Early on in the history of Tolomar, dragonkind sought to rule the mortal races. While they saw a great wide variety of results over the short term, ranging from worship to implacable hatred and rebellion, the end result was always the same: the draconic rulers were overthrown. The loss of one particular empire across the sea saw draconian population cut in half.

Furious, frustrated, and, for the first time, afraid of the “lesser” races, the dragons held a grand council to examine their failures and determine a plan of action. In the end, dragons decided the god-created mortals were too flawed to rule over for long. They would never accept their draconic overlords as superiors for more than a few generations, as their inherent flaws (primarily avarice and pride) would inevitably corrupt some portion of the population against the dragons. Small groups might be held in sway for an indefinite period of time, but overall the short-lived races were simply unmanageable. The differences between the dragons and the humanoid and giant races were simply too great to be overcome.

And so the dragons decided to create a servitor race. Something closer to their own perfection, but which might be close enough for the imperfection of the other races that they would be accepted. As previous experimentation with breeding half-dragons had shown promise, the bulk of draconic research was devoted to altering different races as opposed to creating life from base components. (This is still a long-term goal for the dragons, the proverbial stick in the eye of the gods.)

In the end, gnomes provided the best results, and the only viable race. The diminutive, capricious tricksters were transformed into the reptilian kobold. Various gnomish traits can be seen in the kobolds, though twisted by the dragons’ experimentations. Where gnomes are ingenious illusionists, kobolds are masters of mechanics. Where gnomes are mischievous, kobolds are cruel. Where gnomes are connected with nature, kobolds are connected with dragons.

However, while gnomes are long lived and their populations tend to find a balance with their environment, kobolds are short-lived and breed quickly. They feel no connection to the “natural” order, and were it not for draconic guidance, they would quickly over-burden the land and starve. Dragons use various population control methods on the kobolds, including movement of populations, inter-tribal warfare, and even the occasional fertility celebration when a population must be reinvigorated.

Kobolds are the dragons best success so far in creating a servitor race. They feel both physically and spiritually connected to dragons. They worship dragonkind in general, and sometimes even specific dragons known to their tribe. They revere those among themselves with the most draconic characteristics, and encourage a constant march of progress towards becoming more draconic themselves. Even though dragons use a wide variety of servants, kobolds are by far the most numerous and the most devout.


Classes:
Dragon Disciple: A ruling class among kobolds, dragon disciples most often serve as the voice of a dragon among kobolds, among the rare few kobolds given directive and commands directly from their dragon rulers.
Sorcerer: Kobold sorcerers are almost exclusively of the draconic bloodline, and are revered among kobold tribes. They may not always be leaders, but they universally have a respected place in kobold society.
Bard: Similar to sorcerers, bards hold a respected place in kobold society. Dragon Heralds serve as advisors and diplomats, while Dragon Yappers are often given prominent positions in war bands.
Rogue: The backbone of kobold war parties, kobolds often specialize as Snare Setters and Trapsmiths.
Slayer: The elite among kobold warriors, kobold slayers hunt down their dragon masters’ enemies with fanatical devotion.
Cryptic: Trapmasters without equal, kobold cryptics are obsessed with deathtraps of all kinds, and eagerly sell their pieces to see more traps out in the world.


Standard Racial Traits
Ability Score Racial Traits: Kobolds are fast but weak. They gain +2 Dexterity, -4 Strength, and -2 Constitution.
Type: Kobolds have the dragon type.
Size: Kobolds are Small creatures and thus gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a -1 penalty on their combat maneuver checks and to Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
Base Speed: Kobolds have a base speed of 30 feet.
Languages: Kobolds begin play speaking only Draconic. Kobolds with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common, Dwarven, Gnome, and Undercommon. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.

Defense Racial Traits
Armor: Kobolds naturally scaly skin grants them a +1 natural armor bonus.
Immunities: Kobolds are immune to magic sleep and paralysis effects.

Feat and Skill Racial Traits
Crafty: Kobolds gain a +2 racial bonus on Craft (trapmaking), Perception, and Profession (miner) checks. Craft (trapmaking) and Stealth are always class skills for a kobold.

Offense Racial Traits
Proficient with all simple weapons.

Senses Racial Traits
Kobolds have Darkvision 60 and Low-Light Vision.

Weakness Racial Traits
Light Sensitivity: Kobolds lives in darkness have caused them to suffer from light sensitivity.