Dragonborn: Large Kobolds

[Koewn]

Dragonborn: Large (noble?) Kobolds.

Think about how that will work. Same undercurrent of evil as Tieflings, same possiblity of redemption during a PC career. (ignoring for now the metallic dragons, and keeping dragonborn merely as a medium-sized Kobold)

In a world where dragons *are* more common and out in the open, Kobolds most certainly exist, and so some possible noble breed would as well - and that noble breed has enough chutzpah to scorn it's draconic master/creator and go off on it's own.

And given the previous statement that dragons are out in the open, working it, the dragonborn wouldn't necessarily be viewed the same as your goblin or orc; but as a..er..."PC race", for lack of a non-meta-game way to put it - the same as a human subject of a king; he's just the progeny of the local dragon.

Just thought I'd throw it out, as I rewrite my campaign world in my head. Surprisingly, this works out well; already I have 'noble kobolds' following the party around attempting to catch them unawares. This just ups their size category.

Koewn

 

[Elphilm]

In other words, the Dragonborn are Trans-Kobolds.

 

[Derren]

The problem with that is that adventures with kobolds will be much harder to make (especially for WotC) because if Dragonborn are kobolds (even noble ones) the kobolds will react extremly different to parties with dragonborn than to parties without one.

 

[wedgeski]

The problem with that is that adventures with kobolds will be much harder to make (especially for WotC) because if Dragonborn are kobolds (even noble ones) the kobolds will react extremly different to parties with dragonborn than to parties without one.

Why would that be a 'problem'?

My group in Dragonlance has a LG minotaur PC, and it's enabled them to run rings around a few minotaur villains. It's just one more texture to the campaign. The players would adapt. So would WotC.

 

[Elphilm]

Yeah, I don't see the problem either. If the social encounter mechanics are solid, and a Dragonborn PC can offer a non-violent solution to a kobold encounter, it will be as fun as stabbing them in the face with a sword.

 

[Derren]

I should add that personally I also don't see much of a problem with dragonborn being large kobolds (although I would be more happy with them being a seperate race). But those people who were against orcs or hobgoblins as mystery race said that this would "ruin" orcs or hobgoblins as traditional enemy race and wether you agree or not the same would apply with dragonborn being kobolds.

 

[The Merciful]

In other words, the Dragonborn are Trans-Kobolds.

Oh gods! What we would have gotten spared of if only there hadn't been miscommunication between Gary Gygax and an artist...

 

[ThirdWizard]

Kobolds of indiscriminate size!

I have long held the belief that kobolds do not actually ever stop growing. The problem, you see, is the short life expectancy of kobolds. They always die before they get too big. However, if a kobold did, somehow, ever survive for long enough, one would notice it getting larger and larger until it was as tall as a dwarf after perhaps two or three decades. If somehow this kobold lived further, maybe even into his fifties, he would be as large as a man. Longer still, no one knows how large one may become.

Legend does tell of a great kobold warrior who lived to be eighty and grew as tall as a troll. However, this is most likely apocryphal. No kobold could possibly live that long.

 

[Cadfan]

And even at that age and that size, they're still CR 1/256th.

 

[Smerg]

What is wrong with keeping kobolds size small?

I thought that their small size gave them great colour and story as you had these extremely small creatures with the belief that they were destined to rule the rest of the world.

Of course, I suppose it depends on whether you like your kobolds with reptillian heads or dog heads.