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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shade" data-source="post: 5185616" data-attributes="member: 287">KobaltsAD&D(R) game statisticsFREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 20-80 males (plus others; see below)ARMOR CLASS: 8 (leather equivalent)MOVE: 9"HIT DICE: 3 (4 hp minimum; note Heightened Constitution bonus to hp)% IN LAIR: 60%TREASURE TYPE: D; see belowNO. OF ATTACKS: 1 (2 with bows, more with technological items)DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type; bite for 1-2SPECIAL ATTACKS: Magic and/or technological items; some have mutational attacksSPECIAL DEFENSES: Magic and/or technological items; radiation and poison resistanceMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful neutralSIZE: S (3 1/2' tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: No true psionics, but may possess psionic-like mutationsLEVEL/X.P. VALUE: III/110+4/hp base value (high intelligence and poison/radiation resistance); note that some individuals may have missile weapons, weapons doing great damage, or other magical! mutational enchancements that will raise their base x.p. valueIn the most ancient archives may be found references to a powerful arch-mage who located an unusual alternate universe. Creatures of strange design roamed this world; the landscape was devastated by fire and war. The arch-mage summoned an army of goblins, ores, and allied monsters, armed them with the best weapons and equipment, set off into that forsaken land to make war upon its inhabitants, and found an empire from which to raid other worlds and planes. None of that host returned; the army was destroyed by savage beasts with incredible powers and by a sickness that could not be cured. Subsequent authorities now believe that the only survivors were the smallest creatures who were best able to hide deep in the earth and adapt to the new land.Those authorities were correct. The only survivors of this raid were kobolds, and the new land wrought its changes on them in return for their survival. Now calling themselves kobalts, these creatures have picked up a number of beneficial mutations from the radiation in their environment. Their Infravision allows them to see any heated body at up to 60 meters (66 yards) at night or in darkness of any kind. They may detect the slight warmth that plants emit and find places on the ground where beings rested within the last hour; this latter ability allows them to track parties at night with 90% accuracy. However, their daylight vision has worsened, and they are -2 to hit opponents in direct sunlight. They are blinded for 1-4 melee rounds by sudden and close heat flashes (such as laser shots, Fireballs, lightning, or explosions), within 60 meters of them in a dark environment. When using heat-producing technological weapons or anticipating the use of same by opponents, kobalts wear protective goggles or helmet visors that reduce their Infravision to 30 meters, but that completely prevent blindness.Kobalts have a tough, leathery scaled skin with a deep cobalt-blue color. Heightened Constitution gives kobalts an 18 resistance vs. radiation and poison in the GAMMA WORLD(R) game universe, and a save vs. poison in the AD&D(R) game worlds of 02. Their Heightened Intelligence gives them average mental strength (equivalent to wisdom) of 14, and an average intelligence of 15; they add 4 points to die rolls when learning to use an artifact. They have an average physical strength of 12 (normal kobolds have a 9). Prolonged experience in underground living makes them 75% likely to detect slopes, 60% likely to tell new construction, and 50% likely to know the approximate depth underground and the direction of travel.One kobalt in 20 (male or female) has developed the Planar Travel mutation, which links the GAMMA WORLD game universe with one AD&D game universe (that of the current campaign). The kobalt casting this psionic-like power may send up to 40 kobalts, including himself, between the two universes once a week; returning to the universe left behind is equally simple. Kobalts with this power are regarded as holy by their clan and usually travel with the clan leader.The leader of a kobalt clan has 21-24 hit points and a retinue of guards (3-12) with 15-20 hit points each, protecting both him and the planar-traveling kobalts (PTKs). Another 4-16 guards with the same hit point range as above will be assigned as lair guards, crewing positions near the entrances. These guards are in addition to the other kobalts encountered. The kobalt leader, PTKs, and guards are often equipped with heavier sorts of technological or magical armor. If the weapons they use permit it, they will use small shields to improve their armor class. The leader of a kobalt clan possesses 1-3 technological artifacts from the table below and also uses magical weapons, if they exist in the treasure hoard and are of the right size. Distributed among the rest of the guards and the PTKs will be 2-16 other technological devices with 1-4 energy cells per device if required. The leader and PTKs always get the best weapons. There is a 15% chance that a colony of kobalts will possess a robotic or automotive device of some kind.Females will be found in a kobalt colony, equaling 50 % of the male population. Young kobalts are equal in number to about 10% of the adult males. 2-20 heavily protected eggs will also be found in the colony. Except for a few remarkable females who work through the hierarchy to become guards or are hatched with the Planar Travel mutation, most females and young are noncombative unless the colony is attacked. In battle, the non-guard males and females will carry an assortment of weapons including hand axes, short swords, daggers, short composite bows, javelins, and slings. Missile weapons will not exceed 50 % of an armed force, unless it is a raiding party in which everyone has a missile weapon and a hand-to-hand weapon. These fighters will usually carry a small, light shield of plastic or wood.Kobalts have been encountered so infrequently in magic-oriented universes that they will likely be thought of as bluedyed kobolds. They use extreme care in planning any raids in the AD&D or GAMMA WORLD game universes, gathering intelligence through agents they can implicitly trust. Colonies of kobalts will go on raids into the AD&D game universe as infrequently as once a year, but the careful planning and the power of their technological weapons has allowed them to amass a class D treasure (see Monster Manual) and between 1000-8000 domars. Note that if an artifact from the GAMMA WORLD game is rolled up that none of the kobalts can use (such as a suit of man-sized Powered Assault Armor), it will be stored in the colony anyway and used for trading purposes. Kobalts enjoy bargaining as much as they do raiding, and do it more frequently, too. They use their financial resources to purchase more magical and technological equipment for their clan and to fortify their lairs. Kobalts have little desire to gain territory in either the AD&D or GAMMA WORLD game universes, preferring to remain virtually unknown and keep a low profile.If confronting what appears to be a relatively weak party, the kobalts will demand all magical/technological items be turned over to them and will take a healthy cut of the party's money as well. Stronger parties are likely to be ambushed, but kobalts are not stupid and will avoid encounters with very tough adventurers, except through third parties. Kobalts have a heroic mythos, having completely dissociated themselves from their old lawful evil religion, and will only rarely surrender. Kobalts are incredibly brave under the most trying circumstances, a positive result of their long battle to survive in their hostile homeworld. They are equally able to operate as merchants or bandits as suits them best.If encountered in the AD&D game, kobalts will have the hit points and "to hit" probabilities of 3 hit-dice monsters.If found in the GAMMA WORLD game, they will have the hit points of 4 hit-dice (6-sided) monsters. While the type of hit dice changes from world to world, from 8sided to 6-sided, the hit point range is about the same. The hit points of an individual kobalt do not change when passing from one universe to the next. When using ranged weapons, kobalts use the appropriate attack tables for weapon type in the GAMMA WORLD game; in an AD&D game world, ranged weapons are treated as missile fire with appropriate penalties to hit at lh and 2h range distances. See tire "Mutants and Magic" section of the Dungeon Master's Guide for further information on integrating the AD&D and GAMMA WORLD game systems.Any kobalt has a 1% chance of having an extra random mutation. If the mutation is beneficial, the kobalt may become a sergeant, guard, or leader.Technological artifact table for kobalts01-40 Pistol, random type41-65 Energy weapon, random type66-90 Grenade, random type91-00 Any other artifact except robotic or automotive device.Originally appeared in Polyhedron #18 (1984).</blockquote>

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