Races of the Dragon.pdf - The Techno Jesus

CHAPTER 3
KOBOLDS
40
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
it 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 (see the Dragonwrought feat, page
100). These eggs are spotted with the color of whichever
true dragon infl uences 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 fi nal 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.
CLOTHING
Kobolds are pragmatic about fashion. They dress appropriately
for the occasion, which includes fi nery for special
celebrations and ceremonies. While an individual kobold
enjoys looking distinguished and fi ne, 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 diffi culty for
a barefooted kobold, whose feet are so naturally tough and
callused that gravel and rough stone cause no pain.
Well-dressed kobolds enjoy making bold statements, so
popular colors include dark reds and fi ery 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 affi nity with
a certain kind of dragon.
Due to the prolifi c 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
(see page 121 for more information on chitin armor).
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 an old skin in one piece. Adult
kobolds 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 made from a plant called bitterleaf to strengthen their
scales and keep them shiny. Regular application of bitterleaf
oil (see page 122) can delay shedding indefi nitely.
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
fl at stone in every kobold dwelling serves as a tool for polishing
claws. Kobolds chew roots and bones to strengthen
their gums and clean the surface of their teeth.
PSYCHOLOGY
“We suffer and yet prevail.”
—Thurirl, High Priest of the Sacred Mine,
Keeper of Dragonwrought Eggs
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 halfl ings often integrate into other
races’ societies, kobolds turn inward. The kobold deity
Kurtulmak (see page 48) doesn’t allow such fraternization.