AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

On general Kobold stuff, I've been going off the stuff here: http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Kobold

Are there any other places I can find more information on them which is relevant to the FR setting?

Also, the wiki suggests that kobolds speak Yipyak, a dialect of Draconic. A friend of mine told me someone said it was different on Amia. To be closer to what is normal, what would be a kobold's typical language?

Draconic.

Last edited by Hikriss on Sat, Mar 10 2012, 2:34 AM, edited 2 times in total.

Races of the Dragon is a comprehensive and well-rounded source material that includes a chapter on Kobolds (I sent you a PM!). You'll find lots of little details in there that can help shape out a traditional character for the little buggers. Yipyak was referred to in a Dragon magazine article and as far as their language goes, I doubt few but truly experienced arcane spellcasters among their race speak "true" Draconic; it'd be more of a derivative dialect that would still be recognizable as being of Draconic origin, but have its own rules and unique sound to it. I've seen both Draconic and Yipyak used, but the latter's too fun to type not to use it.

Draconic. But IIRC, a good deal of Amian players rp Kobolds talking with a particular accent in Draconic or something. This may just be a cultural thing or simply that even if it's the same language, a kobold's not going to sound exactly like a great red wyrm.

I think what you mean is that a great red wyrm is not going to sound like a kobold.

Thankyou very much for the replies. Will stick to Yipyak, and expect that anyone who speaks Draconic will more or less understand what's being said.

Even by traditional lore, Yipyak is still Draconic.

It's like.... Newscaster English and George W. Bush. You can still make out what George W. Bush is saying.

Tomato Sword wrote:

.....You can still make out what George W. Bush is saying.

Must.
Resist.
Snarky.
Comment....

A yippy Draconic. Think of a Mastiffs bark versus a Chihuahuas bark. That's probably a good way to describe it.

Also: http://www.amiaworld.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36883

A pretty good place to find Kobo mumbo jumbo.

Quote:

Kobolds hold a hatred for nearly all other humanoid races and enjoy killing and torturing them

Kobolds!

The Amian Guide

Variety:
•Traditional
•Non-Traditional

Shared Traits

•Physically they appear the same and are all, at base, Cold Blooded.

•All Kobolds have difficulty speaking tongues that do not share the Draconic alphabet. Kobolds speak Draconic as their native tongue. While there is no Kobold-Only dialect, Kobolds tend to sound audibly more like dogs than dragons when speaking Draconic.
((Side note: It is often thought that Kobolds created Written Draconic as Dragons lack thumbs to hold tools to write with.))

Traditional

Traditional Kobolds are those born in Warrens that still hold to the old ways of fearing Kurtulmak, Tiamat, and Io.

•Alignment wise, they are usually: LE, LN, NN, NE. They are hardly ever chaotic.

•Amia contains two Kobold Warrens for PC use, one near Underport and the other linked to L'Obsul.

•These Kobolds tend to be most in touch with their routes with rare exception of the Non-Traditional Bahamut following individuals.

•Gnomes are their inherent enemy (they especially despise Gnomes that go the route of RDD), though they also tend to distrust all other races save for those individuals amongst them that exhibit Draconic heritage.

•They tend to believe fully in the Kobold concept of Reincarnation.

•Tend towards jobs centered around defense, trap smithing, mining metals/gems, or the forge

•They are overall closest to what is described in both Races of the Dragon and the Monster Manual.

Non-Traditional

Non-Traditional Kobolds are those Kobolds that were either raised outside of a Warren setting or outcast for their beliefs.

•Come in all alignments.

•Are pretty much Player's choice on history, background, etc.

•Are about as diverse as humans when it comes to careers and class choices.

In terms of reincarnation for a kobold; is it appropriate to have reincarnation as a part of a PC's background?

Edit: To clarify, I am referring to before the character has come to Amia, not a character who has experienced Amia and then been reincarnated.

The belief in reincarnation is exactly that. Just belief. There's zero proof that it's actually true. So your Kobold can -believe- it's true. It actually being true, is another story. Unless some Druid used reincarnation on the Kobold and it came back a Kobold, which is very unlikely (It's literally a 3% chance).

I think he might mean some non-kobold that has been reincarnated into a kobold.

Nope, this is exactly what I meant! Thanks!

Gunz wrote:

The belief in reincarnation is exactly that. Just belief. There's zero proof that it's actually true. So your Kobold can -believe- it's true. It actually being true, is another story.

I've only heard of the kobold reincarnation thing in passing, but I'd like to believe OoCly it to be true, if it's part of Kurtulmak's dogma. It's not like every single being that dies in realmspace must end up at Kelemvor's doorstep, although we've established that gods of death may work together on some level or another.

DustSpray101 wrote:

Variety:
•Traditional
•Non-Traditional

None traditional... Terrible call, terrible...
That's all I have to say.

So far I'm thinking of reincarnation as it is understood in Buddhism as rebirth. It's a belief which can be held by an individual freely, but may or may not be the truth.

Phrases about Reincarnation from the Kobold perspective:

•"That one lived a good life, he died for the greater good of the Warren, holding off attacking adventurers! Yip! He will likely return as a Dragonwrought!" *An honor said for those who fall exhibiting the Kobold idea of "bravery" amongst the warrior workforce.*

•"The All-Watcher's mortal body has passed on. Keep watch over the clutches for the strongest egg is him returning to us!" *Kobolds in charge of caring for the eggs would keep an eye out for a larger than average egg and then raise that hatchling to believe that they had once been the All-Watcher and teach him how to be one "again"*

•"You lazy git! Continue to work lest you be one day reborn as a Dire Weasel!" *An insult, and the only other creature thought to fall under Kurtulmak's domain. It is the common beast of burden for Kobolds. In Amia, Dire Badgers are presently used in proxy.*

•"They lived an honorable life, may Kurtulmak keep them for his own until we need him again!" *A kindness to say before lighting the funeral pyre. It signifies the Kobold equivalent of achieving Nirvana or breaking the cycle in the idea that the one that died may find "rest" from the Prime Material in working the mines of Kurtulmak and forgo being reincarnated.*
-------------------------------------------------
As for Reality vs Belief: Cosmologically speaking, what truly occurs to a Kobold's soul upon the Kobold's death is anyones guess.

Kobolds!

Who is online