| Hit Dice: | 1d8 (4 hp) |
| Initiative: | +1 |
| Speed: | 30 ft. (6 squares) |
| Armor Class: | 15 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +1 natural, +2 leather), touch 12, flat-footed 14 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +1/–4 |
| Attack: | Spear +1 melee (1d6–1/×3) or sling +3 ranged (1d3) |
| Full Attack: | Spear +1 melee (1d6–1/×3) or sling +3 ranged (1d3) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | — |
| Special Qualities: | Darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity |
| Saves: | Fort +2, Ref +1, Will –1 |
| Abilities: | Str 9, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8 |
| Skills: | Craft (trapmaking) +2, Hide +6, Listen +2, Move Silently +2, Profession (miner) +2, Search +2, Spot +2; racial bonuses |
| Feats: | Alertness |
| Environment: | Temperate forests |
| Organization: | Gang (4–9), band (10–100 plus 100 noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level sergeant per 20 adults and 1 leader of 4th–6th level), warband (10–24 plus 2–4 dire weasels), tribe (40–400 plus 1 3rd-level sergeant per 20 adults, 1 or 2 lieutenants of 4th or 5th level, 1 leader of 6th–8th level, and 5–8 dire weasels) |
| Challenge Rating: | ¼ |
| Treasure: | Standard |
| Alignment: | Usually lawful evil |
| Advancement: | By character class |
| Level Adjustment: | +0 |
This humanoid is about the size of a gnome or halfling. It has a scaly hide, a naked tail like that of a rat, and a doglike head with two small horns.
Kobolds are short, reptilian humanoids with cowardly and sadistic tendencies.
A kobold’s scaly skin ranges from dark rusty brown to a rusty black color. It has glowing red eyes. Its tail is nonprehensile. Kobolds wear ragged clothing, favoring red and orange.
Kobolds usually consume plants or animals but are not averse to eating intelligent beings. They spend most of their time fortifying the land around their lairs with traps and warning devices (such as spiked pits, tripwires attached to crossbows, and other mechanical contraptions).
Kobolds hate almost every other sort of humanoid or fey, especially gnomes and sprites.
A kobold is 2 to 2½ feet tall and weighs 35 to 45 pounds.
Kobolds speak Draconic with a voice that sounds like that of a yapping dog.
Kobolds like to attack with overwhelming odds—at least two to one—or trickery; should the odds fall below this threshold, they usually flee. However, they attack gnomes on sight if their numbers are equal.
They begin a fight by slinging bullets, closing only when they can see that their foes have been weakened. Whenever they can, kobolds set up ambushes near trapped areas. They aim to drive enemies into the traps, where other kobolds wait to pour flaming oil over them, shoot them, or drop poisonous vermin onto them.
Light Sensitivity (Ex): Kobolds are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Skills: Kobolds have a +2 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Profession (miner), and Search checks.
The kobold warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 13, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 8.
Challenge Rating: Kobolds with levels in NPC classes have a CR equal to their character level –3.
Kobolds live in dark places, usually underground locations and overgrown forests. They are good miners and often live in the mines they are developing. A kobold tribe sends out warbands that patrol within a 10-mile radius from the lair, attacking any intelligent creatures that enter their territory. Kobolds usually kill prisoners for food but occasionally sell some of them as slaves. Their nasty habits and their distrust of most other beings mean that they have many enemies.
A kobold lair has one noncombatant child and one egg per ten adults.
The patron deity of the kobolds is Kurtulmak, who despises all living creatures except kobolds.
Source: Monster Manual (version 3.5), page 161.