might be fitting. No one ever suspected that being underestimated was the kobolds' goal.

Kobolds are meticulous creatures with sorcery in their blood, a variety of reptile with a strong work ethic. Discounted as pests or worse by many others, kobolds are a long-suffering race with many talents and clever tricks. Only the foolish overlook the threat that kobolds actually pose.


= Appearance =

Kobolds are short, reptilian humanoids with bony frames and small tails. They stand approximately 2 to 2 1/2 feet tall and weigh 35 to 45 pounds. Sinewy, double-jointed legs, naturally bent and poised for sudden speed, contribute to their height. When her legs are stretched out, a kobold can increase her height by up to 1 foot, but doing so is uncomfortable.

Kobolds have scaly skin, varying in color from rusty brown to reddish black. They have strong teeth, and their hands and feet have digits tipped with very small claws. A kobold's face is like a crocodile's, with a jaw that can open wide enough to hold a whole melon. Constantly alert and wide, the eyes of a kobold range in color from burnt ochre to red. A ridge of small, hornlike bone juts above each brow and sweeps backward, the protrusions growing larger and more pronounced near the rear of the skull.

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= Age =

Once hatched, kobolds mature at a breakneck pace, using the same life cycle as dragons, but only one-tenth as long. By the time a kobold reaches the age of eight or nine (on average), she is mentally and physically able to assist her tribe in any capacity.

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Last edited by LetumLux on Wed, Mar 12 2014, 6:25 AM, edited 3 times in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:30 PM 

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= Physiology =

Kobolds have close biological ties to dragons. The most important difference between the two, however, is that kobolds are cold-blooded creatures, and dragons are warm-blooded. While kobolds do generate some internal body heat from taking in food engaging in activity, they are dependent on their environment for warmth. This is one reason why they live underground, especially in their native temperate climate.

Being a cold-blooded humanoid has advantages and disadvantages. Warm temperatures are comfortable to kobolds, who can sustain their bodies by literally soaking up heat. A kobold who inhabits a region with a temperature of 40° F or above for 24 hours can go for another three days after that time before having to eat normally. The downside is that kobolds feel the cold more profoundly. Sudden chilling temperatures, such as being stuck by a cone of cold spell, do not affect kobolds more than normal, but prolonged cold increases their need for sustenance. After inhabiting a region with a temperature below 40° F for more than three days, kobolds must consistently consume three times as much food per day than is normal for their size.

Kobolds can eat a wide variety of foodstuffs, drawing nutrition from a broad, omnivorous diet. Evil kobolds have no scruples when it comes to eating, even considering other intelligent creatures as options for the stewpot. Kobolds who are desperate for food, especially when traveling through cold regions, can eat almost anything. They can metabolize many forms of organic matter, including bark, bones, dirt, leather, and shells. A tribe of kobolds that is short on provisions feeds its youngest members whatever they can eat.

As reptiles, kobolds are hatched from hard-shelled eggs. Once a female kobold has been fertilized, she lays one egg within two weeks, with a 10% chance of laying two eggs. The egg must be incubated for 60 days, after which time the hatches into a kobold wyrmling that is able to walk and feed after only a few hours. An average tribe has one egg and one child per ten kobold adults, while a particularly prosperous one might have double this number. Tribes with a scarcity of food have fewer young. On rare occasions, a kobold female lays what kobolds call a dragonwrought egg. These eggs are spotted with the color of whichever true dragon influences the dragonwrought kobold within, with such mottles increasing in number and size as the wyrmling inside grows.

Kobold embryos are resilient and not easily disturbed when moved or transported. A kobold embryo rarely expires unless its egg is broken before the final 15 days of incubation. A kobold embryo inside an egg that is broken after that time suffers no ill effects, though the wyrmling may take a while longer to reach physical maturity.


Last edited by LetumLux on Wed, Dec 01 2010, 9:04 AM, edited 3 times in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:31 PM 

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= Clothing =

Kobolds are pragmatic about fashion. They dress appropriately for the occasion, which includes finery for special celebrations and ceremonies. While an individual kobold enjoys looking distinguished and fine, tailored or inlaid clothing is an extravagance seen only in the wardrobes of tribal dignitaries and leaders. Most kobolds spend all their time mining, however, and working kobolds wear work clothing.

Kobolds do not usually have access to resources such as cotton, but they readily harvest silk from underground spiders, worms, and other insect larvae. Along with silk, leather sees widespread use. Such hide, once cured, creates the most durable clothing for mining and requires the least amount of maintenance.

As a miner, the typical kobold dresses for freedom of movement, which usually takes the form of a sleeveless leather tunic and breeches that stop above the knee. The consistent temperatures found in underground environments mean kobolds usually don't have to consider dressing for warmth.

Footwear does not exist in kobold society. The idea of wearing footwear has never occurred to kobolds, not even for comfort. Kobolds rely heavily on their double-jointed legs and articulated feet to maintain their speed and balance. Moving across rugged terrain poses no difficulty for a barefooted kobold, who feet are naturally tough and callused that gravel and rough stone cause no pain.

Well-dressed kobolds enjoy statements, so popular colors include dark reds and fiery oranges to accent one's eyes. Such pigments are easy for kobolds to acquire in their subterranean lairs. Kobolds value all sorts of dyes often accenting their clothing based on their affinity with a certain kind of dragon.

Due to the prolific mining of the typical kobold tribe, those kobolds able to afford it favor metal and gem-encrusted adornment. While they are usually sensible with the cut of their garments, kobolds love jewelry and ornamentation. Both sexes wear all sorts of jewelry, including tail rings. Warriors often don symbolic metal armor pieces such as bracers, decorative gorgets, and greaves. When it comes to real armor, kobold warriors prefer leather, avoiding anything that might slow them down. Kobolds perceive speed as their greatest tactical advantage. As a substitute for metal armor, some kobolds have been known to wear armor made from the shells of giant beetles.


Last edited by LetumLux on Sun, Oct 04 2009, 13:46 PM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:32 PM 

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= Grooming =

Mining is a dirty profession. It requires endurance and determination. Few humans can mine for an extended period, but every kobold can. Being grimy is a part of the mining life, but kobolds are far from uncivilized when it comes to hygiene.

For a kobold, a lack of hair doesn't mean less grooming. As reptilian humanoids, kobolds shed their skins like other reptiles do. This is not a simple procedure in the manner of some snakes that can shed their skin in patches. This process takes up to a week if allowed to transpire naturally, but kobolds accelerate the shedding by scrubbing the old skin from their bodies.

A growing kobold sheds her skin at intervals ranging from once a week to once a month. Adult kobolds shed their skin about once a season. Many adults use a bottle of replenishing oil make from a plant called bitterleaf to strengthen their scales and keep them shiny. Regular application of bitterleaf oil can delay shedding indefinitely.

Between shedding cycles, kobolds are quick to take advantage of the natural springs discovered in their excavations. Swimming is one of their favorite pastimes. Although kobold tribes don't actually construct public baths, all kobolds gather at pools to bathe and socialize.

Kobolds are meticulous about their teeth and claws. A flat stone in every kobold dwelling serves as a tool for polishing claws. Kobolds chew roots and bones to strengthen their gums and clean the surfaces of their teeth.


Last edited by LetumLux on Wed, Dec 01 2010, 7:08 AM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:32 PM 

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= Psychology =

Kobolds exist in a world much larger than they are, dwarfed by creatures usually at least three or four times their physical mass. Living among such competition could be a constant struggle to assert dominance, with kobolds making sure they are never overlooked or taken for granted. But kobolds spend their energy elsewhere.

While gnomes and halflings often integrate into other races' societies, kobolds turn inward. The kobold deity Kurtulmak doesn't allow such fraternization. Kobolds have their own culture and a set of deeply introspective traditions.

To generalize kobolds as xenophobic is misleading. They are personally happy to be overlooked by others, having disdain for other races and preferring to conduct their activities in secret. Being consistently underestimated is seen as a gift - one they have taken advantage of for countless generations.

The intimate thoughts of a kobold would probably surprise most other individuals. Kobolds live in an undeviating state of contentment, despite any setbacks experienced by their tribe. It's strange for others to image that such weak creatures can lead such fulfilling lives, until you consider one lingering piece of knowledge that kobolds have never overlooked: They are kin to dragons.

The origin of this connection is unclear, based heavily on folklore and myth, but the relationship is undeniable: The two races are related. Being completely certain of their heritage gives kobolds a confidence that is neither troubled by self-doubt nor arrogantly expressed. It affords individual kobolds great comfort to think that no matter what happens to them, the dragon can never be taken from their blood. A common saying among kobolds expresses this view: "The dragon scale toughens our skin. The dragon bone adorns our skull. The dragon heart flames our sorcery. We are the dragon, and for the dragon we live. Long live the dragon."

This draconic heritage invigorates kobold culture with an indomitable will to endure any hardship. While kobolds do not have the benefit of longevity that dragons enjoy, they do understand what it means to take the long view. Their individual lives might be fleeting, but the impact of their presence in the world is widely felt.

A powerful, self-sacrificing instinct rules kobolds whenever their tribe is endangered. Kobolds readily struggle against impossible odds or unconquerable foes simply to buy time or coordinate a diversion. The needs of the tribe outweigh the continued existence of any one kobold. This is not to say that kobolds needlessly throw their lives away; they value their lives no less than any other creature, retreating when necessarily.

Kobolds are intimately aware of both their shortcomings and their strengths. Small and weak, they use numbers to aid in bringing down a larger foe. They employ their speed to divide enemies, set up flanking maneuvers, and create hit-and-run assaults. Clever and inventive, they safeguard their homes with cruelly ingenious traps, using tight spaces and passages through which only creatures of their size can easily travel. If all seems lost, kobolds throw themselves bravely at an enemy, hoping beyond hope to stop it.

This selfless behavior carries over into everyday life. Expansion of the tribe is more important than personal accomplishments, and any personal accomplishments should advance the tribe. Success of the tribe is personal success.

It is only through vast population, however, that a tribe can hope to thrive and become wealthy. So, kobolds shamelessly reproduce. Impersonal mating is commonplace, with females choosing mates by practical measures instead of influences such as love or lust. While kobolds do form bonding relationships, the idea of sexual monogamy is alien to them. Kobolds desire to spread their kind everywhere, and the inability of one warren to contain a tribe's population is celebrated. Part of the old tribe breaks off to expand into new territory.

Frequent overcrowding in their lairs has permanently erased the concept of privacy from kobolds' lives. Sleeping quarters are shared, with children having the least privacy. In most tribes (except for newly split-off groups), not enough room exists to comfortable accommodate everyone, and only the hardest-working members of a tribe are afforded any degree of personal space.

Lack of privacy has also resulted in the absence of modesty. Kobolds are not self-conscious about nudity, whether in the presence of the same or opposite sex. They still wear clothing for protection and decoration, but clothing is not seen as essential.

Living in such close quarters means conflict is always a possibility. Kobolds don't hide their feelings, instead quarreling openly when they need to. When emotions run high, kobolds express themselves immediately and without holding back. Despite the intensity of such displays, they rarely turn lethal because the proximity of other kobolds prevents such interactions from taking place discreetly. In this way, all problems are dealt with before they can fester and grow.

Kobolds aren't as forgiving of other races. They have long memories and are not quick to pardon, nurturing hatred like a favorite child groomed for a specific purpose. Most kobolds wait until their enemy has been brought low by circumstance - or better still, by clandestine kobold interference - before delivering a decisive and premeditated reprisal. In short, kobolds love revenge.

Roleplaying Application: Realizing that free will and instinct fight for dominance in every kobold is perhaps the most important step in understanding the race's psychology. Where does your kobold character fall between those extremes? Do you focus less on tribal preservation and more on yourself? Is your demeanor quiet and introspective, or do you flaunt your dragon heritage? How strong is your sense of duty and work ethic when away from the tribe? Do you pursue your own interests at the expense of others? Does the intimacy of living in close quarters appeal to you, or are you happier when afforded some space? How do you have when living among non-kobolds? Do you respect their standards of privacy, or are you oblivious to their need for solitude? How do you expression your emotions to non-kobolds?


Last edited by LetumLux on Fri, Aug 20 2010, 2:00 AM, edited 2 times in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:33 PM 

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= Kobold Life =

Kobolds are ingrained with certain behaviors. Subterranean and insular, kobold culture has had little influence from the outside. Nevertheless, kobolds have habits similar to other humanoid races.


= Arts and Crafts =

Among kobolds, traps are an art form. Few artisans are as obsessed with the minute details of their work as a master kobold trapmaker. These creatures revel in the intricacies of their inventions. Kobolds rarely indulge in creativity over function, but exceptions are made for cunning trap.

One-upmanship is definitely present among kobold trapmakers. They find ingenious ways to incorporate bizarre spells, technological advances, and unexpected twists into their traps. In fact, the inventive ways in which kobolds defend their lairs compares favorably to technological and magical marvels created by their hated foes, the gnomes.

Kobolds take great pride in designing their warrens. Digging a labyrinth or mine is no offhand matter, with careful planning of a layout taking place before excavation begins. To aid in this process, kobolds use divination magic to identify the location of large ore or precious stone deposits before a single shaft is dug. Whenever possible, kobolds leave no part of mine construction to guesswork, allowing them to concentrate on both functionality and appearance.

One part of every kobold lair is reserved for historic depictions of the tribe's mythic genesis, including all the difficulties encountered and overcome. Because personal dwellings are also mined, every family is expected to hew out space for itself, which it similarly engraves and inlays with symbols of events significant to its history.

Kobolds' craftsmanship of everyday objects is neither crude nor exceptional. They excel at making useful objects rather than beautiful artworks. The only time kobolds invest any extra effort into their craftmanship (aside from mine layouts and trapmaking) is for jewelry.

Kobolds love jewelry, and individuals can be exceedingly particular in their tastes. Such jewelry is often crafted from an exotic array of colored metals, either mined from veins of rare ore or using different minerals smelted together to create new and unique amalgams. Kobolds are more than a little materialistic when it comes to accumulating baubles and trinkets, not unlike dragons and their hoards.

Although far less common than sorcerers, kobold bards are also valuable members of the tribe, acting as keepers of lore. Kobolds rarely sing, so kobold bards are master of various percussion and wind instruments. Percussion provides rhythm for work and can be used to send messages over distances. Wind instruments can also sound across expanse, but some can serve to calm the mind and provide a soothing background for workers.


 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:33 PM 

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= Magic and Technology =

On a theoretical level, kobolds draw very little distinction between magic and technology. They use muscle and tools to move and shape their surroundings and to defend themselves, and they use magic to do the same. Magic and technology are complementary disciplines with practical applications. No wise kobold leader fails to invest in both.

Kobolds are a hardworking race, easily rivaling dwarves for productivity. What they lack in physical strength, they more than make up for with numbers. Kobold labor forces are a marvel to behold. When fast at work, kobolds function like a hive of ants. Despite the swarming masses of bodies devoted to one task, they rarely trip over each other, instinctively knowing where to apply their help most efficiently, using their tails to help avoid collisions.

This work ethic permeates every level of magical and technological advancement in kobold society. From planning to execution, kobolds work competently and with amazing speed.

Alchemy is known to kobolds. Their most widespread invention is a domestic one, a time-honored creation known as bitterleaf oil. Adult kobolds use their concoction to keep their scales healthy and shiny (with the additional benefit of delaying periodic shedding, as mentioned earlier). Bitterleaf oil also comes in handy for healing purposes, minimizing scarring from minor wounds. Kobold miners, who endure daily cuts and bruises, appreciate this substance immensely.

Curiously, kobolds have a near-fatalistic attraction for volatile chemicals. When dense stones obstruct minding, kobolds reduce them to rubble with explosives they call ditherbombs. Ditherbombs are also used in war and trapmaking.


Last edited by LetumLux on Fri, Aug 20 2010, 2:04 AM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:34 PM 

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= Searching for the Dragon =

At the start of every day, before the work of mining begins, the entire tribe comes together in a large, usually rough-hewn and unfinished community hall. Each kobold chooses a place on the floor, closes his or her eyes, and casts the mind inward, embracing the wellspring of kobold heritage. The silence and stillness of a tribal meditation is awe-inspiring. One can hear the crafts blowing in the empty tunnels and an unattended fire crackling in the distance.

This daily meditation lasts for at least 15 minutes and is known as Searching for the Dragon. Sorcerers prepare themselves to cast spells, and non-sorcerers take advantage of this time to be alone with their thoughts. Those who undertake the Draconic Rite of Passage find that the Searching for the Dragon is a vital part of their lives.


= Draconic Rite of Passage =

The Draconic Rite of Passage awakens the sorcerous power within the blood of kobolds.

Prerequisites: Only kobolds can undergo the Draconic Rite of Passage. A kobold requires no one else to perform the rite; it is a solitary activity.

Benefit: Upon completing this rite, a kobold chooses any 1st-level sorcerer spell. He can now use that spell once per day as a spell-like ability, using his character level as his caster level. Each day, a kobold must complete the Searching for the Dragon meditation in order to recharge this spell-like ability for the day. No kobold can benefit from this rite more than once.

Time: A kobold who undergoes this rite must first endure nine days of fasting. Immediately thereafter, the kobold must succeed on a DC 10 Concentration check to enter a deep trance that lasts for 24 hours. If the check fails, the rite must begin anew.

Cost: This rite requires sacrificing a gem of at least 100 gp in value. The kobold also permanently loses 1 hit point upon completion of the rite.


 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:34 PM 

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= Love =

Kobolds put great energy and care into fostering kobold wyrmlings. Few experiences are more gratifying to an adult kobold than being treated as a model for the life of a young kobold.

Kobold adults go out of their way to encourage juveniles who show promise, to steep them in the traditions of kobold culture. Kobolds teach using simple instruction and swift punishment in case of error or failure. Punishment is often physical in nature, though usually geared toward causing instructive pain rather than injury.

Next to children, kobolds love work - and by natural extension, their tribe - far more than anything else. For a kobold, work defines life, filling her with a sense of belonging and purpose. Even young kobolds exhibit this feeling as they start to mimic working adults early in their lives. A kobold who does not lend a hand is useless and threatened with exile.

Kobolds only rarely engage in any activity resembling romantic love. Most find their communal life among tribe members satisfying enough. A kobold can live her whole life without forming a bond to any sort of significant other. This doesn't mean that kobolds are asexual. They mate regularly. The impulse for doing so, however, is mostly instinct tempered with a sense of duty. All kobolds desire to keep their tribe fortified with as many healthy young as can be fed and housed.

Kobolds who form an emotional attachment to another kobold are drawn to that one out of a mutual respect and increased productivity. The potential partners often meet because of having to work with one another, and then find that they work better jointly than they did alone. As such, kobolds who don't work together only rarely become romantically involved.

Kobolds who are attached in this manner take an oath to serve and care for one another, each becoming the other's "chosen one". The would-be couple's All-Watcher must approve the match, and with that done, a priest witnesses the oaths and blesses the joining. Such unions are rarely monogamous, because both sexes are still compelled by mating instincts and are likely to succumb to those influences if separated from one another for long. Since sex itself has little emotional value for kobolds, these extramarital liaisons create no friction between couples.

Couples who bond together in this way are provided with personal living quarters if their status and contributions to the tribe merit such a privilege. Usually, the All-Watcher allocates an area that the couple must then excavate.


Last edited by LetumLux on Fri, Aug 20 2010, 2:13 AM, edited 2 times in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:34 PM 

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= War =

In times of warfare, all adults are expected to fight, but patrolling war-bands exist to protect kobold lairs. These warriors are also responsible for trap maintenance, resetting devices that have been sprung and replacing broken or expended parts.

Kobolds have one of the highest birth rates among the humanoid races, causing their population to grow on a regular basis. When a warren can no longer sustain a tribe's numbers, the population divides in half, which each half including representatives from every part of kobold society. The two halves become much smaller but still complete kobold tribes. One of the newly formed tribes then migrates far enough away that both groups of kobolds do not compete for the same resources.

The expansionist cycle usually heralds a time of war for kobolds, especially in crowded regions with several neighboring races. If unoccupied lands cannot be found, a wandering kobold tribe encroaches into gnome territory first. If the coming conflict is known about ahead of time, the parent tribe aids the migrating tribe in the war.

When taking the offensive, kobolds prefer ranged weapons, delaying melee combat indefinitely if possible. Most kobold warriors are able slingers; other specialize in hit-and-run tactics with light crossbows. Only strong kobolds use shortbows.

Kobolds like to improvise traps on the battlefield. A popular tactic is to create a shallow moat of pitch behind the first few lines of warriors, wait until the enemy draws close, and then suddenly fall back, igniting the moat and turning it into a wall of fire. Kobolds then shoot through the flames at short range. The enemy must either drive through the flames and face ranged attacks at the same or fall back, allowing the kobolds to maintain the battle from a distance.

When it comes to melee, kobolds are trained to use reach weapons, which keeps a healthy space between them and their opponents. Once armies are within melee range of each other, kobolds commonly rely on spears, either charging with the weapons outstretched or setting them into the ground to receive a charging enemy. When this defensive posture fails, kobolds simply push forward from behind, forcing wave upon wave of spear-wielding warriors against the enemy.

Specialized melee combatants are rare among kobolds, but they're easily distinguished by the chitin armor they wear. Particularly strong and brave kobolds become dire weasel riders. These few form the light cavalry in a kobold army.

For sieges, kobolds use rolling ballistae and light catapults. Crossbow-wielding troops protect siege engines, supported by slingers. Sorcerers defend strategic positions, while the most capable of spellcasters become living artillery. Kobold military leaders also use ditherdombs to break through enemy barricades and fortifications.

Kobolds believe that no obstacle exists that can't be defeated by strength in numbers. They are one of the few races that strikes fear into their enemies not due to combat prowess, but rather because of the suffocating wave of bodies they can muster. A kobold army is a pounding onslaught of flailing weapons, hurling itself at supposedly impenetrable defenses until those defenses crack, buckle, and break. This time-honored tactic, although completely devoid of elegance, has been the turning point in more than one battle, shifting the balance of a stalemate to the kobolds' favor and winning the day. To that end, kobold commanding officers plan for and accept a large number of causalities among their troops.

Although capable of holding their own on a battle-ground, kobolds do not willingly engage in large-scale warfare, doing so only as necessary when a tribe divides and migrates. Kobolds much prefer to operate in war-bands around an established lair, defending their lands with a dizzying array of traps that minimizes their need to engage in melee combat. For this reason, they have never developed a strategic approach to warfare and often withdraw when a battle starts to become prolonged.

Kobolds see no profit in long military engagements and would rather cut their losses by retreating. The only time a roaming kobold tribe makes a final stand is when its back is truly against a wall, lacking either the resources to travel further or a nearby region in which to settle.


Last edited by LetumLux on Wed, Dec 01 2010, 7:11 AM, edited 2 times in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:35 PM 

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= Death =

In addition to having one of the highest birth rates, kobolds have one of the highest mortality rates of any humanoid race. This latter statistic can be deceptive, however. Kobolds who remain in a lair and never migrate with a newly formed tribe can enjoy lives well into great wyrm age (past 120 years).

The body of any deceased kobold is considered waste material and incinerated immediately. No preferential treatment is given to the body of any member of kobold society, no matter how important her position. Many members of other cultures find this approach callous, bu they fail to grasp the underlying motivation. Kobolds place no emphasis on the body, attaching far more importance to their belief in a cycle of reincarnation.

Kobolds believe that if they die in service to their tribe, Kurtulmak immediately sends each of them back to life as the next egg laid in the hatchery. If a particularly important or respected member of a tribe dies, the hatchery is closely monitored. The next egg laid is immediately separated from the rest and carefully protected. Once hatched, the resultant wyrmling to groomed to fill a position of importance, if not the position of the recently deceased kobold. Such wyrmlings are given the name of their predecessor in some form.

When a tribe is wiped out, kobolds believe that Kurtulmak distributes the souls of the deceased to other tribes. If a kobold dies while serving her own needs rather than those of the tribe, Kurtulmak reincarnates her as the new pup born in the dire weasel stables - she becomes a domesticated animal unable to choose whether to serve. Kobolds who die betraying their tribe are reincarnated as giant beetle stags, which kobolds hunt for chitinous armor.

The greatest glory a kobold can gain is to die not only in service to her tribe, but also in a manner what involves sacrificing her life for the tribe's greater good. Kurtulmak welcomes such brave kobolds into his own mine to boost the ranks of the kobolds already toiling within. Kobolds hold that the most loyal and productive among Kurtulmak's laborers eventually become reincarnated as chromatic dragons.

With every type of death comes and obvious lesson: Kobolds should serve their tribe above all else. As a byproduct of this outlook, kobolds spend almost no time mourning their dead and remain focused on their assigned tasks.


Last edited by LetumLux on Fri, Aug 20 2010, 2:19 AM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:36 PM 

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= Society and Culture =

Kobold society is strongest when work is abundant. The bustle of a kobold lair when a new vein of metal or deposit of precious stones has been unearthed is energized and high-spirited. This is the beating heart of kobold culture - the acquisition and processing of wealth deep beneath the ground. When it comes right down to it, kobolds and dragons both suffer from an inexplicable and almost pathological materialism.

The challenge for a leader is to make every kobold feel that she is benefiting from and contributing to the wealth of her tribe, rather than simply working for the sake of working. Kobolds earn positions based on merit, with no arbitrary system of social classes to prevent advancement. Aristocrat and Commoner non-player character classes do not exist in kobold society. A tribe is largely made up of Experts and Warriors, with Adepts supervising the mining operations.

Roleplaying Application: Kobolds are intimately familiar with every aspect of their society. Figuring out how your kobold fits into this culture can further define your character. Are you descended from the working majority of the expert specialists? Were you chosen during a Searching for the Dragon ritual and trained as a sorcerer, or were you born into a position of status and importance within the tribe?


= All-Watcher =

A kobold All-Watcher is the leader of her tribe and the accountant of the tribe's accumulated wealth. In addition to approving "chosen one" bonds and arbitrating matters of betrayal and exile, an All-Watcher is concerned with the dispersal of wealth generated by the mines. This duty not only involves the allocating of wealth among the tribe's major groups, but also deciding how resources should be spent to strengthen the tribe's position in the world.

Experts offer a steady stream of proposals for augmenting the tribe's lair and expanding influence. Kobold scholars, priests, and arcane spellcasters similarly propose areas where kobold knowledge and power can be increased to lucrative effect. Military commanders recommend feasible and beneficial engagements. A kobold All-Watcher must weigh all these options and choose where to devote assets.

Beyond these responsibilities, an All-Watcher must be an unyielding taskmaster. She must set deadlines for projects and allocate workers to them to ensue their timely completion. Most All-Watcher are also capable sorcerers.


= Specialists =

Kobold experts are the specialists of kobold labor forces. Such individuals are responsible for development and research in a kobold tribe. Despite having specialized skills, kobold experts are treated the same as any other worker. They enjoy different challenges than a miner might but are expected to serve the tribe like any other member.

The only experts who receive special attention for their efforts are kobold trapmakers. These inventors are highly valued because their creations protect kobold lairs and tribal lands without the need for open warfare. Essentially, the more ingenious the trapmaker, the more kobold lives are spared from combat.

The most common experts found in kobold societies include agronomists, alchemists, animal trainers, armorsmiths, blacksmiths, bowyers, demolitionists, explorers, fletchers, hunters, jewelers, leatherworkers, miners, stonemasons, and weaponsmiths.


= Sorcerers =

In contrast to most humanoid cultures, kobold sorcerers are not left to discover their abilities through trial and error. Kobolds with a talent for sorcery are guided through the awakening of their abilities and directed toward specific types of magic. Entering into this calling is a deeply reverential act, surrounded with more ceremony than any other part of kobold culture. A kobold sorcerer is required to make lifetime vows to the craft of sorcery, not unlike swearing into the priesthood.

Kobolds instructed by tribal sorcerers are directed into one of four areas of magic - augmenting, offensive, pragmatic, or preemptive. One out of every four sorcerers studies augmenting magic, designed to shore up kobold weaknesses and give them greater stealth. Spells such as enlarge person, bull's strength, and haste are common choices for the augmenting sorcerer.

One out of every two augmenting sorcerers is eventually directed toward preemptive magic, looking for impending threats to the tribe with spells such as arcane eye, detect scrying, and scrying.

Three out of every four sorcerers become offensive magicians, focusing on damaging targets from far away, using spells such as magic missile, flaming sphere, and fireball.

Two out of every three offensive sorcerers become pragmatic arcane casters, concentrating on everyday work and mining in particular, focusing their efforts on effects such as fabricate, locate object, stone shape, and transmute rock to mud.


= Merchants =

Kobold merchants are the most independent-minded members of a tribe, and for good reason. They spend more time above-ground than any other kobolds, negotiating with other tribes and some other races. Kobold merchants are the face of a kobold tribe in the world, and that face is the one they prefer to disguise.

When delivering goods to a customer, kobold merchants magically pose as members of other races, hiding behind glamors and illusions. Kobold tribes aren't ashamed of their interactions with other races, but they prefer to operate in secrecy to protect themselves. Because of this, most trading partners are ignorant of the fact that they're dealing with kobolds, which is a testament to the guile of kobold merchants.

Since kobold merchants are independent and allowed to operate in other societies, one sometimes goes rogue. In developing multiple connections with powerful leaders outside their tribes, kobold merchants find it east to corrupt their warrior escorts with promises of wealth. The break starts small but could lead to the merchant starting a new mine, creating her own base of profit.

Clever kobold merchants time their plans to coincide with a population explosion in their original tribe. When the kobold population finally divides in half, the merchant already has a location picked out, ready and waiting to be mined, over which she serves as All-Watcher.

This type of self-interest actually works out well for all involved. Insightful All-Watchers deliberately choose kobolds with individualistic tendencies and leadership potential to become merchants for their tribe. Thereby, prospective troublemakers are kept out of daily tribal life, and the likelihood of successful kobold proliferation is increased.


= Workers =

Most kobold workers are miners, the group that makes up the vast majority of any tribe. Kobold miners have levels in the expert class. The trick to leading kobold workers is to let them lead themselves. Left to their devices, kobolds from every profession embrace their daily rituals and motivate themselves to work. If a decision needs to be made and a cleric of Kurtulmak is not around to make it, kobolds either find a way to stay busy or make a decision collectively.

For instance, a kobold mine is extensively discussed and illustrated before construction begins. A simplified form of the layout is put on public display, and overseeing clergy draw up detailed plans. Miners wondering what to do next can consult either. Those most experienced at following design plans lead the work effort, allowing the rest to follow with or without the direction of a priest.

This independence empowers kobold workers, because they know their opinions and the opinions of their respected colleagues are trusted. Living in a society with no defined social structure, but a heavily defined working schedule, furthers the self-esteem of all kobolds.


Last edited by LetumLux on Fri, Aug 20 2010, 2:35 AM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:36 PM 

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= Family Bonds =

Since most females mate many times and with many partners to ensure fertilization, no one devotes any effort to monitoring which couplings are responsible for which eggs. Kobolds instinctively know their blood relatives by subtle scent and avoid mating with them, since such unions are sterile. To further blur the lines of family, all kobold females lay their eggs in one area of the tribe's lair, resuming their duties immediately after laying.

Specific individuals, known as fosterers, are responsible for tending and warming eggs. Many of these kobolds are also strong warriors, so that they can guard the eggs and young effectively.

Wyrmling kobolds are initially named and cared for by the fosterers. When they can move nimbly and feed themselves (at the age of eight to twelve months), young kobolds enter tribal life and become the responsibility of all adults. Young are given minor responsibilities, nurturing the work ethic and self-esteem.

At about three years of age, juvenile kobolds undertake training in a profession suited to them and the tribe's needs. They become part of a group already doing such work. This communal approach to raising children ingrains important lessons into the mind of every growing kobold. Her value is tied to what she gives to her tribe, and her life is connected with the lives of her fellow tribe members.

Kobolds treat their tribe as an extended family wherein professionals group together to accomplish needed tasks. The familiarity engendered by these professional groups comes closest to resembling an actual family by the standards of humans and other, similar humanoids. These professional families live together for the same of centralization and efficiency. Kobolds find a sense of belonging in this microcosm of tribal life.


Last edited by LetumLux on Sat, Apr 04 2009, 14:17 PM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:37 PM 

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= Other Races =

Kobolds dislike other humanoid races. They are isolationists who see others as a threat, and they surround their lairs with traps to keep outsiders at bay. Kobolds also have a persecution complex, taking offense from simple misunderstandings. When kobolds do interact with other races, they do so with a chip on their collective shoulders, sensitive to even the smallest disrespect. As lawful evil creatures with a love for revenge, kobolds respond to perceived insults with actions rather than words, often blindsiding the offenders.

This paranoia and oversensitivity means kobolds often enter conflicts where none need have occurred. Other races regard kobolds suspiciously at best, since more than one diplomat has never returned from kobold-held territory. Kobolds’ antisocial behavior becomes raw hatred in the presence of fey or gnomes. Those who enjoy good relations with those races rarely have any love for kobolds.

Dragonborn: The kobolds’ view of the dragonborn is that of suspicion tempered by grudging respect. It is difficult for kobolds to overlook the fact that dragonborn were not born with the dragon within them. The touch of Bahamut elevates the dragonborn above their unfortunate non-dragon origins, but it is difficult for a kobold to wholly forget a dragonborn’s origins, especially when that dragonborn was formerly a gnome. Still, kobolds have been known to cooperate with dragonborn on occasion, when their goals coincide.

Dragon-Descended: Kobolds view the dragon-descended races with almost the same reverence that they reserve for dragons, particularly when they encounter a half-dragon. While no kobold tribe would consent to devote itself to any but the most exceptional and charismatic half-dragon, it would still be willing to go out of its way to help out any half-dragon or draconic character, regardless of what that character’s dragon heritage is.

Dwarves: Dwarves and kobolds are competitors for resources in the underground world. As such, they perceive each other as enemies and frequently butt heads over subterranean claims. The dwarves’ close ties to gnomes do not improve their relationship with kobolds, since dwarves frequently ally with or champion gnomes in battle against kobold tribes. While dwarves and kobolds don’t always attack each other the way gnomes and kobolds do, both sides need very little provocation to start a fight. On the other hand, if dwarves and kobolds end up working together through circumstance, they discover a common work ethic, which has forged respectful friendships.

Elves: Elves bear far too much resemblance to fey for kobolds to trust them. Kobolds acknowledge that the history of elves is long, like the history of true dragons, and that elves have arcane power, albeit learned from books. These facts lead kobolds to afford elves a small degree of respect. On very rare occasions, elves and kobolds even swap lore about arcane magic. Elves bring a wealth of knowledge to these discussions. Kobolds, whose lives are fleeting by comparison, offer the recorded history of their draconic heritage.

Gnomes: If kobolds love one thing, it’s seeing a gnome beg for his miserable life. They despise gnomes, and the feeling is mutual. The two races barely manage civility toward each other even under optimal diplomatic conditions. Despite how well she may hide it, a part of every kobold is constantly looking for a dagger whenever a gnome is present. This racial hatred seems to have stemmed from the injustice heaped on Kurtulmak by Garl Glittergold. For as long as that legend has been told, both races have committed atrocities against each other. If gnomes and kobolds are ever in proximity to one another without fighting, it’s only because each side is taking the time to plan a decisive assault.

Half-Dragons: Half-dragons are fascinating and enviable creatures, but kobolds assess each individual half-dragon on its own merit, taking specific interest in its draconic heritage. A half-gnome half-dragon is an abomination to be destroyed, lest it continue to pollute the draconic bloodline, while other half-dragons receive some degree of reverence. Dragon disciples, who come into their dragon powers through sorcery, are also a curiosity to kobolds.

Half-Elves: Kobolds see half-elves for what they are - the product of an uncommon union between elf and human, nothing more. Kobolds regard half-elves as social creatures that try to facilitate communication between different races. If kobolds were ever to trust non-kobolds with the task of representing their interests (not likely), they would probably rely upon half-elves.

Half-Orcs: Kobolds perceive orcs as disorganized, ill-bred warmongers and associate half-orcs with their full-blooded cousins. Orcs are too unpredictable to trust on any level, but kobolds are not above selling metal and goods to orc armies. Dealing with orcs during such a transaction, however, is out of the question. A half-orc representative must broker such trade pacts. While kobolds see half-orcs as the most reasonable members of orc society, the reverse perception holds when dealing with half-orcs from human lands. Only a half-orc who speaks Draconic can earn any real regard from kobolds.

Halflings: Kobolds hate fey, and the pleasant demeanor of halflings reminds them of such creatures. This is not a fair assessment of halflings, but kobolds indulge their suspicion of other races first, especially races with possible ties to gnomes. Beneath the judgmental eye of kobolds, halflings are duplicitous creatures constantly looking for ways to exploit others. The fact that no self-respecting halfling rogue would, honestly speaking, disagree with this assessment only feeds the kobold opinion. The two races can find common ground in trapmaking.

Humans: Humans are mysterious to kobolds, sometimes enemies and sometimes friends. Kobolds realized long ago not only that human behavior couldn’t be easily predicted, but also that humans apply energy and conviction to whatever they do. If humans weren’t so numerous and ubiquitous, kobolds would avoid them. Since that isn’t possible, kobolds test the waters of nearby human populations to determine whether they are friends or foes.

Spellscales: Despite being obviously descended from dragons, spellscales find themselves the object of exasperation and disgust on the part of kobolds. Kobolds view spellscales as chaotic, selfish individuals who drift aimlessly, squandering their birthright. The only exception to this outlook is held by kobold sorcerers, whose annoyance is tempered by their respect for the sorcerous power that spellscale sorcerers hold. Being in the same place as a spellscale for any length of time, however, is a trying experience for any kobold.

True Dragons: The body and soul of any kobold is dedicated to dragons, whether literally or figuratively. Kobolds search for the dragon in themselves, and they pledge themselves to the dragon in their rites of passage. In the presence of an actual dragon, kobolds are servile, doing anything required of them. Kobolds see dragons as older and wiser kin and cultural heroes. Kurtulmak is the kobold deity, but dragons represent a tangible glory that Kurtulmak cannot provide.

Roleplaying Application: How do kobold preconceptions affect your kobold character’s mindset and prejudices? Are you naturally suspicious of other races, or do you keep an open mind? Do you share in kobold hatred for all gnomes or wish to end the cycle of retribution? Will you serve dragons, or do you act independently from them?


 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:38 PM 

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= Religion =

Kobolds have no time for organized religious ceremonies, but they are pious despite their preoccupation with work. Hard work is worship to a kobold, and action on behalf of the tribe is a prayer for success.

Still, every kobold lair includes one or two temples to Kurtulmak, limited only by spatial confines and mining priorities. These temples serve as housing for clerics and adepts and as storage places for the tribe’s important treasures, not as congregating halls for sermons or worship. Clergy must travel to the flock, and clerics oversee workers and provide support and admonishments to keep going. In this way, religion helps to maintain productivity. Priests help kobolds affirm their devotion through living by the ideals of hard work and sacrifice.

Primarily, dutiful kobolds prove their worth through steadfast dedication to their tribe. In this regard, kobolds who work to exhaustion are considered upstanding role models. Kobolds who willingly suffer injury so that the daily work can continue without interruption are treated with praise as zealous disciples. Finally, kobolds who sacrifice their lives to facilitate the tribe’s success are remembered as folk heroes (the equivalent of saints).

Every kobold mining crew includes at least one adept whose constant presence is meant to keep kobolds strictly motivated. Adepts also serve as on-site physicians, healing and treating workers’ injuries. Kobold adepts and clerics move among the workers, divinely bolstering stamina where needed. For this reason, kobold adepts replace animal trance with lesser restoration and daylight with create food and water on their spell lists.

Besides supervising mining operations, kobold clergy also look after the eggs and wyrmlings thought to be reincarnations of distinguished kobolds. On a ritualistic level, kobold clerics receive the vows of kobolds selected by instructors to become lifelong sorcerers. Kobolds worship Kurtulmak, but individual tribes and kobolds might venerate another dragon deity.


= Kurtulmak =

    The Horned Sorcerer, Steelscale, Stingtail, Watcher
    Intermediate Deity
    Symbol: Gnome skull
    Home Plane: Baator
    Alignment: Lawful Evil
    Portfolio: Kobolds, trapmaking, mining, war
    Worshipers: Kobolds
    Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE
    Domains: Evil, Law, Luck, Trickery
      Domains on Amia: Craft, Evil, Law, Scalykind, Trickery, War
    Favored Weapon: Spear

Kurtulmak is the god of kobolds, distinguished by his large size, mottled scales, and long tail tipped with a dreadful stinger. Kurtulmak encourages his followers to win battles by any means, retreat to fight another day, and to mete out revenge on every enemy, regardless of how long that retribution takes to achieve. Kurtulmak has hated gnomes ever since Garl Glittergold collapsed a mine on him.

Kurtulmak’s clerics begin their careers as miners, learning how to appreciate the kobold work ethic. Kobolds who regularly sustain injuries while mining are selected to become adepts or clerics (before they end up getting killed on the job). Such clerics train under military discipline, learning doctrines for defending and leading the kobold race.

Any task that furthers the power of the kobolds and their propagation is a holy undertaking. Kurtulmak’s followers find suitable locations for new lairs and mines to accommodate swelling populations. Kurtulmak directs such expansions to push into gnome territories whenever possible, dealing the maximum number of casualties to the kobolds’ racial enemy.

Kurtulmak’s prayers have a rhythmic quality to them that can be easily recited while swinging a pick-axe into the ground. Many of them also contain references to dragons and reptiles, such as “O Watcher, I slither before your scaly majesty.” Prayers to the Horned Sorcerer can also take the form of battle cries and promises of revenge. (“By the point of Kurtulmak’s spear and the tip of his poisonous tail, I will see every member of your family perish.”) Kobolds evoke the name of Kurtulmak when facing daunting odds or difficult situations.

Kurtulmak’s temples are carved out of earth and solely used to house adepts, clerics, and the tribe’s most valuable treasures. Not surprisingly, these temples are protected with small, twisting tunnels and a staggering array of deadly traps.

Kurtulmak guides the souls of hard-working kobolds back to their original lair for reincarnation. His coming-of-age ceremonies involve crafting and defeating traps.

Kurtulmak’s herald is a fiendish kobold 5th-level cleric/5th-level sorcerer/10th-level mystic theurge. His allies are horned devils, pit fiends, and salamanders.


Last edited by LetumLux on Sat, Nov 10 2012, 11:17 AM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:39 PM 

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= History and Folklore =

Finding traces of ancient kobold settlements has always been difficult. When kobolds exhaust the resources of a mine, they abandon it, taking everything of value with them. Left behind is only an empty lair, rich with kobold history etched into the walls. Kobolds are excellent record-keepers, engraving the events of their lives into the walls of every new lair, regardless of how many times they migrate from one location to the next.

Kobolds’ abandoned mines are eventually occupied by roaming creatures that turn such lairs into their homes, making exploration dangerous. Subterranean races have also been known to gut old kobold lairs, knocking down walls and reshaping the interior. Archeologists have even discovered traces of kobold history engraved into the corridors of ancient dwarf strongholds.

Kobolds have a scattered history, turning up in isolated regions with absolutely no historical connection to the place. Even taking the nomadic nature of kobolds into account, moving from one mine to the next in search of additional metals and precious stones, early kobolds could not have achieved the widespread dispersal their current whereabouts seem to indicate. For this reason, some sages see divine agency or draconic influence in the common kobold.

Roleplaying Application: Every kobold is familiar with the history of her tribe, but how much inspiration does your kobold character draw from her ancestors? Do you steep yourself in time-honored stories or intend to make legends of your own? Are you informed about the lessons learned by previous generations or determined to learn from your own mistakes? Do you emulate any historic kobold figures or try to set a new standard for other kobolds to follow?


= Mythic Origin =

While Kurtulmak is reputed to be a mortal ascended to divinity, kobolds credit Io, the Ninefold Dragon, with their creation. It is told that when Io first created true dragons, they were originally immortal gods, less powerful than Io but much like him. To make each one of his creations distinct, Io gave each a different aspect of his personality. These divine dragons rarely got along, pursuing only one goal in common - the acquisition of material wealth.

The true dragons quickly realized they lacked the power to manipulate creation in all the ways necessary to accomplish their goals, and they petitioned Io for aid. Io, being an impartial god, would not play favorites with his creations and gave each dragon the same choice. He taught them how to create life by giving up a piece of themselves, but he warned that in so doing, they would permanently be rendered mortal and eventually die. The life they created, however, would serve their desires without fail.

Perhaps not yet wise enough to appreciate their divine existence, the dragons accepted the knowledge Io offered and departed for the world below. They took up residence in widely separate lands. There, the true dragons did as Io instructed, each severing a single limb. Not only did each limb start growing back immediately, but the severed part also grew into an adult dragon. The original true dragons thereby gained mates.

Furthermore, wherever the dragons’ blood had spilled, little creatures began to emerge out of the ground with alert, crimson eyes, already looking up at their creators for guidance. Thus were kobolds born, witnesses to the moments during which the immortality of the true dragons slipped away.


 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:39 PM 

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= Legends =

Kobolds record their histories in writing. Kobold priests and bards are expected to remember and document kobold stories, usually by engraving such tales into the walls of tribal lairs. The only place myths are spoken aloud with any frequency is in the hatchery, where kobold wyrmlings are educated on their culture and their racial history.


= The Ascension of Kurtulmak =

The most venerated kobold legend is the origin and ascension of Kurtulmak. While the particulars of the story vary from tribe to tribe, a popular version is related below.

When Io gave the secret of creation to the true dragons, the first dragon to put that ritual into practice was Caesinsjach, a green dragon. The first kobold to take form out of her blood was Kurtulmak. From the beginning, Kurtulmak was much larger than any of his kin. For this reason, Caesinsjach always commanded her kobolds through Kurtulmak. As a result, the towering kobold naturally ascended to a position of leadership.

When Caesinsjach told the kobolds to mine for precious metals, Kurtulmak invented a pick-axe. When Caesinsjach told the kobolds to tile her lair with gold, Kurtulmak minted the first draconic coin.

When Caesinsjach told the kobolds to mine precious stones, Kurtulmak taught himself sorcery and learned how to divine where minerals were located.

When Caesinsjach’s lair was finally completed, laden with platinum, filled with gold, and gleaming with gemstones, she had become the wealthiest true dragon in creation. Without further need for mortal servants, she released the kobolds from their duties to embrace their own destiny.

In emulation of his former mistress, Kurtulmak immediately began mining a lair of his own. Although he never asked for any help in this endeavor, he nonetheless received it, assisted by every kobold he had worked beside for the past several decades.

Kurtulmak found a spot in the ground where a near limitless supply of metal ore and precious stones were waiting to be mined. Once properly unearthed, a discovery of this size could sustain kobolds for millennia and serve as the foundation for their society. With Kurtulmak commanding the operation, it quickly became the most structurally sound and resourcefully designed mine the world had ever seen. Kurtulmak called it Darastrixhurthi, a fortress fit for dragons. Nothing rivaled it.

Garl Glittergold was not pleased. He looked upon Darastrixhurthi and beheld the marvel Kurtulmak and his followers had created, surpassing any achievement his own people had mastered in the same time. While gnomes were playing useless games, kobolds had been busy working and were now fit to emerge as one of the dominant races in creation. And so, with a casual wave of his hand, Garl collapsed Kurtulmak’s mine, crushing all the kobolds inside.

Image
A kobold engraving depicts Garl collapsing Kurtulmak’s mine.


The gods were appalled and demanded an explanation from Garl, who could only sputter out that his actions were intended as a joke, as if that could somehow excuse the heartless massacre he had committed. Garl had acted out of spite and, even more degrading for the gnome god, jealousy over mortal accomplishment. And yet, regardless of all the berating Garl received from his equals, not one deity came forward to reverse the damage done, leaving the crime unpunished. Then Io moved on behalf of Kurtulmak.

Once the Ninefold Dragon realized that no god would champion the kobolds, he searched through the souls of those who died that day until he found Kurtulmak’s broken body, still clinging to life. Even buried under so much rock, Kurtulmak wouldn’t give up on his people, refusing to let go of his mortal form until he could find the strength to dig them all out.

Io gave Kurtulmak a choice. He would either empower Kurtulmak with the strength to rebuild the mine, or he would make the mighty kobold a champion of his people for all eternity. In this latter case, the loss of Darastrixhurthi would remain, but the memory of what happened would endure in the minds of kobolds forever, ensuring that atrocities of this magnitude would never be overlooked again.

Kurtulmak made his choice, and because of that decision, this story can still be told today.


Last edited by LetumLux on Wed, Mar 12 2014, 6:44 AM, edited 4 times in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:40 PM 

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= Language =

Kobolds speak a version of Draconic, inherited directly from true dragons. The written form of Draconic was developed long after the spoken version, but not by dragons, who have little need to write. The recorded history of kobolds chronicles their relationship to dragons throughout the ages. This history began with paintings, gave way to pictograms, and gradually developed into the runic script of Draconic still used today.

Elf scholars have objectively connected the creation of Draconic runes to kobolds rather than dwarves, as was previously thought. These runes have a link to dragons from many millennia ago, when kobolds split off from dragons either through arcane meddling or divine will.

Regardless of their true origins, it is widely believed that the earliest kobolds served dragons, learning dragon ways. This education included instruction in a variety of Draconic dialects and accents. When kobolds became independent, forming new tribes and lairs for themselves, they took the Draconic language with them.

As these early, self-sufficient kobolds interacted with each other, either for conquest or survival, their inherited Draconic dialects mingled. These dialects gradually became the amalgamated form of Draconic spoken by many kobolds today. Kobold sorcerers learn how to speak true Draconic, which requires much more exacting pronunciation.


= Draconic Language =

The language of dragons is one of the oldest forms of communication. According to the wyrms, it is second only to the languages of the outsiders, and all mortal tongues are descended from it. Its script was likely created long after its spoken form was standardized, as dragons have less need to write than other races. Some scholars believe Draconic script might have been influenced by Dwarven runes, but the wise don’t express this opinion within hearing of a dragon.

Many reptilian races use crude versions of Draconic, including lizardfolk and troglodytes. It is likely that these races were once taught or enslaved by dragons, and it is even possible that they took Draconic for their own simply to make a claim to common ancestry. The Draconic script is also used when a written form is needed for the elemental languages of Auran and Ignan. Despite this commonality, it is no easier for someone who knows Draconic to learn the languages of air and fire creatures.

Slight variations exist in the dialect of Draconic that is used by the various kinds of chromatic dragons. These differences are similar to regional accents. They form no impediment to understanding, but they are sufficiently obvious for a native speaker to know whether someone learned to speak Draconic from a red or green dragon. The various metallic dragons all have similar accents, but the chromatic dragons each have their own slight differences in pronunciation. In general, Draconic has not changed significantly for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Draconic sounds harsh to most other creatures and includes numerous hard consonants and sibilants. It includes sounds that humans generally describe as hissing (sj, ss, and sv) as well as a noise that sounds a great deal like a beast clearing its throat (ach).

Words that modify other words can be placed before or after the word they modify. The most important modifier is always placed before, and it might be placed directly after as well if additional emphasis on the modifier is desired. A speaker of Draconic who wanted to say a big, black, evil dragon was approaching, but wanted the fact that it was evil more than anything else might say, “Malsvir darastrix turalisj vutha gethrisj leirith” or even “Malsvir darastrix turalisj vutha malsvir gethrisj leirith.”

Most Draconic words have emphasis placed on the first syllable. Important ideas are emphasized in spoken Draconic by stressing the beginning and end of the word. In the written form, important words are marked with a special symbol of six lines radiating outward, similar to an asterisk (*). This device is most often used by dragons when referring to themselves. The dragon Karajix would pronounce his name KA-raj-IX, and it would be written *Karajix*. This emphasis is also sometimes used when commanding, threatening, warning, or making a point.

Draconic has no specific word for “my” or “mine,” instead using several prefixes depending on the exact meaning. A physical object claimed as a possession by a dragon speaker would begin with “veth” or “vethi,” an individual with a relationship to the dragon (such as a friend or relative) begins with “er” or “ethe,” and all other forms of possessiveness are represented by putting “ar” or “ari” before a word. Thus for a dragon to say “my sword” or “the sword is mine” he need only say “vethicaex,” and “arirlym” translates as “my enemy.” When indicating possession by another, combine the name of the possessor with the object possessed into a single word that starts with “ar” or “ari.”


= Draconic Expressions =

Here are some sample sentences and their translations into Draconic. Note that since the list of vocabulary words is very limited, some approximations have been employed.

Mialee, talk to the well-dressed (fashionable) spellscale.
Mialee, ukris arcath thul.

The dragonborn says the magic sword we want is in the green dragon’s lair (fortress).
Ux Bahamuti ner levex caex levex yth tuor persvek darastrix
vutha hurthi.


The dragonborn dwarf serves the prophecy.
Ux Bahamuti tibur tundar faestir lorsvek.

The spawn of Tiamat is evil and dangerous. We should study (learn of) our enemy.
Tiathar malsvir vur korth. Yth vor irlym.

Shut up you stupid kobold! Get in there!
Thric ner, *pothoc* wux petisse! *Gethrisj* persvek!

Tordek, hit the orc with your axe.
Tordek, vargach ghik mrith aritordekgarurt.

A red dragon! Scram!
Charir *darastrix*! *Osvith*!

Krusk is dead. He died with much bravery.
Krusk loex. Loreat mrith *sveargith*.

We battled through the night.
Yth vargach erekess thurkear.

Check out all this gold! Tomorrow we’ll be kings!
Ocuir throden *aurix*! Earenk yth *maekrix*!

Magical and powerful, dragons are superior beings (leaders).
Arcaniss vur versel, darastrix maekrix.

The secrets of the dragon’s treasure are in this scroll.
Ardarastrixrasvim irthos persvek sjir.

Dragon’s blood flows in a sorcerer.
Aridarastrixiejir gethrisj persvek vorastrix.

Please don’t disembowel the dwarf.
Martivir thric gixustrat tundar.


= Draconic Vocabulary =

Image

Image


Last edited by LetumLux on Wed, Mar 12 2014, 6:26 AM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:40 PM 

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= Settlements =

Whether or not a kobold tribe enjoys prosperity, its numbers invariably swell. Tribes try to accommodate their growing populace by mining out additional living quarters and enduring cramped conditions, but eventually population overtakes space. The All-Watcher then announces that the tribe must split.

This decree marks a time of celebration for kobolds. It means that the tribe can expand into new lands, spreading the influence of kobolds even farther and relieving overcrowding.

The tribe divides the population evenly, allocating representatives from every profession necessary to maintain a new kobold lair. The departing group includes a large number of young adults with the vigor to create a new living space from the wilderness. Older and more experienced kobolds might join the new tribe later on, but only after construction is well under way.

A new kobold lair must contain large veins of metal or significant deposits of precious stones, preferably both. Not content to leave finding such a place to chance, kobolds rely on sorcerers and priests to identify a suitable locale for a new warren.

Kobolds never start mining a new lair until a profitable site has been found. Such spots are scouted out well in advance of a wandering tribe embarking on their exodus. Scouts note potential competitors and other dangers, determining the need for war. Common locations include mountains with lush valleys or natural rock formations near rivers. Natural caverns are also good, especially if the cavern provides ample shelter without modification.


= Economy =

Kobolds have been keeping a secret about themselves for untold millennia: They’re rich. Not just rich as in having a good year at the diamond mine, but as in huge, cascading mountains of gold. They have been wealthy for a very long time. The obvious question asks, “If kobolds are so rich, then where is all their gold?” The answer to that is not that difficult to fathom - kobold treasures line the beds of dragons, the kobolds’ greatest allies.

Dragons and kobolds have been immutably linked since there first were dragons and kobolds. One sprang from the other. Dragons love precious metals and gems, and kobolds are the most industrious of humanoids when it comes to extracting such things from the earth. Some kobold tribes even mint gold coins with a likeness of the dragon they serve. Not even dwarves can compete with their productivity.

As neighboring peoples discovered the kobolds’ penchant for mining and the kobolds discovered a demand for their skills, the little reptiles quickly became suppliers for realms that have no desire to do business with dwarves. Kobolds have been quietly underselling dwarves ever since, thanks to disguised and glamored kobold merchants. As their network of business connections grew, these merchants eventually established their own tribes, becoming all-watchers themselves. The kobold cycle of wealth is thereby sustained.

The functioning of the kobold economy gives kobolds power on two fronts. First, kobold tribes that provide wealth to dragons gain status among those dragons as if they were dragons themselves. Second, once civilizations become dependent on kobolds for metal, that region is usually less of a threat to kobold existence and becomes a tool in kobold schemes.


 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:41 PM 

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Abbreviated this section as the mechanical aspects do not apply to NWN or Amia and it would serve to only confuse, not enlighten.
__________________________________________________________________________________


= Creating Kobold Characters =

If the biggest hurdle a kobold faces is her lack of strength, then that’s no obstacle at all. The moment a kobold accepts her physical weakness, the more powerful she can become through means other than brute force. Kobolds’ power doesn’t originate in their muscles, but from their hereditary magic - in the heart of every kobold flows the blood of dragons.

Kobolds come from a Lawful Evil culture that treats loyalty to the tribe as the highest ideal. Player character kobolds are no more bound to that paradigm than a PC elf is bound to loving forests.

Still, to ignore where kobolds come from denies your character a wealth of roleplaying opportunities. Kobolds who spend any time away from the tribe are torn between their emerging sense of individuality and their long-instilled tribal habits. Choosing one of these extremes is certainly an option, but placing a kobold somewhere in the middle of that introspective battle creates a much more interesting dilemma.


= Kobold as Characters =

For kobolds, awakening the potential of sorcery within themselves is a birthright. Nothing could be more natural. As quick-footed creatures, kobolds can also become talented rogues. With a kobold’s lack of brawn and stamina, the fighting professions might seem less than appealing, but as with any vocation that kobolds embrace with determination, they are still very much possible.

Barbarian: Kobold berserkers are more common than one might think - their bonuses when raging more than negate the kobold’s racial ability score penalties. A kobold barbarian is therefore able to hold her own against most other opponents once her draconic blood starts boiling. The kobold does enjoy a slight advantage when raging because the –2 penalty to Armor Class is offset by her Small size and +1 natural armor bonus. Finally, a kobold barbarian is capable of moving twice the speed of most other creatures her size, giving her a significant tactical advantage.

Bard: As natural sorcerers, kobolds intrinsically understand how bards manifest their magical abilities, using performance as a focus. It takes very little for kobolds to pick up this profession on the fly, drawing on their innate aptitude for sorcery. As nimble creatures, kobold bards also make exceptional scouts and acrobats, specializing in tumbling to take advantage of its defensive bonuses.

Cleric: Most kobold clerics worship Kurtulmak, but kobolds are not limited to that deity, especially if they have broken with tradition and embraced an individualized path. Io, a neutral dragon god, is more than willing to accommodate such kobolds. Many other dragon deities also accept kobold worshipers. Kobold clerics don’t usually weigh themselves down with heavy armor, preferring speed and maneuverability.

Druid: Kobold druids are champions of underground resources and very much at odds with their own culture. They feel that mining without exercising restraint robs the earth of nourishment. As such, kobold druids are usually exiled from their lair for having counterproductive beliefs. These kobolds sometimes attack their own tribe, using natural traps and summoned animals. Kobold druids favor lizards or dire weasels as their animal companions.

Fighter: A kobold fighter favors weapons with reach or light weapons to which the Weapon Finesse feat can be applied, and with good reason. Kobolds prefer fighting styles that reward speed and cleverness, such as Spring Attack to better execute hit-and-run tactics against slower creatures. Kobold fighters traditionally wear light armor and carry crossbows or slings. Strong kobolds esteem bows for the ease with which such weapons can be reloaded.

Monk: The hardworking and introspective nature of kobolds lends itself to the disciplined monk. The inner focus evidenced by the Searching for the Dragon ritual can easily be directed toward the perfection of martial abilities. Kobold monks take full advantage of their Dexterity, applying Weapon Finesse to their unarmed strikes at the earliest opportunity.

Paladin: Kobold paladins are exceedingly rare and are almost never the product of a typical kobold tribe. Similar to fighters, kobold paladins avoid medium and heavy armor until they acquire a special mount, which can be a dire weasel. At this point, kobold paladins often resort to wearing heavier armor and wielding lances, using their mount to provide speed.

Ranger: Kobold rangers are unrelenting when tracking, especially in pursuit of a fleeing gnome. Even after locating her prey, a kobold ranger shadows her quarry until a good ambush position can be found. As Small creatures, kobolds are very good at sniping from hiding, which is only augmented by their Dexterity bonus. Most kobold rangers choose archery as their combat style and attack from cover.

Rogue: As inherently agile creatures, kobolds make skilled rogues and talented trapmakers. Kobold rogues place even more emphasis on agility than kobold fighters do -sneak attacks aren’t about strength. Realizing this, kobold rogues focus on Bluff, Hide, and Move Silently to maximize their chance of catching their opponents flat-footed.

Sorcerer: Kobold sorcerers are preeminent in their society and always regarded with deference. Kobolds can turn to sorcery at any point in their lives with complete confidence that their draconic heritage is always waiting for them.

Wizard: Although kobold wizards are no less capable than sorcerers, a large amount of cultural stigma is attached to pursuing this class, as if doing so goes against every draconic principle for which kobolds stand. It has never been a question of whether kobolds can become powerful wizards, but rather why they would deny their own heritage when the same arcane magic can be so readily accessed from within. Kobold wizards who remain with their tribes endure ridicule and scorn their whole lives.


Last edited by LetumLux on Sat, Apr 04 2009, 14:28 PM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:42 PM 

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= Dragonwrought =

Feat: You were born a dragonwrought kobold, proof of your race’s innate connection to dragons.

Prerequisites: Kobold, 1st level only.

:!: Dragonwrought kobolds must be requested and approved as a Special Character. Approval, as with any special character, will not afford you the special qualities of the feat beyond the potential to petition for related DC Requests.

Benefit: You are a dragon wrought kobold. Your type is dragon rather than humanoid, and you lose the dragonblood subtype. You retain all your other subtypes and your kobold racial traits. Your scales become tinted with a color that matches that of your draconic heritage. As a dragon, you are immune to magic sleep and paralysis effects. You have darkvision out to 60 feet and low-light vision. You gain a +2 racial bonus on the skill indicated for your draconic heritage.

Special: Unlike most feats, this feat must be taken at 1st level, during character creation. Having this feat allows you to take the Dragon Wings feat at 3rd level.


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= Special Substances and Items =

Bitterleaf Oil: Kobolds use this salve to keep their scales healthy and shiny. Each bottle of bitterleaf oil holds enough for ten applications. If the oil is applied each day (a full-round action), it staves off shedding indefinitely. In addition, on any day when bitterleaf oil is applied, the character naturally heals 1 additional point of damage per HD (max. 5) with a full night’s rest.

Ditherbomb: These are spherical explosive devices created by kobold alchemists to reduce large boulders to rubble during mining operations. They have also been adapted for military purposes. Activating a ditherbomb is move action that involves violently shaking the device, which explodes 1d3 rounds later. (Violently shaking the bearer of a ditherbomb often sets the bomb off as well.) Throwing a ditherbomb is a standard action.

Ditherbombs come in three varieties, each of which deals a different amount of damage and has a different blast radius. Weak ditherbombs deal 1d6 points of acid damage to creatures and objects in a 5-foot-radius burst (Reflex DC 10 half). Strong ditherbombs deal 1d4×1d6 points of acid damage (Reflex DC 12 half) in a 10-foot-radius burst. The most potent ditherbombs, called wyrm ditherbombs, deal 1d6×1d8 points of acid damage in a 15-foot-radius burst (Reflex DC 15 half). The damage dealt by a ditherbomb ignores the hardness of stone.

The more powerful ditherbombs are inherently unpredictable, as reflected in their variable damage values. To determine the damage dealt by a strong ditherbomb or a wyrm ditherbomb, roll two different dice and multiply the results. For example, a strong ditherbomb deals 1d4×1d6 points of damage, which means that you roll 1d4 and 1d6 and multiply the result together to determine the damage it deals when it explodes. The strong ditherbomb is thus just as likely to deal 1 point of damage as it is to deal 24 points of damage (but is most likely to deal somewhere around 9 points of damage). A wyrm ditherbomb’s average damage is about 16 points.

Fire Beetle Lamp: This lamp uses the luminous gland located above each eye of a fire beetle as its light source. Thanks to a special alchemical treatment, a fire beetle lamp shines as brightly as a common lamp (bright illumination out to 15 feet, shadowy illumination to 30 feet) and lasts for 6 days after creation. (Most fire beetle lamps are put into service immediately upon creation, but some unscrupulous merchants sell lamps after they have been used for a few days.) Kobold miners use these lamps when they need to see more than darkvision typically allows, specifically when color might be important.

Sundark Goggles: The smoked lenses of these goggles block light. They are typically fixed into a band of canvas that clasps together at the back to keep the goggles from falling off. Sundark goggles negate the dazzled condition experienced by a creature with light sensitivity while in bright illumination. As a side effect, they grant the wearer a +2 circumstance bonus on saving throws against gaze attacks. A creature wearing sundark goggles can’t use a gaze attack, since other creatures can’t see its eyes. Creatures without low-light vision or darkvision that wear sundark goggles take a –2 penalty on Search and Spot checks.


 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:44 PM 

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= Dragon Deities =

The dragon deities are all children of Io, the Ninefold Dragon who encompasses all the opposites and extremes of dragonkind.

You don’t have to be a dragon to worship one of these deities, though most of their worshipers are. Just as a human weapon-smith might venerate Moradin, or an elf archer pay homage to Ehlonna, so too could a dwarf, half-orc, or halfling worship a god or goddess otherwise associated with dragons. In fact, such worship is particularly common among the various reptilian (and Draconic-speaking) races, such as kobolds, lizardfolk, and troglodytes.

The deity descriptions in this appendix are expanded from a similar presentation in Chapter 1 of Draconomicon. These descriptions supersede previous versions.


 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:45 PM 

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= Aasterinian =

    Messenger of Io
    Demigod
    Symbol: Grinning dragon’s head
    Home Plane: Outlands
    Alignment: Chaotic neutral
    Portfolio: Learning, invention, pleasure
    Worshipers: Chaotic dragonbloods, free thinkers
    Cleric Alignments: CG, N, CN, CE
    Domains: Chaos, Dragon*, Luck, Travel, Trickery [Charm, Illusion, Trade]
    Favored Weapon: Scimitar (claw)


Aasterinian is a cheeky deity who enjoys learning through play, invention, and pleasure. She is Io’s messenger, a huge brass dragon who enjoys disturbing the status quo. She loves all who enjoy innovation and whimsy and is accepting of all dragonblood creatures. Spellscales prove exceptionally amusing to her. She enjoys their changeable natures.

Aasterinian is flighty and quick-witted. She encourages her followers to think for themselves, rather than relying on the word of others. The worst crime, in Aasterinian’s eyes, is not trusting in yourself and your own devices.

Aasterinian’s clerics are typically wanderers who travel in disguise or secrecy. The majority of her clerics are draconic or half-dragon humanoids. Spellscales who become clerics often find Aasterinian the most compatible deity for them. Her followers enjoy friendly relations with those of Garl Glittergold, Fharlanghn, Olidammara, and similar deities.

Aasterinian’s quests are more variable than most other deities’ tasks. There’s no predicting what she’ll ask of her follower. Almost all involve travel and new experiences, though. The quests upon which she sends a supplicant tend to focus more on the journey than the destination.

Aasterinian values diversity of experience, learning, and innovation. Prayers to her often take the form of expressions of desire for change. One daily prayer is “Let today differ from both yesterday and tomorrow,” expressing a desire for new experiences.

Temples to the goddess are rare in the extreme, though simple shrines dot the landscape - quiet, hidden places where worshipers can rest peacefully during their travels. The architecture of such shrines is generally simple, with building designs that emphasize functionality and comfort. A shrine typically has a library, or at least a shelf holding a few miscellaneous books, with a sign indicating that travelers are welcome to take a book if they leave one book to replace it.

Every time a worshiper learns or creates something new, he is honoring Aasterinian. Whether laughing with pleasure, smiling with delight, or sighing with contentment, the Messenger’s followers remember their god.

Aasterinian’s herald on the Material Plane is an ancient brass dragon with a turquoise-sheened forehead bearing a golden star in the center. Her allies are chaotic or neutral dragons, half-dragons, and draconic creatures of all sorts.


 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:46 PM 

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Astilabor has been removed, as she is not a deity which exists in Forgotten Realms. You can read about Astilabor in Races of the Dragon.


Last edited by LetumLux on Sat, Nov 17 2012, 15:03 PM, edited 2 times in total.

 
      
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= Bahamut =

    The Platinum Dragon, King of the Good Dragons, Lord of the North Wind
    Lesser Deity
    Symbol: Star above a milky nebula
    Home Plane: Celestia
    Alignment: Lawful good
    Portfolio: Good dragons, wind, wisdom
    Worshipers: Good dragons, anyone seeking protection from evil dragons
    Cleric Alignments: LG, NG
    Domains: Air, Dragon*, Good, Luck, Protection [Nobility, Storm]
    Favored Weapon: Heavy pick (bite)


Bahamut is revered in many locales. Though all good-aligned dragons pay homage to Bahamut, gold, silver, and brass dragons hold him in particularly high regard. Other dragons, even evil ones (except perhaps his arch-rival Tiamat), respect Bahamut for his wisdom and power.

In his natural form, Bahamut is a long, sinuous dragon covered in silver-white scales that sparkle and gleam even in the dimmest light. Bahamut’s catlike eyes are deep blue, as azure as a midsummer sky, some say. Others insist that Bahamut’s eyes are a frosty indigo, like the heart of a glacier. Perhaps the colors merely reflect the Platinum Dragon’s shifting mood.

Bahamut is stern and very disapproving of evil. He brooks no excuses for evil acts. In spite of this stance, he is among the most compassionate beings in the multiverse. He has limitless empathy for the downtrodden, the dispossessed, and the helpless. He urges his followers to promote the cause of good, but prefers to let beings fight their own battles when they can. To Bahamut, it is better to offer information, healing, or a (temporary) safe refuge rather than to take others’ burdens upon oneself.

An equally important aspect to Bahamut is his constant conflict with Tiamat. He continually stands in opposition to her world-dominating schemes. Most recently, she has begun a campaign to heavily populate the world with her spawn. Bahamut has answered this outbreak of evil by recruiting stalwart heroes to his side - the dragonborn. In addition to the dragonborn, Bahamut is served by seven great gold wyrms that often accompany him when he visits the Material Plane.

Bahamut accepts only good clerics. Clerics of Bahamut, whether they are dragons, half-dragons, or other beings attracted to Bahamut’s philosophy, strive to take constant but subtle action on behalf of good, intervening wherever they are needed but striving to do as little harm in the process as possible.

Bahamut’s chief foe is Tiamat, and this enmity is reflected in the attitude of each deity’s worshipers. Followers of Bahamut respect Heironeous, Moradin, Yondalla, and other lawful good deities.

Bahamut’s worshipers are most apt to go on a quest to destroy or stop one of Tiamat’s spawn. Whenever they have a reasonable opportunity to do so, followers of Bahamut act to thwart Tiamat or her minions.

Worshipers follow the philosophy that one should “pray with one’s deeds, not one’s mouth.” Each act that promotes the welfare of good dragonkind or thwarts the depravity of evil dragonkind is a prayer of action.

Temples to Bahamut are rare in the extreme. Those that exist are beautiful, elegant structures with clean, simple lines. The furnishings of a temple are simple, without embellishment or adornment. The building includes meeting rooms where followers can gather to worship or to plan their next campaign against Tiamat’s spawn, as well as smaller, private rooms where individuals can pray, meditate, or rest and recuperate in privacy.

Many gold, silver, and brass dragons maintain simple shrines to Bahamut in their lairs, usually nothing more elaborate than Bahamut’s symbol scribed on a wall. Bahamut is not appreciative of being honored by objects, emphasizing deeds instead.

Bahamut’s worshipers and clergy don’t have formal rituals or ceremonies. The only activity that one would call a rite is the Rite of Rebirth, by which a humanoid becomes a dragonborn.

Bahamut uses a mature adult celestial gold dragon as his herald. His allies include good dragons, half-dragons, draconic creatures, and dragonborn.

If a dragonborn strays from her holy duties, Bahamut sends one of his aspects to visit her. The aspect endeavors to talk with the transgressor, and uses reason and diplomacy to remind her of the commitment she accepted when she became a dragonborn.


 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:47 PM 

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= Chronepsis =

    The Silent, The Watcher
    Lesser Deity
    Symbol: An unblinking draconic eye
    Home Plane: Outlands
    Alignment: Neutral
    Portfolio: Fate, death, judgment
    Worshipers: Dragons, those who would observe
    Cleric Alignments: N
    Domains: Death, Dragon*, Knowledge [Fate, Planning, Time]
    Favored Weapon: Scythe (claw)


Chronepsis is neutral - silent, unconcerned, and dispassionate. He is the draconic god of fate, death, and judgment. His form is colorless and without luster, marking him as an outsider in the struggles between the chromatic and metallic dragons.

Chronepsis is a passionless observer of the world. He passes judgment on all dragons when they die, deciding where their souls go in the afterlife. Unlike Lendys, Chronepsis is uninterested in justice - he merely observes what is and is not. He is also singularly uninvolved in the activities of the living, and strives to remain so. It is said that only a cataclysm of world-shaking proportions could move Chronepsis from his disinterest.

Chronepsis has very few active worshipers and even fewer clerics, since most dragons don’t possess the balanced outlook necessary for them to avoid interfering in the events they observe.

The followers of Chronepsis count other faiths neither as friends nor enemies. Of the other deities, only Boccob the Uncaring shares a similar outlook, but neither deity cares enough to forge an alliance.

Worshipers of Chronepsis do not pray in any traditional sense. They know that either petitions for aid or praises of their god’s glory will go unanswered and unheeded. Prayer is not necessary, since Chronepsis is not swayed by words. Instead, worshipers often meditate upon the cyclical nature of life and death. A common saying,though none would call it a true prayer, is “We begin to die the day we are born.”

Temples to Chronepsis are usually mausoleums, places for the dead that the living can visit. They feature dozens or hundreds of large hourglasses that symbolize the trickling away of the life spans of dragons. No matter whether a creature was good, evil, chaotic, lawful, or neutral in life - in death, all creatures’ remains are welcome to rest in Chronepsis’s care.

A small ritual part of daily life for worshipers of Chronepsis is to possess and turn over an hourglass at least once a day to remind them of their own lives trickling away. Often, before a follower goes to sleep, she turns over an hourglass and then spends a moment or two contemplating the “empty” glass when she wakes.

Chronepsis’s herald is a neutral wyrm black dragon (one of a rare breed). His allies include neutral dragons, half-dragons, and draconic creatures of all sorts. Chronepsis generally does not interfere in events, so his envoys are extraordinarily rare. If you are using Draconomicon, his herald is a 3rd-level storm drake cleric. His allies include battle dragons and all manner of landwyrms (both found in Draconomicon).


 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:47 PM 

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= Falazure =

    The Night Dragon
    Lesser Deity
    Symbol: Draconic skull
    Home Plane: Hades
    Alignment: Neutral evil
    Portfolio: Death, decay, exhaustion
    Worshipers: Evil dragons, necromancers, undead
    Cleric Alignments: N, LE, NE, CE
    Domains: Death, Dragon*, Evil [Darkness, Undeath]
    Favored Weapon: Scimitar (claw)


The terrifying Night Dragon, Falazure, is the lord of energy draining, undeath, decay, and exhaustion. Some claim he has a decaying skeletal form; others believe that he looks like a superannuated black dragon whose flesh is pulled tight over his bones.

Falazure teaches that even a dragon’s long life span need not be the limit to a dragon’s existence. Beyond the world of the living is another realm, one of undeath eternal. It is generally accepted that Falazure created (or had a hand in creating) the first undead dragons, such as dracoliches, vampiric dragons, and ghostly dragons.

Among the draconic gods, perhaps only Bahamut and Tiamat have more nondragon worshipers than Falazure. Many necromancers of all races revere the Night Dragon, as well as intelligent undead such as liches and especially dracoliches.

The followers of Falazure count all good-aligned faiths as their enemies. They occasionally ally with the forces of Nerull, but such instances are rare.

Falazure’s quests revolve around the transformation from a living creature to undead status. Sometimes a follower is sent to aid another dragonblood’s transformation, but more often a quest involves the follower’s own change to an undead creature.

Devout worshipers of Falazure pray every evening and midnight to honor the Night Dragon. Their prayers celebrate death and decay. For example, “When night comes, let me wake from the sleep,” or “Let me die and be reborn in undeath.”

Temples to Falazure are always deep beneath the earth, cloaked in darkness and far from the sun and fresh air of the surface world.

The rites of Falazure focus on the undead. The ceremonies involve either raising up undead minions or working toward transforming oneself into a powerful undead.

The most common herald Falazure uses is a 16th level half-black dragon necromancer. His allies include dragons, half-dragons, and draconic creatures, usually skillful clerics or necromancers. If you are using Draconomicon, his herald is a vampiric black dragon. His allies include undead dragons of all sorts such as ghostly dragons, skeletal dragons, and zombie dragons.


 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:48 PM 

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Garyx has been removed, as he is not a deity which exists in Forgotten Realms. You can read about Garyx in Races of the Dragon.


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= Hlal =
    The Jester, The Keeper of Tales
    Lesser Deity
    Symbol: An open book
    Home Plane: Arborea
    Alignment: Chaotic good
    Portfolio: Humor, storytelling, inspiration
    Worshipers: Dragons, bards, performers
    Cleric Alignments: NG, CG, CN
    Domains: Chaos, Dragon*, Good, Trickery [Rune]
    Favored Weapon: Short sword (claw)


Hlal is a sleek, copper-colored dragon with a ready grin and a happy glint in her eye. Of all the dragon gods, she is the most friendly to non-dragons.

Hlal enjoys sharing stories and songs with those who appreciate such things, regardless of the listener’s race or background. She has little use for tyrants - even well-meaning ones - and even less patience for cruelty or bullying. She teaches that one must be free of restraint, whether real or psychological, in order to freely express one’s opinions.

Hlal’s clerics are often cleric/bards who use music, poetry, and tall tales to spread the faith. Places of worship to Hlal are usually simple shrines, which can be packed up and moved to the next town or dragon’s lair at a moment’s notice.

The followers of Hlal have much in common with those of Olidammara, and many characters pay homage to both deities simultaneously. Both Hextor and Vecna are among Hlal’s chief enemies.

Whatever Hlal sends a follower to do is worthy of being memorialized in story or song. Quests undertaken for Hlal often involve mistaken identity, impersonation, and merry resolution. They always feature ample measures of audacity, bravery, trickery, and humor.

Prayers to Hlal center around stories and humor. They usually involve relating one of the many tales about Hlal and the heroic acts of her worshipers.

Established temples to Hlal are only found in the largest of cities. They serve as much as performance or concert halls as they do places of veneration, because entertainment and worship are inextricably linked for the devout of Hlal. Even in the smallest of thorps, though, often a theatre, tavern, or other place of performance includes a small holy symbol of Hlal, reminding the performers that their actions honor that deity.

Her worshipers say that Hlal presides over the first performance of a new entertainment piece by one of her followers. An eager performer, conductor, or playwright often dedicates this initial presentation to Hlal’s glory (if serious) or for Hlal’s amusement (if comic).

Hlal’s herald is a very old copper dragon. Her allies include dragons, bards, and spellscales.


 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:49 PM 

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= Io =

    The Concordant Dragon, the Great Eternal Wheel, Swallower of Shades, the Ninefold Dragon, Creator of Dragonkind
    Intermediate Deity
    Symbol: A multicolored metallic disk
    Home Plane: Outlands
    Alignment: Neutral
    Portfolio: Dragonkind, balance, peace
    Worshipers: Dragons
    Cleric Alignments: LG, NG, CG, LN, N, CN, LE, NE, CE
    Domains: Dragon*, Knowledge, Magic, Strength, Travel, Wealth* [Spell]
    Favored Weapon: Scimitar (claw)

Io is the Ninefold Dragon, known as such because he embodies all alignments within his outlook. Io is regarded as the creator of dragons, subtly manipulating the destinies of all dragons by operating out in the open where nobody suspects his involvement. Io is concerned solely with the affairs of dragons and dragonkind, interfering in their lives only when he deems it absolutely necessary.

Io cares only for his “children” the dragons and their continued existence in the world. In some cases, this means taking the side of the dragons against other races. In other situations, Io might help non-dragons fight against a dragon who would otherwise jeopardize the survivability of the race as a whole.

He prefers to remain out of conflicts between dragons, though if such a conflict threatens to escalate, he might step in (either personally or by dispatching Aasterinian or some other servitor).

Io has even fewer clerics or shrines than most of the other draconic deities, since his outlook is so broad and all-encompassing. Still, even the most devoted cleric of Bahamut, Tiamat, or another dragon god pays at least a modicum of homage to the Ninefold Dragon. He also occasionally finds clerics or adepts among the reptilian races, such as lizardfolk and troglodytes. Io’s clerics are few, and they have no established dogma. Each individual has his own way of paying homage to the creator of his kind.

Candidates for Io’s clergy embark on an introspective journey to rid themselves of every judgmental impulse that colors their opinion of the world. They do so in the hope of one day perceiving all creatures and events with true objectivity. Many candidates never succeed in this endeavor, even after a lifetime of soul-searching.

Io counts no faiths among his enemies, knowing the value of neutrality in one’s outlook. Even those of greatly varying alignment can find common cause under the banner of the Ninefold Dragon.

Io’s followers are tasked with seemingly random quests, such as “Decrease the hoard of (a specific silver dragon) by one-quarter” or “Fortify (a particular green dragon’s) influence over its region.” Io rarely offers an explanation for his assignments, but expects every follower to trust his impartiality.

Half-dragon followers of Io seek acceptance and inner peace in the god’s boundless love for his children. A typical quest involves finding other half-dragons and revealing Io’s love to them. Locating or consecrating a shrine to Io - sometimes in hostile territory - is a common mission for clerics of Io. Sometimes a follower must journey to the lair of a wyrm or older true dragon, face the dweller, and return with a piece of long-forgotten lore.

Io’s prayers have a deep resonating quality that pleasantly reverberates throughout the entire body and invigorates the follower. One often-used supplication is “Io, Swallower of Shades, shine in the face of your servant.” Among half-dragons, prayers to Io are more like questions: “Why, though I walk with you, are my steps in darkness?”

Io does not usually answer prayers, though he does listen to them.

Io has very few temples, as is typical of dragon deities. Small shrines in his honor are erected among some draconic or reptilian peoples. His half-dragon priests are wandering ascetics, some of whom advance to become Singers of Concordance.

A shrine to Io is a simple pillared construction open to the air and covered with a half-dome, the inside of which is usually inlaid with draconic lore. These shrines are always located in wide-open spaces, such as the middle of a desert, the center of a valley, on a featureless plain, or atop a mountain peak.

The theme of blending is central to observances in Io’s honor. He contains the essence of all dragons and shows no favoritism or enmity toward a given alignment or deity. Since half-dragons are themselves blended beings, they make excellent leaders of such rituals. A typical activity might be to mix wine with a drop of blood from each participant, then pass the cup for all to drink.

Io’s name is evoked in matters of dragon heritage and history, and when predicting the future of dragons and dragonkind. “Only the discerning eye of Io knows how this will turn out.”

Io’s most impressive herald is Aasterinian, a Huge (mature adult) brass dragon who acts as his messenger but also intervenes in matters of great importance. Io tends to send a herald blooded to the race of the dragonblood recipient. For example, to a half-dragon or a kobold, Io’s herald is a half-dragon/half-kobold 9th-level fighter/9th-level sorcerer His allies are celestial or fiendish dragons. Planar dragons, although not outsiders, can also be called on for assistance at the DM’s discretion, using the dragon ally spells in Draconomicon.


Last edited by LetumLux on Fri, Mar 16 2012, 21:21 PM, edited 2 times in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:50 PM 

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Lendys has been removed, as he is not a deity which exists in Forgotten Realms. You can read about Lendys in Races of the Dragon.


Last edited by LetumLux on Sun, Nov 18 2012, 0:37 AM, edited 2 times in total.

 
      
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PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:50 PM 

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Tamara has been removed, as she is not a deity which exists in Forgotten Realms. You can read about Tamara in Races of the Dragon.


Last edited by LetumLux on Sun, Nov 18 2012, 0:37 AM, edited 2 times in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:51 PM 

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= Tiamat =

    The Chromatic Dragon, Creator of Evil Dragonkind
    Lesser Deity
    Symbol: Five-headed dragon
    Home Plane: Baator
    Alignment: Lawful evil
    Portfolio: Evil dragons, conquest, greed
    Worshipers: Evil dragons, conquerors
    Cleric Alignments: NE, LE
    Domains: Destruction, Dragon*, Evil, Greed*, Law, Trickery [Hatred, Scalykind, Tyranny]
    Favored Weapon: Heavy pick (bite)


All evil dragons pay homage to Tiamat; green and blue dragons acknowledge her sovereignty the most readily. Many are proud to call themselves her spawn, able to trace their bloodlines back to their god. Good dragons have a healthy respect for Tiamat, though they try to avoid mentioning or thinking about her.

In her natural form, Tiamat is a thick-bodied dragon with five heads and a wyvern’s tail. Each head is a different color: white, black, green, blue, and red. Her massive body is striped in those colors.

Tiamat has many consorts, including great wyrms of the white, black, green, blue, and red varieties.

Tiamat concerns herself with spreading evil, defeating good, and propagating evil dragons. She enjoys razing the occasional village, city, or country, but only as a diversion from her subtle, world-spanning plots. She is the villain who lurks in the shadows. Her presence is felt but seldom seen.

Tiamat constantly seeks to extend the power and dominion of evil dragons over the land, particularly when her subjects find themselves embroiled in territorial disputes with good dragons. Tiamat also unfailingly demands reverence, homage, and tribute from her subjects.

Tiamat accepts only evil clerics. Tiamat’s clerics, like Tiamat herself, seek to place the world under the domination of evil dragons.

Tiamat claims not to need allies, though most believe she has bargains with many arch-devils and lawful evil deities such as Hextor. Her enemies are numerous, including Heironeous, Moradin, and, of course, Bahamut.

The followers of Tiamat are sent on a variety of quests to further her grand machinations. Some are easily understood, such as aiding one of her spawn against a dragonborn who seeks to destroy it. Others are less obvious and include tasks as varied and hard to understand as burying a specific magic item at a designated place.

Tiamat urges her evil dragonblood followers to go forth and populate the world, fill it with her spawn, and either destroy or enslave all others. Prayers to Tiamat focus on the goal of world domination.

Though most evil dragons honor Tiamat, few keep shrines dedicated to her in their lairs because they don’t want Tiamat’s greedy eyes gazing at their treasure hoards. Instead, they dedicate vast, gloomy caverns to their deity and keep them stocked with treasure and sacrifices.

To commemorate a victory such as destroying a town, repulsing a thief seeking to pilfer from one’s hoard, or gaining a great treasure, the followers of Tiamat celebrate by indulging in great wickedness, including torturing prisoners or even fighting one another to prove their supremacy.

Tiamat’s herald is an old red dragon. Her allies include evil dragons, baatezu, and evil draconic creatures of all sorts.


 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 20:59 PM 

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Some extra tidbits for flavor!
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= Dakarnok =

Here's a source for Dakarnok from Dragon Magazine #63 ("The humanoids" page 28):

Dakarnok
Kobold Demigod
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 9”
HIT POINTS: 65
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-9 (+2)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or better weapon to hit; 95% hide in shadows
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 15%
SIZE: S (3½’ tall)
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
WORSHIPER’S ALIGN: Lawful evil (kobolds), in particular raiders and bandits
SYMBOL: Black spiked club over broken skull
PLANE: Nine Hells
CLERIC/DRUID: 5th level cleric
FIGHTER: As 10 HD monster
MAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: Nil
THIEF/ASSASSIN: 6th level assassin
MONK/BARD: Nil
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil
S: 18 (+1, +2) I: 16 W: 10 D: 17
C: 18 CH: 8 (18 to kobolds)

The chief kobold deity is Kurtulmak (see the DEITIES & DEMIGODS Cyclopedia), who lives in the twisted spectral forests and caves of his home in the Nine Hells. His chief servants are the deified heroes of the kobold folk, who best demonstrated the most revered qualities of their people when they were alive. The heroes that become demigod helpers of Kurtulmak upon their deaths are those who also caused the greatest destruction and havoc among demi-humans and humans (especially gnomes), and increased the wealth and might of their home gens. There are a number of these minor deities, none of them of exceptional power compared to most deities, and it would appear that they are continually engaged in power conflicts with one another in their drive to become Kurtulmak’s most favored aide. Typical of these lesser demi-godlings is the hero Dakarnok. In life, Dakarnok was a shaman/chieftain who conquered all the other kobold gens near his own tribe, and then moved against human and gnome settlements scattered along his frontier. He enjoyed considerable military success against the poorly organized opposition, and specialized in fast, light raids against the smaller villages, driving the populace toward the distant major cities.

It is said that Dakarnok gained godhood through the use of certain magical devices; whatever the means, upon his death his people continued to revere him, and shamans found they were able to cast spells after prayer and ceremony dedicated to his memory. His worship has spread, though not evenly, to a number of other gens, since his people scattered when his home gen-empire was conquered after his death by more powerful human, dwarven, and gnome armies.

Shamans of Dakarnok may be found in kobold gens also having shamans or witch doctors devoted to Kurtulmak; the clerical level of Dakarnok’s priests will never equal or exceed that of Kurtulmak’s shamans, and the former are generally subservient to the latter. Dakarnok’s shamans frequently lead raiding parties, and gain respect and more followers after especially successful (or lucky) acts of thievery, looting, and destruction. These shamans are typically armed with a black, spiked club (2-7 points damage, treat otherwise as a normal club) that doubles as their holy symbol. These shamans are quite aggressive in the spread of their form of religion, and though they accept Kurtulmak’s clerics as their superiors, they have been known to attack the shamans and witch doctors of other kobold demigodlings on sight.

Dakarnok is usually depicted as an unusually muscular kobold with silver-black scales and tiny red eyes. He uses (two-handed) a +1 spiked club made of dark oak. His shamans cannot attain higher than 3rd level in clerical ability. The particulars of his worship are the same as for Kurtulmak, save that there is no holy animal and the holy color in his worship is black.


= Gaknulak =

Source for Gaknulak from Monster Mythology (page 55), an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (2nd Ed) Dungeon Master's Guide Rule Supplement:

Gaknulak, demigod

Symbol: Cauldron with whirling ellipses
Alignment: Lawful evil (Neutral evil)
Worshipers alignment: LE, NE
Area of Control (Domains/Portfolio): Protection, Stealth, Trickery, Traps

Gaknulak is the kobold demigod of trickery, ambushing, and setting traps. He is a highly intelligent and sneaky deity with a magical cauldron from which he pulls tolls, unpredictable minor magical items, and diverse resources for the ingenious - and to fool others. He is the deity who protects and defends kobolds, and teaches them practical trickery. He is a supreme pragmatist, and in this way is a very lawful trickster.

Role-playing Notes: Gaknulak is always ready to send his avatar to instruct kobolds in new arts of defense through creative innovation. He avoids direct confrontation with other avatars and races, preferring defense and trickery. His omens are subtle, and/or hard to decipher, challenging his priests to understand or perceive them: subtly triggered trap defenses, misplaced tools and everyday items, and weapons/clothing subtly rearranged.

Galnukak's Avatar appears as a small dark-skinned kobold with white hair, a cloak bulging with pockets, and a hand axe. He uses spells from the alteration and illusion/phantasm schools.

Gaknulak's priests are spies and scouts. They are also experts in setting traps and ambushes of all kinds, and in the construction of defenses. They are defenders of the lairs and homelands above all.


= Versions of Kurtulmak =

Kurtulmak appears with a few variations depending on which book he's in.
Here's all the ones I could find! Things that vary between versions are in italics.

Kurtulmak (as per Faiths & Pantheons ("Monster Deities table" page 221)

Intermediate Deity
Symbol: Gnome skull
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Kobolds, hatred
Worshipers: Kobolds
Domains: Earth, Evil, Hatred, Law, Scalykind, War
Favored Weapon: Warhammer

Kurtulmak (as per Races of the Dragon)

Intermediate Deity
Symbol: Gnome skull
Home Plane: Baator
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Kobolds, trapmaking, mining, war
Worshipers: Kobolds
Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE
Domains: Evil, Law, Luck, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Spear


Kurtulmak (as per Deities & Demigods (page 79-81), which is identical to the version in Races of the Dragon)

Intermediate Deity
Gnomesmasher, The Watcher
Symbol: Gnome skull
Home Plane: Baator
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Kobolds, trapmaking, mining, war
Worshipers: Kobolds
Cleric Alignments: LE, LN, NE
Domains: Evil, Law, Luck, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Spear


Kurtulmak (as per Defenders of the Faith, largely identical to the versions in Races of the Dragon and Deities and Demigods)

Alignment: Lawful Evil
Worshipers: Kobolds
Domains: Evil, Law, Luck, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Half-spear

Kurtulmak, god of kobolds, is lawful evil. He is known as Steelscale, the Horned Sorcerer, and Stingtail. He is patron of the arts of war and mining, and legends say that he stole the gift of sorcery from a dragon deity to give to his people. The domains he is associated with are Evil, Law, Luck, and Trickery. His favored weapon is the halfspear. He is a sworn enemy of Garl Glittergold.


Kurtulmak (as per Complete Divine ("Core D&D Gods" page 109, 113-114), largely identical to the versions in Defenders of the Faith, Races of the Dragon and Deities and Demigods)

Intermediate Deity
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Portfolio: Kobolds, traps
Domains: Evil, Law, Luck, Trickery
Favored Weapon: Spear

Kurtulmak is a savage deity who teaches the kobolds to defend themselves and assault the unwary by any means necessary, including the traps of which he’s fond. He appears as a particularly massive, green-and-black kobold.

He has a particular hatred for gnomes.

Cleric Training: Kurtulmak insists that his clerics train under military discipline, learning doctrines for setting ambushes, building defenses, and otherwise defending the kobold people. The final test for a would-be cleric is to survive a run down a corridor filled with deadly traps.

Quests: Anything that enhances the stature of the kobolds is a boon to Kurtulmak. Collapsing a series of gnome burrows, convincing a dragon to live among a kobold tribe, and building a trap-filled set of kobold warrens are all typical quests.

Prayers: Many of Kurtulmak’s prayers reference dragons and reptiles, such as “O Watcher, I slither before your scaly majesty.”

Temples: Kurtulmak’s temples are claustrophobic warrens bristling with traps, but they often have the accumulated wealth of a kobold community in their treasury.

Rites: Kurtulmak blesses births and honors deaths, but his ceremonies often feature a simulated or actual trap. Kobold youths, for example,
contend with the Blessing of the Pit as a rite of passage.

Herald and Allies: Kurtulmak uses an 18-HD erinyes with reptilian features as a herald. Allies are bearded devils, erinyes, and ice devils.


Kurtulmak (as per Monster Mythology page 54, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (2nd Ed) Dungeon Master's Guide Rule Supplement:

Kurtulmak is the chief deity of the kobold pantheon. He is a hateful deity, one who despises all life, save kobolds. He has an especial antipathy for brownies, pixies, sprites and their kin -- and most of all, gnomes. Kurtulmak is prepared to enter into any alliance in order to defeat Garl Glittergold or any other gnomish god, even ignoring alignment considerations (and all others!) for this end.

Kurtulmak is not a stupid deity. He has skills; he taught the first kobolds the skills of mining and tunneling, and also the skills of ambushing, although Gaknulak is now the more important influence in this sphere. Rather, Kurtulmak is a creature dominated by his emotions and hates.

Thus, Kurtulmak is intelligent, but he is not wise. He is fairly easily trapped or tricked and out-maneuvered if his weakness are played upon. He is arrogant in his hatred of his enemies, and loves to gloat over his successes at length. It is this weakness which Garl exploited when he demolished Kurtulmak's cavern; rather than putting the gnome straight to death, Kurtulmak wanted to gloat and watch Garl grovel, and this was his undoing.

Kurtulmak has the psychology of the small creature written large all over him. He carries grudges, and has a huge chip on his small shoulder. He hates being bettered by any means, especially by deception or by some "frivolous" means such as illusion or practical joking. Kurtulmak has absolutely no sense of humor. He makes characteristic errors as a result of this weakness. He often tries to gain revenge over his enemies in the same ways that they gained an advantage over him. Thus, dragging Gaknulak along for support (despite the demigod's misgivings) he attempted to booby-trap a citadel of the gnomish gods, only to fail miserably as the first group of guards easily detected him (Kurtulmak is hardly subtle). The gnomish gods captured him, tied his tail in a knot which took a score of years to unravel, stuck a false red wax nose on his face and hung a luminous stuffed chicken to his waist, and packed him off home. No wonder Kurtulmak hates gnomes above everything.

Nonetheless, Kurtulmak should not be underestimated. He is a savage deity who is always attentive to events on the Prime Material plane, and who is always active in trying to secure some advantage for his people on that plane. He is reluctant to oppose goblinoid gods, especially Maglubiyet whom he fears (while he considers Gruumsh and the orcish gods stupid and oafish), and thus while his people often contest with goblinoid races for living space, Kurtulmak will rarely overactively intervene in such conflicts.

Kurtulmak will not send an avatar to oppose actions by goblinoid gods, unless they have acted first and he feels himself forced to respond. He will always send an avatar to deal with strife between kobolds and gnomes when this becomes more than mere skirmishing, and is eager to send an avatar to despoil Sylvan lands if he thinks he can get away with this. Kurtulmak does not bother with omens; he instructs his priests directly through commands which are given in dreams, dozing, daydreaming and other states of mind when the threshold of consciousness is lowered. Priests who do not act immediately on the basis of these commands are simply snuffed out of existence by the god.

Kurtulmak's priests are the commanders of war bands and many are also expert miners; priests are expected to specialize in one or other role. Whichever role is adopted, priests strive to unite kobolds and undertake the tasks of war, and mining and underground exploration, with a large force of kobolds; there is strength in numbers. Kobolds hate most other life, and this attitude is encouraged by the aggressive priests. The priests wear orange robes with a white death's head sigil on the chest.


Last edited by LetumLux on Tue, Apr 26 2011, 4:01 AM, edited 3 times in total.

 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 21:17 PM 

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More to those scaly little buggers than you thought, eh?

This is provided as both a reference and a channel for my neurotic, secretarial energy. I broke it down into separate posts to make it more manageable and searchable with "chapter breaks" instead of just an uninterrupted waterfall of text.

Races of the Dragon should override most other resources on kobolds in terms of edition or setting, such as The Slayer's Guide to Kobolds and The Quintessential Kobold, neither of which are Forgotten Realms products. When in doubt, ask the DMs!

Secondly, a small rant:

It makes no sense to me that kobolds are cold-blooded. I also severely doubt the author had any idea of what being cold-blooded actually even means as they seem to consider 40° Fahrenheit warm for reptiles.

<peeve>
Also, there's no such thing as double-jointed legs.
Pretty much every creature has the same general shape of leg, with the lengths varying. The illusion of backward articulated knee is just that; an illusion. The knees of dogs, lizards, kangaroos, raptors and such go the same direction as ours. What looks like a backward knee is their heel. Most of these creatures have short thighs, elongated metatarsals (or tibiotarsus in birds), and walk on their toes, giving the affect that they have more joints or parts of the leg. That's it.
</peeve>

You guys have no idea how difficult it was to not fill this thread with editor's notes.


Last edited by LetumLux on Sun, Nov 18 2012, 0:18 AM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
Dwagin
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 21:56 PM 

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Nope! It did however make me wanna play Usk-Oth s'mmore.

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-Extraordinarily ordinary in the mostest of ways.


 
      
Yurell
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 23:45 PM 

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Well, that was a huge amount of effort! Really good work, LetumLux!

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يمكنني استخدام مترجم جوجل


 
      
Pony
 
PostPosted: Fri, Apr 03 2009, 23:47 PM 



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---


Last edited by Pony on Tue, Nov 05 2019, 14:36 PM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
Azrael
 
PostPosted: Sat, Apr 04 2009, 0:31 AM 

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I play a lvl30 kobold...and only knew like 1/3rd of that..or less.

Thanks for posting, it was enlightening ^^

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LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Sat, Apr 04 2009, 14:44 PM 

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Preened through and fixed a few wrong-word typos, such as how kobolds can metabolize even bard has been fixed to bark (bards aren't all that difficult to eat!) and some formatting/random line break ugliness.

I'm sure there's more, I'll gradually weed those out, even if that "this post has been edited" tag makes me cringe.


 
      
Kjetta
 
PostPosted: Sat, Apr 04 2009, 15:05 PM 

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Good work! But of course, Letum is talking about the rarer types of savage kobolds. The normal ones are more like Deekin; polite, easy-going with humans and sporting a general positive outlook on life.

Though, I am sure this will be quite useful for those who'd like to play those excpetions, that undoubtfully excist.

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Last edited by Kjetta on Sat, Apr 04 2009, 15:08 PM, edited 1 time in total.

 
      
Uncle-Opustus
 
PostPosted: Sat, Apr 04 2009, 15:07 PM 

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This topic kicks bum. Great work.

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555444333
 
PostPosted: Sat, Apr 04 2009, 17:01 PM 

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I like very much!

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Torzeng
 
PostPosted: Sun, Apr 05 2009, 0:33 AM 

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... I'll get to reading that er...later... When I have the concentration to keep up... o.o Whoh.

It'll be interesting to see if those basic vocab lists start getting Draconic words tossed into common spawning debates as with Drow in common as it is :P

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TormakSaber
 
PostPosted: Sun, Apr 05 2009, 1:16 AM 

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I'm more amazed you got it all done without a combo breaker.

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LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Sun, Apr 05 2009, 6:32 AM 

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I assured that each post was long enough that I could Gatling-post while a potential replier was still skimming. The beauty of having posts already written up to copy over.


 
      
LetumLux
 
PostPosted: Tue, May 05 2009, 23:49 PM 

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Found and neutralized more typos. Unburying.


 
      
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PostPosted: Sun, May 10 2009, 9:06 AM 

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Location: At that place...where the people are. You know, -that- one place. Theres people there.

I approve.


 
      
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