Kobald
Kobald AKA: two-legged rats, walking plague HACKFACTOR: 1 EP VALUE: 7 CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any FREQUENCY: Common ORGANIZATION: Tribal ACTIVITY CYCLE: Nocturnal DIET: Omniverous INTELLIGENCE: Low (see below) ALIGNMENT: Lawful Evil NO.APPEARING: 40-400 (in lair) SIZE: S (3' to 3 ½' Tall) MOVEMENT: 9" PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil/Nil MORALE: Unsteady (8) ARMOR CLASS: 9 NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 or 3 DAMAGE/ATTACK: by wpn or 1d2/1d2/1d3 SPECIAL ATTACKS: Nil SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard HIT DICE: 2-8 hp's CREATED BY: "Delcar"
DESCRIPTION: The Kobalds are a plague, and a genuine threat to all other life. Individually they are small and cowardly but they are never alone. Kobalds are small humanoid reptilians, usually with fine rust colored scales, and have small horns on top of their heads. They have a tail about 1/3 the length of their body.
COMBAT/TACTICS: Kobalds are reasonably intelligent, and cruel creatures. Whenever possible they prefer to attack from ambush, or to use traps and poison to do their dirty work. A favorite Kobald tactic is to set up a simple pit trap and when a victim falls in, they then pelt the unfortunate soul to death with rocks and whatever weapons may be at hand. Simple missile weapons are prefered over hand to hand combat.
HABITAT/SOCIETY: Kobalds have a hive mentality, all actions are for the good of the tribe as a whole. They are selfish and cowardly, but given a choice between the survival of the individual and the tribe, they will choose the tribe. They are found most often underground where they domesticate the local vermin for a staple food source, and raid for supplements. Kobalds will quietly move into an area whenever possible, eeking out a poor living in the corners or undesirable regions of a dungeon/cavern complex. They slowly build their numbers and hide their true strength until they achieve a numerical superiority and will eventually out-breed any nearby humanoids.
The strange history of the Kobalds of Ahg-Debar:
A strange hobby has developed in the mage run city of Ahg-Debar (it is situated on the delta at the mouth of the Khezari river). Centuries ago, monster collecting was the rage amongst the decadent mage caste of Ahg-Debar. Monsters were collected, named and battled in the grand stadium for prizes. Special enchanted orbs were developed, that could shrink a monster and keep it in stasis until called for battle. It is rumored that the orbs could be used to capture a weakened monster for later domestication.
Needless to say, it ended badly. Not much is known of what really happened, but rumors persist of dragon hatchlings being caught, given impossibly cute names and battled against one another. Aparently the Dragon Committee became involved.
So the *new* rulers of Ahg-Debar outlawed the capture, sale and ownership of monsters and promptly began building their new government offices. Twenty years ago, an enterprising bard by the name of Galvedan the Red arrived in town with a breeding pair of crimson kobalds. He successfully argued (while on trial) that under the law of Ahg-Debar kobalds were pests and not monsters, so they could be legally owned. New kobalds were imported within a few years so he and his staff began breeding kobalds as pets. A whole section of the city (designated Ahl-bia) was set up as an ecosystem for the kobalds. Being poor swimmers, and the ground being too damp to tunnel the kobalds adapted to life as pets. They are bred for color and appearance. Bright red is common, but an aqua blue breed is becoming popular. Kobalds are now regular sights in the city, and have been nearly totally domesticated. It is rumored that high-stake gambling on kobald fights is available for those that have the coin.
ECOLOGY: Kobalds reach maturity at 2-3 years. They remain fertile through their whole lives. They are a warm-blooded reptilian, and lay eggs. Eggs are kept in hatcheries and tended to by the sub-adult members of the tribe. Kobalds tend to have several small hatcheries hidden and spread out about their lairs. Kobalds total lifespan is not known. They are sometimes lead by wise and canny battle leaders, presumably much older than the 3-5 year old warriors that charge into the fray.
YIELD:
Medicinal: Nil
Spell Components: Nil
Hide/Trophy Items: Many civilized lands pay a bounty on Kobald heads.
Treasure: Individuals: J
Other: The mage caste of the city of Ahg-Debar will often pay for Kobalds of an interesting color.
Mikeeze Wurld is © 2001 by Michael S. Hensley.
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