Dragonborn

Traits
Class Options

Kobolds

Traits
Class Options

Dragonfolk include the proud dragonborn, and the puny kobolds.

Dragonborn

Born of dragons, as their name proclaims, the dragonborn walk proudly through a world that greets them with fearful incomprehension. Shaped by draconic gods or the dragons themselves, dragonborn originally hatched from dragon eggs as a unique race, combining the best attributes of dragons and humanoids. Some dragonborn are faithful servants to true dragons, others form the ranks of soldiers in great wars, and still others find themselves adrift, with no clear calling in life.

Proud Dragon Kin

Dragonborn look very much like dragons standing erect in humanoid form, though they lack wings or a tail. The first dragonborn had scales of vibrant hues matching the colors of their dragon kin, but generations of interbreeding have created a more uniform appearance.

Their small, fine scales are usually brass or bronze in color, sometimes ranging to scarlet, rust, gold, or copper-green. They are tall and strongly built, often standing close to 6 1/2 feet tall and weighing 300 pounds or more. Their hands and feet are strong, talonlike claws with three fingers and a thumb on each hand.

The blood of a particular type of dragon runs very strong through some dragonborn clans. These dragonborn often boast scales that more closely match those of their dragon ancestor—bright red, green, blue, or white, lustrous black, or gleaming metallic gold, silver, brass, copper, or bronze.

Self-Sufficient Clans

To any dragonborn, the clan is more important than life itself. Dragonborn owe their devotion and respect to their clan above all else, even the gods. Each dragonborn’s conduct reflects on the honor of his or her clan, and bringing dishonor to the clan can result in expulsion and exile. Each dragonborn knows his or her station and duties within the clan, and honor demands maintaining the bounds of that position.

A continual drive for self-improvement reflects the self-sufficiency of the race as a whole. Dragonborn value skill and excellence in all endeavors. They hate to fail, and they push them selves to extreme efforts before they give up on something. A dragonborn holds mastery of a particular skill as a lifetime goal. Members of other races who share the same commitment find it easy to earn the respect of a dragonborn.

Though all dragonborn strive to be self-sufficient, they recognize that help is sometimes needed in difficult situations. But the best source for such help is the clan, and when a clan needs help, it turns to another dragonborn clan before seeking aid from other races—or even from the gods.

Dragonborn Names

Dragonborn have personal names given at birth, but they put their clan names first as a mark of honor. A childhood name or nickname is often used among clutchmates as a descriptive term or a term of endearment. The name might recall an event or center on a habit.

Your draconic heritage manifests in a variety of traits you share with other dragonborn.

Draconic Ancestry

Choose one type of dragon from the Draconic Ancestry table (or roll randomly). Your breath weapon and damage resistance are determined by the dragon type, as shown in the table.

Other features

Roll an additional feature to personalize your dragonborn.

Dragonfolk approach some classes is a bit differently than other folk. When you select a class, it is modified as follows.


Kobold

Kobolds are often dismissed as cowardly, foolish, and weak, but these little reptilian creatures are clever with their hands, and viciously work together in order to overcome their physical limitations. Kobold are short in stature, despite the draconic blood running in their veins, with the tallest of them barely reaching 3 feet and weighing no more than 35 pounds. Because of their small size, kobold often have to adopt unorthodox means of achieving victory. This usually leads to traps, which kobold are well known for crafting.

Unlike the true dragons they worship, kobolds don’t have set colors that reflect certain personality traits. Whole tribes usually are the same one or two colors, and the color of a kobold has no bearing on its abilities or skill set. Kobolds display many of the traits that true dragons display, and are often either proud, or vain (or both).

“Kobolds are a lot less cute when they learn to cast fireballs.”

– Volo

A kobold can be fooled with smooth words or a quick wit, but when the kobold figures out it has been tricked, it remembers the affront. And when possible will retaliate against that person somehow, even if merely in a petty way. Though they are far less grudgeful against draconic races, feeling that they act so because they must prove their worth.

A small package of greatness

Due to their small size, many kobold often feel that there’s safety in numbers. As such they rarely strike out on their own, unless it’s a mission of great importance or they are serving or proving themselves to a dragon.

While kobolds prefer to run away from a fight, they know that there is greatness within them and are proud that they were chosen to be the blood-kin of dragons. Despite this, a typical kobold acknowledges its weakness in the face of a hostile world. However, a kobold finds satisfaction in its work, the survival of its tribe, and the knowledge that it shares a heritage with mighty dragons.

Worship of dragons

Kobolds are renowned for their worship of dragons, in which case they cast aside any pride they have and willingly and proudly serve such mighty creatures without a thought of treason. If the dragon expresses cruelty, they will tolerate it or simply go away instead of seeking revenge. They even display actual acts of courage while within their service. Strangely, they have the same sentiment towards dragonborn and half dragons, whom they consider to be dragons.

This often leads to the annoyance of dragonborn, many of whom hold resentment towards dragons for past slavery. However, their obsessive loyalty and devotion, and their skill at handling the sewage of draconic communities, causes the other draconic races to tolerate their presence. And those that are able to put their pride aside acknowledge that more than one draconic community has been saved by using the kobolds overwhelming numbers and unorthodox way of fighting.

Natural miners

Kobolds are naturally skilled at tunneling. Similar to dwarves, they have a near-instinctive sense of what sections of stone or earth are strong or weak, are bearing a load or are safe to excavate, or are likely to contain minerals or offer access to water. This ability enables them to fashion secure homes in places where other creatures wouldn’t feel safe.

Kobolds take advantage of their size by creating small-diameter tunnels that they can easily pass through, but that require larger creatures to hunch or even crawl to make progress.

Kobold Names

Kobold names are derived from the Draconic tongue and usually relate to a characteristic of the owner, such as scale colour, distinctive body parts, or typical behavior. For example, “Red Foot, “White Claw” and “Scurry” are Common translations of often-used names. A kobold might change its name when it becomes an adult, or add additional words and syllables after important events such as completing its first hunt, laying its first egg, or surviving its first battle.

Because kobolds can change sex to suit a tribe’s needs, they don’t differentiate between male or female names.

Kobold Names: Arix, Eks, Galax, Garu, Hagnar, Hox, Irtos, Kashak, Meepo, Molo, Ohsoss, Rotom, Sagin, Sik, Sniv, Taklak, Tes, Urak, Varn.

As a kobold, you gain the following traits.

Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short rest.

Kobolds approach some classes is a bit differently than other folk. When you select a class, it is modified as follows.