Kobold

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This page is about the player species. For the monster, see Kobold (monster).

Kobolds are small, ugly creatures with few redeeming features. They are not the sort of people you would want to spend much time with, unless you happened to be a Kobold yourself. They tend to be stronger and less agile than Halflings, and are slightly more talented at using most types of magic, particularly necromancy. They are competent in combat, especially with short blades, maces or crossbows, and are also very adept at using magical devices. They often live as scavengers, surviving on carrion (which they can eat even when not hungry), but are carnivorous and can only eat meat. Kobolds advance in levels as quickly as Humans. Like Halflings, Kobolds cannot wield large weapons.

Innate Abilities

• Kobolds recover from sickness quickly.
• Carnivorous 3: Kobolds gain more sustenance from meat and can eat chunks at any time, but cannot eat anything but meat.
• Saprovore 2: Kobolds can eat rotten meat, and have less chance of getting sick from rotten or contaminated meat.
• Kobolds are small creatures, unable to wield large shields, bardiches, battleaxes, dire flails, executioner's axes, glaives, great maces, great swords, halberds, longbows, scythes, triple swords, giant clubs, giant spiked clubs, javelins, and throwing nets. One-handed weapons like magical staves, broad axes, tridents, demon tridents and double swords are two-handed weapons to them.

Preferred Backgrounds

• Warriors: Hunter, Assassin
• Zealots: Berserker, Healer
• Warrior-mages: Arcane Marksman, Enchanter
• Mages: Summoner, Necromancer, Fire Elementalist, Ice Elementalist, Air Elementalist, Earth Elementalist, Venom Mage
• Adventurers: Artificer

Level Bonuses

• Kobolds get +1 strength or dexterity (equal chance) every 5 levels, starting at level 5.
• Kobolds have 20% less HP than average.
• Kobolds have average MP.
• Kobolds gain 3 magic resistance per level.

Starting Skills and Equipment

Kobolds receive the skills and equipment listed for their background, with the following exceptions:

• Meat rations replace bread rations.
• Stones replace throwing nets.

Difficulty of Play

Kobolds are a fairly easy race to play because of their excellent aptitudes in most "nimble assassin" skills. They play similarly to halflings, but have a leg up on them thanks to their considerably higher Fighting aptitude and their ability to eat almost any kind of meat at any time. This makes them excel as berserkers, as they will be so well fed most of the game that berserking often is easy to manage. They advance extremely quickly in experience compared to the more "powerful" races.

Skill aptitudes

The higher the value, the better the aptitude.

Skill	Aptitude	Skill	Aptitude	Skill	Aptitude
Attack		Miscellaneous		Magic
Fighting	1	Armour	-2	Spellcasting	-1
Short Blades	3	Dodging	2	Conjurations	-1
Long Blades	-2	Stealth	4	Hexes	0
Axes	-1	Stabbing	2	Charms	-2
Maces & Flails	0	Shields	-2	Summonings	0
Polearms	-2	Traps	0	Necromancy	0
Staves	-1			Translocations	0
Unarmed Combat	0			Transmutation	-1
		Fire Magic	0
Throwing	3	Ice Magic	0	Invocations	1
Slings	2	Air Magic	0	Evocations	3
Bows	-1	Earth Magic	0
Crossbows	2	Poison Magic	0	Experience	1

Trivia

Kobolds were originally creatures from Germanic mythology, but they are most well-known to gamers as low-level monsters in Dungeons & Dragons (which their depiction in Crawl most resembles).

Guides

• Hybrid's Kobold Berserker guide