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Kobold (alternate)

Written by Andrew.

Kobold
+2 Intelligence or +2 Charisma

Small: Kobolds have a +2 AC bonus against opportunity attacks.

Mob Tactics (Racial Power)
Once per a battle, after you strike an enemy with a natural even attack roll, you may grant yourself and all allies a +4 bonus on all attacks to hit that same enemy until the end of your next turn.
Champion Feat: Instead of granting a +4 bonus to allies, the enemy is stunned until the end of your next turn.

Kobolds are the least imposing of all the evil races in the world by a rather large margin. Standing barely three feet tall at most and so weak that a typical human with a basic blade is considered more than a match for one, they do not inspire much in the way of fear. Generally humans speak of Kobolds as a pest infestation to be dealt with. Even those willing to show respect to Goblins may see Kobolds as little more than animals. The idea that these little dog-rat-lizard things are somehow related to dragons seems quite ludicrous.

If one takes a closer look at Kobolds however, one would find a remarkably intelligent race—although one whose intelligence demonstrates itself in ways so alien to most peoples’ minds that it is difficult to catch. Kobolds are able to create, and navigate, elaborate maze-like tunnel networks that could cause many others to get lost for weeks. But a Kobold dropped even into another nest’s den can seem to get around just fine. They are able to create deceptively basic, but actually quite elaborate mechanic and traps within their lairs despite materials being quite scarce. Though their constructions do not surpass those of Gnomes or Dwarfs, they speed by which they construct them does—and they do so without ever having manuals or properly formed schools to teach the methods.

Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of traveling with a Kobold can tell you that the things pretty much never stop talking. They seem constantly driven to explain everything they know, even things no one would care about and even things others already know, often in precise detail. When not yapping about their own experiences, they constantly pester people with questions and don’t seem to understand the concepts of discretion, secrecy or privacy—at least not among their company. However, interestingly, Kobolds seem to have no trouble listening to and understanding multiple conversations at once. Anyone who has ever been inside a Kobold’s nest can tell you that the noise within there is constant. A hundred voices echoing through the chamber, speaking at hundreds of syllables a minute. For someone who can speak draconic and whose mind might struggle to understand it, the experience can be maddening.

Perhaps most remarkable though is that when the rare opportunity arises for a Kobold to study arcane arts, they seem to take to it naturally and have a strange inborn power that once unlocked allows them to excel in such fields; at least until their brutally short lifespans catch up to them. In fact, many Kobold nests are led by a chieftain who has somehow reached within himself and unlocked a mastery over powerful arcane magic.

To become a barrier, a Kobold must overcome a number of serious barriers. They must leave the comfort of their nests and go out into the world, an experience quite harrowing as Kobolds tend to be universally agoraphobic and bright lights hurt their eyes. Kobolds that are forced from underground nests are usually taken as servants or slaves by dark powers. They then have to overcome the problem of traveling in a world that sees them as filthy pests to be exterminated on sight. The best way to overcome these barriers for most Kobolds is to be a servant of either The Three or the Great Gold Wyrm and then follow around larger draconic-speaking races. Others learn to dress and adorn themselves in such a way that they seem less animalistic to larger races and work as guides to the endless cave networks or living dungeons.

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