Kobold
· · CR Unknown
Kobold at CR 1/8 is logged as a small humanoid; alignment lawful evil. AC 12, 2 hit dice, 30-ft speed. Habitat: any. Senses include darkvision 60 ft. Speaks common and draconic. Notable trait: Sunlight Sensitivity — While in sunlight, the kobold has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- Unknown
- Type
- —
- Size
- —
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Any
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014)
Ecology
Kobolds are small draconic-descended humanoids who live in elaborate tunnel warrens, usually centered on a true dragon or pseudodragon they revere as divine. A warren numbers fifty to several hundred, organized into work-clans by trade — trapsmiths, miners, scouts, breeders, cooks. They are prolific, with kobolds reaching working age in three to four years and producing large clutches; a warren that loses half its population to a wandering hero recovers within a generation.
Behaviour
Kobolds are clever, paranoid, and acutely aware of their physical weakness. Every aspect of warren life is built around indirection — traps over fights, ambush over confrontation, numbers over strength. They worship their resident dragon with genuine devotion and are willing to die for it; they regard outsiders, especially adventurers, as gods of destruction to be tricked, hidden from, or sacrificed to the dragon. They have rich oral traditions and surprisingly sophisticated trap engineering.
Origin
Kobolds were created in the ancient era by a draconic progenitor — accounts vary on whether the creator was a single great dragon or a council — to serve as warren-keepers and lesser servants. The created kobolds bred true and spread across the world, with each warren retaining loyalty to whatever dragon it found locally. Kobolds without a dragon patron drift, decline, and either find a new patron or fade out within a generation or two.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Kobold
- Where does Kobold live?
- Kobold's habitat is open: the bestiary entry doesn't restrict the creature to one biome.