In my next setting, I plan on making a city built by kobolds and ruled over by a good-aligned dragon (probably silver), but I am having trouble thinking of how a city populated mainly by kobolds would be. I'd obviously want it to be a fair bit different from something like Waterdeep, but what sort of culture would kobolds have? Volo provides a few pointers, but it's mainly clan structure and society, not really anything about what kobolds would do when they don't have to work.
Any ideas? What sort of society would kobolds build when they don't have to dedicate everything to servitude and survival?
Well I still think it would be a subterranean culture... even if the streets or whatever are on land, any actual buildings would have several floors doing downward rather than building upward. I think that gold and other currency wouldn't have direct correlation... they'd probably deal more in trade of goods than in money (although coins would be valued mostly for their luster, so a well-polished silver piece would have more value than a tarnished gold piece). Everything would definitely be built to Kobold proportions, so even for other small races hallways or doors might be uncomfortably small, since Kobolds would be comfortable with simply crawling through them. I'm not sure what Kobolds would do in their leisure time, since a lot of that is up to the interpretation. A brief look at Kobold lore shows that they're worshippers Kurtulmak, the god of war and mining, so while they wouldn't value precious metals in the same way as other races, they would still have a healthy mining culture. They're avid developers of clever traps, so if they were given the security of a peaceful, well-guarded society some of them might actually take that same creativity and apply it to tinkering. They would probably have a lot of little clever inventions in their society... nothing too complex, but clever uses of simple machines to make their lives easier.
I think what I would do is have a sort of Bazaar that they use to interact with other races, under the guidance/protection of their Dragon ruler. This would be essentially a grouping of small huts used as shops, inns, etc. that the actual adventuring party could easily interact with. But each one has tunnels leading down to the main society, which is much more heavily guarded and features all the actual homes and other features of a proper society. They're also sensitive to sunlight, so the entire thing might be contained in a large cave, or the huts used for shops etc. would be designed to not let a lot of light inside.
Of course, I'm not an expert on any of this... I'm mostly basing this on a quick skim of the wikipedia page for D&D kobolds, but the nice thing about this game is that you can make up a lot on your own and as long as you keep it to your own table it's not really a problem. As long as it leads to an interesting adventure you can get away with basically anything.
Traps would still play a great part in their society, and clans, but Kobolds don't have parents per say, being raised in creches or clutches with several keepers who tend the eggs. Once hatched (normally) kobolds tend to have to work together to survive, so they learn to rely on the group, so there is very little leisure time. In a "good" society, they probably would still need to work together to survive, so much would be the same, but trade, and barter would replace stealing and raiding, and their traps would be less lethal at least at first. Get closer to the central hive, and they would become lethal, as even good people will kill to defend their young.
Remember though that the society of kobolds is always directly influenced by their leadership. If this is ruled by a silver dragon, it would be heavily influenced by that dragon's personality. If that dragon was a wizard who valued and studied magic, many of the kobolds would become sorcerers and other arcane casters to emulate the dragon. If the dragon was a reader, the society would collect every book thy could find simply to be like their god. Kobolds worship dragons, and want to be like them. So first I would decide what the dragon's personality is as that's going to determine the main direction the kobolds would go.
Transmorpher is correct that it would be underground, as their sensitivity to sunlight would make them shy away from surface dwellings. They also tend to sleep in what is often called puppy/kitten piles, as kobolds value the protection of the group. So remember that they would go for group activities for the most part. What little leisure time they might have would be filled with team sports and group activities, though since social bonding is not really a thing in kobold nature, they wouldn't be too picky or passionate about it.
Kobolds are not strong creatures, so they need to work together to build anything, and this lack of strength means it takes longer to accomplish tasks that would require such things. This is why they lack free time. Their society has evolved to become one of great dependence on the group, and that would be the same whether good, or evil. Even in a good society though the regimented casts would probably still exist, and each kobold would still be doing the job they were best suited for, whether or not they wanted to do so.
There is one thing that a good society would have over an evil one, a higher percentage of older kobolds. Most kobolds don't live beyond twenty years, but they are capable of living for up to one hundred and twenty. They usually die from violence disease, and war, but in a good society, they would likely survive longer.
I think that they would still be a very reclusive culture, without direct commands and laws they would still be very aggressive to outsiders. If told they the could easily be cowed into firing warning shots at potential treats instead of outright aggression.
For non subterranean defences there could be towers with no above ground door. They would prefer a location like a valley or a crater to reduce the amount of time the sun is illuminating the way in but as they have settled due to their worship of a dragon this may not be something they have control over. Maybe they send parties out each night to maintain and erect tall walls to help cast shadows on otherwise lit areas to help the guards on the "Slumber Shifts" spot potential threats.
Once into the city proper the streets the local populous would "lock their doors bar the windows" as outsiders passed. Though where ever the outsiders go there is a group of guardsmen shadowing them.
They only members of this society that the PCs would interact with would be maybe those directly ordered to by the leadership of the city or the leadership itself.
Agriculture and maybe even animal husbandry would have to become a thing as no more raiding for food. The PC's pass one of the few vast open caverns to see fields of fungus being cultivated to feed the population. It could be carved out near an underground steam or lake to maximise the humidity in the area.
Those not directly involved with keeping the city running would have their daily tasks change at the drop of a hat. The dragon would mention something off the cuff like how he hasn't seen any people other than the PC's in years and the next day hundreds of crudely draw pictures are left for in in the council chambers for his desire is all. The few tailors would be swamped with orders for clothing suspiciously similar to that of the PCs.
Changing the alignment to good opens up a whole bunch of possibilities. As manarax1 mentioned, Kolbolds might live longer and, thereby, evolve and advance more than their evil counterparts. That alone changes things so much. They might even stop being subterranean and come out of their caves for the need of more room than caves can provide with the population growth. That growth also requires changes in their society. It could go heavily into a caste system as common in those days or, by being good-aligned, go heavy into a communal system where castes are define by job and not by political status. It could go further in their existing standard where "Might makes Right" but in an honorable manner where respect is given regardless who wins. It could be combinations of many methods of governing. When a population grows larger, some sort of organizing and autonomous self-governance becomes more necessary.
They might even be able to *gasp* read!
Could that mean other advancements such as medical (encouraging even more longevity), spiritual (beyond mere servitude), scientific, mystical (magic), martial, fashion, artistic, social, commerce, economic, and the like? Would they start having monogamous marriages to encourage population control and a kind of loyalty akin to love? It is possible that the introduction of a tolerance for deviance from the old ways would push advancement even further. If they are no longer completely subterranean, their skin color could change over generations.
All of this because they live longer and shifted to good. Evil cultures with short lifespans are primitive for a reason.
Yet, many aspects of common Kobold culture is often considered humorous to outsiders. (Not always, but often.) If it were me (and it's not), I would keep a lot of humo(u)r in the new culture. Modern civilization from the medieval ages took anywhere from 1500 years to 500 years to develop depending on who you ask. There will be some drastic changes due to the alignment shift, but there will also be some (or many) familiar aspects within those changes assuming that the good Kobold society hasn't existed for a millennium already.
If this is a new development for the Kobolds, though, it would be a lot of the subservient "Old Ways" with a different flavor away from the cruel toward good intentions.
In addition, the likeliness of racism against Kolbolds might keep them a bit on the xenophobic side. Stumbling into a Kobold harvest festival might be met with just as much hostility as stumbling into an evil Kobold rite of ascendance, encouraging a similar response by the intruders as if the good Kobolds were no different than the rest. A perceptive person might notice something different worth exploring, but otherwise, all Kobolds seem the same.
The possibilities are endless. I would say, "Go nuts."
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Given their warlike nature, I would consider how they would spend their leisure time and I think it could be a great theme to have their version of a Coliseum with gladiators. With that idea as a big part of their culture you could identify several support industries that would be needed to support their "games." You would also have a reason for the Kobolds to have a great variety of captured wildlife for the games. Building on that idea, you could have something like a zoo where these exotic animals are on display to generate revenue when the animals are not fighting in the games. This would also tie in with their martial nature, so most of the combatants would be Kobolds trying to achieve fame for themselves. There would also be a few adventurer class captives although they would probably not be the larger varieties; elves, halflings, gnomes, drow, dwarves, … Beyond these you would still have artists and craftsmen, but they may not be held in high esteem in a warrior culture; they may come from the lower classes. Farming, water, sewers, religion and other essentials may have an unusual flair in this culture, but they should be visible to "tourists."
Remember though that the society of kobolds is always directly influenced by their leadership. If this is ruled by a silver dragon, it would be heavily influenced by that dragon's personality. If that dragon was a wizard who valued and studied magic, many of the kobolds would become sorcerers and other arcane casters to emulate the dragon. If the dragon was a reader, the society would collect every book thy could find simply to be like their god. Kobolds worship dragons, and want to be like them. So first I would decide what the dragon's personality is as that's going to determine the main direction the kobolds would go.
I loved this idea about the dragon, i have never thought of a kobold society serving a good dragon. Kobolds who serve a Silver Dragon for example would be very welcoming of others races and it would make a very interesting roleplay
I'd argue the Kobolds might be slightly more welcoming, but they'd also be absurdly jealous of their leader and might throw fits of pique if they feel the Silver Dragon might favour the adventurers more than themselves. Players should be aware that talking shizzle about the Dragon, the Kobold, the 'town' or anything is only going to aggravate the situation. Kobolds are paranoid and petty for a reason, and a great change in leadership like that of a Silver Dragon over a Chromatic Dragon or just a powerful Dragon-Bloodline Sorcerer Kobold is going to have a butterfly effect on both the Kobolds' minds and their view of their place in the world for generations to come.
Also, a Kobold Colony might enjoy the attentions and 'affections' of a Silver Dragon, but at best, unless the Dragon has been at this for some time, their Alignments are going to be Lawful Neutral for the majority, with only a rare few Lawful Good and a larger, but still a minority, group of Lawful Evil types who feel their people are being led astray by the Silver Dragon's agenda.
On the other hand, given that Silver Dragons are rare amongst True Dragons in that they lair communally or at least live in loose family units within range of each other, a Kobold Lair might occupy a mountain and be home to multiple Silver Dragons, and we have the beginning of a true Kobold Society where thousands of years will pass in relative safety and enlightenment for the Kobolds due to the longevity of the Silver Dragons and the protection multiple adult Silver Dragons can provide when the Kobolds are providing food and treasure to satiate those appetites and the treasure-hoarding instincts, and the Silver Dragons in turn pass on the knowledge from their libraries, their allies amongst the other races and possibly traces of their own blood and draconic essence to make Half-Silver Dragon Kobolds and Kobold Sorcerers with Silver Dragon Bloodlines, we could see a Lawful Neutral/Good society of Kobolds that can and will trade with other races while retaining their intense rivalry with Gnomes and dislike of 'tall' races, but channelling those aggressions into nonlethal pursuits or mercantile 'conflicts'.
It would certainly be amazing to encounter, and the challenges you face may have more to do with convincing the nearby Human, Elven and Dwarven nations/communities/busybodies to sod off and leave the Kobolds alone, convincing them that, yes, the Silver Dragon(s) are doing this of their own volition, no they aren't building an army to take over the lands, yes the Kobolds are open to trade agreements, no you won't help them kill the 'corrupted' Dragon so Baron McDwarvenBigot of the McDwarvenBigot Clan or Lord SnootyHumanBastige can sleep well at night knowing the uppity little reptiles aren't more worthy of a Silver Dragon's attention than themselves.
Idk about how they would act in their leisure time, but i feel like you could definitely have the kobold city built into the walls of a canyon(so its both underground and accessible to adventurers). Scaffolding along the cliff face linking together their numerous ant colony like passages and tunnels dug into the cliffs. Have the city somewhat revolving around the mining of precious metals and gems to offer to their dragon leader. Have the guards specialized in animal handling with lieutenants and captains having riding lizards to travel quickly along the subterranean tunnels of their city. Create a set of laws that makes sense in a kobold society, and just expand from that into a hierarchy that centers around the dragon's chosen speakers leading the tribe without the micromanagement of the dragon.
I haven’t read all the previous comments. I just wanted to recommend a product that includes a lot of options for kobolds, including some ideas for their social structure: Nord Games Ultimate Bestiary: Revenge of the Horde.
Its not DDB product, and I would recommend that you check out a review to see that it fits your intended game, but me, a random internet person, recommends it based on your question!
Honestly since kobolds can live upto 120 years, but usually fail to do so because of their tendency towards violence and stupidity have this be a fifth or sixth generation of kobolds with the wisdom of elders passed on. They could possibly have a completely different culture to anything previously seen in kobold history. Kobolds genetically have instincts to dig and like shinies (More so gold and gems than your average kobolds because a dragon has to eat like 130k gold to get into winged lizard heaven).
I'm not certain, but since all 3.5 books are out of print I think they are public domain now, and WotC isn't enforcing any copyright on them. As such the books can easily be found online for free, with a simple google search. But I am not positive about that, if someone knows otherwise please let me know. As such yes check out the 3.5 Races of the Dragon book, it does have some great info on kobolds and kobold culture. Take the Draconomicon books from the various editions and use them for understanding the dragon that would be influencing them and extrapolate from there.
The 3.5e Race of Dragons lore for Kobolds kinda flies out the window if 5e Kobolds serve a Good Dragon. While they'll likely always be familial, they'll be familial with different intents and methods if they adopt the Good alignment into their society. The longer it lasts, the more unfamiliar their culture will become compared to Evil-aligned Kobolds. It's a branch of Kobold culture that really isn't explored much. So for that, I still stand by "Go nuts." and have fun with it. To the unwary, a Kobold might seem like a Kobold, but to the perceptive and educated, that branch of Kobolds might give them pause before taking Initiative.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
The 3.5e Race of Dragons lore for Kobolds kinda flies out the window if 5e Kobolds serve a Good Dragon. While they'll likely always be familial, they'll be familial with different intents and methods if they adopt the Good alignment into their society. The longer it lasts, the more unfamiliar their culture will become compared to Evil-aligned Kobolds. It's a branch of Kobold culture that really isn't explored much. So for that, I still stand by "Go nuts." and have fun with it. To the unwary, a Kobold might seem like a Kobold, but to the perceptive and educated, that branch of Kobolds might give them pause before taking Initiative.
Yes, but it's good for knowing where the kobolds start from and taking the logical steps from there. Deciding how far along the culture is. It could be funny if they are only a generation or two along and are still dealing with some of their bad habits. The dragon's frustrations at their misbehavior would be funny, and entertaining. Their attempts at legal proceedings but misunderstanding what that entails would be a hilarious encounter, a mock trial where the PC's are "defending" their "crime" against a kobold judicial system, and the completely confusing legal system they have to figure out, only to find it impossible and have to be saved at the last second by the dragon at the last second... An encounter that could be epic. Especially if you make it seem like they have the opportunity to succeed. (just keep making them make checks until they fail some and have it be a critical one. ) Remember that the system doesn't make sense, and they won't understand the rules anyway, so they should have no advantage on any roles, and disadvantage on most.
I adore the idea of kobolds serving a silver dragonnnn! Having them be social, friendly little creatures makes me just want to hug one. When my PC's are lower levels, I always feel terrible having them kill kobolds. In fact, my latest PC straight up refused. They're just too cute. Anyway.
The fact that a group of kobolds is called a warren (like rabbits!), and their dens really resemble anthills to me gives me clues about what I feel like society might be like for them if they DIDN'T have to fight for their lives every day. I feel like they'd be great architects. Since silver dragons live in mountain caves, the kobolds that find themselves around there would probably build into that rather than try to build structures on the mountain itself, but maybe they'll put some more detail in their rock walls, or do cave paintings, or embed their little treasure hoards in patterns on the stone. Being that they are natural born followers, a civilized culture would probably develop quickly, and I bet they would most likely behave just like little baby silver dragons. The silver dragons I'm sure would be delighted by this, and probably feel like they're doing a great service to kobold-kind just by being around. Heck, after a few generations, the kobolds would probably abandon Kurtulmak altogether in favor of Bahamut, and help the silver dragons defend their lairs when they go off adventuring.
I could go on forever. That encounter would be adorable and I'd remember it forever. I hope you all have so much fun! Maybe come back and tell us how it went?
I've been thinking about this somewhat, not from the perspective of a kobold city but from having a kobold presence inside (underneath) a large town or city populated by another race. One thought was having said town or city create a pact with a clan of kobolds where they maintain a main sewer system and are allowed to build around it and thus generally protected by the city above them (although this might create an issue with sinkholes). What I really want to do (especially as a player) is have a group inadvertently become the chiefs of a clan of kobolds and now they have to deal with a whole bunch of diminutive little gremlins that are both helpful and a complete nuisance.
Either way I personally like to shy away from the straight Good or Evil for most creatures. I see no reason why kobolds could be either murderous little monsters or goofy but generally helpful depending on the context.
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In my next setting, I plan on making a city built by kobolds and ruled over by a good-aligned dragon (probably silver), but I am having trouble thinking of how a city populated mainly by kobolds would be. I'd obviously want it to be a fair bit different from something like Waterdeep, but what sort of culture would kobolds have? Volo provides a few pointers, but it's mainly clan structure and society, not really anything about what kobolds would do when they don't have to work.
Any ideas? What sort of society would kobolds build when they don't have to dedicate everything to servitude and survival?
Well I still think it would be a subterranean culture... even if the streets or whatever are on land, any actual buildings would have several floors doing downward rather than building upward. I think that gold and other currency wouldn't have direct correlation... they'd probably deal more in trade of goods than in money (although coins would be valued mostly for their luster, so a well-polished silver piece would have more value than a tarnished gold piece). Everything would definitely be built to Kobold proportions, so even for other small races hallways or doors might be uncomfortably small, since Kobolds would be comfortable with simply crawling through them. I'm not sure what Kobolds would do in their leisure time, since a lot of that is up to the interpretation. A brief look at Kobold lore shows that they're worshippers Kurtulmak, the god of war and mining, so while they wouldn't value precious metals in the same way as other races, they would still have a healthy mining culture. They're avid developers of clever traps, so if they were given the security of a peaceful, well-guarded society some of them might actually take that same creativity and apply it to tinkering. They would probably have a lot of little clever inventions in their society... nothing too complex, but clever uses of simple machines to make their lives easier.
I think what I would do is have a sort of Bazaar that they use to interact with other races, under the guidance/protection of their Dragon ruler. This would be essentially a grouping of small huts used as shops, inns, etc. that the actual adventuring party could easily interact with. But each one has tunnels leading down to the main society, which is much more heavily guarded and features all the actual homes and other features of a proper society. They're also sensitive to sunlight, so the entire thing might be contained in a large cave, or the huts used for shops etc. would be designed to not let a lot of light inside.
Of course, I'm not an expert on any of this... I'm mostly basing this on a quick skim of the wikipedia page for D&D kobolds, but the nice thing about this game is that you can make up a lot on your own and as long as you keep it to your own table it's not really a problem. As long as it leads to an interesting adventure you can get away with basically anything.
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Traps would still play a great part in their society, and clans, but Kobolds don't have parents per say, being raised in creches or clutches with several keepers who tend the eggs. Once hatched (normally) kobolds tend to have to work together to survive, so they learn to rely on the group, so there is very little leisure time. In a "good" society, they probably would still need to work together to survive, so much would be the same, but trade, and barter would replace stealing and raiding, and their traps would be less lethal at least at first. Get closer to the central hive, and they would become lethal, as even good people will kill to defend their young.
Remember though that the society of kobolds is always directly influenced by their leadership. If this is ruled by a silver dragon, it would be heavily influenced by that dragon's personality. If that dragon was a wizard who valued and studied magic, many of the kobolds would become sorcerers and other arcane casters to emulate the dragon. If the dragon was a reader, the society would collect every book thy could find simply to be like their god. Kobolds worship dragons, and want to be like them. So first I would decide what the dragon's personality is as that's going to determine the main direction the kobolds would go.
Transmorpher is correct that it would be underground, as their sensitivity to sunlight would make them shy away from surface dwellings. They also tend to sleep in what is often called puppy/kitten piles, as kobolds value the protection of the group. So remember that they would go for group activities for the most part. What little leisure time they might have would be filled with team sports and group activities, though since social bonding is not really a thing in kobold nature, they wouldn't be too picky or passionate about it.
Kobolds are not strong creatures, so they need to work together to build anything, and this lack of strength means it takes longer to accomplish tasks that would require such things. This is why they lack free time. Their society has evolved to become one of great dependence on the group, and that would be the same whether good, or evil. Even in a good society though the regimented casts would probably still exist, and each kobold would still be doing the job they were best suited for, whether or not they wanted to do so.
There is one thing that a good society would have over an evil one, a higher percentage of older kobolds. Most kobolds don't live beyond twenty years, but they are capable of living for up to one hundred and twenty. They usually die from violence disease, and war, but in a good society, they would likely survive longer.
I think that they would still be a very reclusive culture, without direct commands and laws they would still be very aggressive to outsiders. If told they the could easily be cowed into firing warning shots at potential treats instead of outright aggression.
For non subterranean defences there could be towers with no above ground door. They would prefer a location like a valley or a crater to reduce the amount of time the sun is illuminating the way in but as they have settled due to their worship of a dragon this may not be something they have control over. Maybe they send parties out each night to maintain and erect tall walls to help cast shadows on otherwise lit areas to help the guards on the "Slumber Shifts" spot potential threats.
Once into the city proper the streets the local populous would "lock their doors bar the windows" as outsiders passed. Though where ever the outsiders go there is a group of guardsmen shadowing them.
They only members of this society that the PCs would interact with would be maybe those directly ordered to by the leadership of the city or the leadership itself.
Agriculture and maybe even animal husbandry would have to become a thing as no more raiding for food. The PC's pass one of the few vast open caverns to see fields of fungus being cultivated to feed the population. It could be carved out near an underground steam or lake to maximise the humidity in the area.
Those not directly involved with keeping the city running would have their daily tasks change at the drop of a hat. The dragon would mention something off the cuff like how he hasn't seen any people other than the PC's in years and the next day hundreds of crudely draw pictures are left for in in the council chambers for his desire is all. The few tailors would be swamped with orders for clothing suspiciously similar to that of the PCs.
lol! I love that last bit. An offhand comment...
Changing the alignment to good opens up a whole bunch of possibilities. As manarax1 mentioned, Kolbolds might live longer and, thereby, evolve and advance more than their evil counterparts. That alone changes things so much. They might even stop being subterranean and come out of their caves for the need of more room than caves can provide with the population growth. That growth also requires changes in their society. It could go heavily into a caste system as common in those days or, by being good-aligned, go heavy into a communal system where castes are define by job and not by political status. It could go further in their existing standard where "Might makes Right" but in an honorable manner where respect is given regardless who wins. It could be combinations of many methods of governing. When a population grows larger, some sort of organizing and autonomous self-governance becomes more necessary.
They might even be able to *gasp* read!
Could that mean other advancements such as medical (encouraging even more longevity), spiritual (beyond mere servitude), scientific, mystical (magic), martial, fashion, artistic, social, commerce, economic, and the like? Would they start having monogamous marriages to encourage population control and a kind of loyalty akin to love? It is possible that the introduction of a tolerance for deviance from the old ways would push advancement even further. If they are no longer completely subterranean, their skin color could change over generations.
All of this because they live longer and shifted to good. Evil cultures with short lifespans are primitive for a reason.
Yet, many aspects of common Kobold culture is often considered humorous to outsiders. (Not always, but often.) If it were me (and it's not), I would keep a lot of humo(u)r in the new culture. Modern civilization from the medieval ages took anywhere from 1500 years to 500 years to develop depending on who you ask. There will be some drastic changes due to the alignment shift, but there will also be some (or many) familiar aspects within those changes assuming that the good Kobold society hasn't existed for a millennium already.
If this is a new development for the Kobolds, though, it would be a lot of the subservient "Old Ways" with a different flavor away from the cruel toward good intentions.
In addition, the likeliness of racism against Kolbolds might keep them a bit on the xenophobic side. Stumbling into a Kobold harvest festival might be met with just as much hostility as stumbling into an evil Kobold rite of ascendance, encouraging a similar response by the intruders as if the good Kobolds were no different than the rest. A perceptive person might notice something different worth exploring, but otherwise, all Kobolds seem the same.
The possibilities are endless. I would say, "Go nuts."
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
Didn't see this mentioned but definitely check out Volo's Guide To Monsters, it has a decent part on Kobolds, Kobold society and dens/lairs.
Given their warlike nature, I would consider how they would spend their leisure time and I think it could be a great theme to have their version of a Coliseum with gladiators. With that idea as a big part of their culture you could identify several support industries that would be needed to support their "games." You would also have a reason for the Kobolds to have a great variety of captured wildlife for the games. Building on that idea, you could have something like a zoo where these exotic animals are on display to generate revenue when the animals are not fighting in the games. This would also tie in with their martial nature, so most of the combatants would be Kobolds trying to achieve fame for themselves. There would also be a few adventurer class captives although they would probably not be the larger varieties; elves, halflings, gnomes, drow, dwarves, … Beyond these you would still have artists and craftsmen, but they may not be held in high esteem in a warrior culture; they may come from the lower classes. Farming, water, sewers, religion and other essentials may have an unusual flair in this culture, but they should be visible to "tourists."
Good luck.
I loved this idea about the dragon, i have never thought of a kobold society serving a good dragon. Kobolds who serve a Silver Dragon for example would be very welcoming of others races and it would make a very interesting roleplay
I'd argue the Kobolds might be slightly more welcoming, but they'd also be absurdly jealous of their leader and might throw fits of pique if they feel the Silver Dragon might favour the adventurers more than themselves. Players should be aware that talking shizzle about the Dragon, the Kobold, the 'town' or anything is only going to aggravate the situation. Kobolds are paranoid and petty for a reason, and a great change in leadership like that of a Silver Dragon over a Chromatic Dragon or just a powerful Dragon-Bloodline Sorcerer Kobold is going to have a butterfly effect on both the Kobolds' minds and their view of their place in the world for generations to come.
Also, a Kobold Colony might enjoy the attentions and 'affections' of a Silver Dragon, but at best, unless the Dragon has been at this for some time, their Alignments are going to be Lawful Neutral for the majority, with only a rare few Lawful Good and a larger, but still a minority, group of Lawful Evil types who feel their people are being led astray by the Silver Dragon's agenda.
On the other hand, given that Silver Dragons are rare amongst True Dragons in that they lair communally or at least live in loose family units within range of each other, a Kobold Lair might occupy a mountain and be home to multiple Silver Dragons, and we have the beginning of a true Kobold Society where thousands of years will pass in relative safety and enlightenment for the Kobolds due to the longevity of the Silver Dragons and the protection multiple adult Silver Dragons can provide when the Kobolds are providing food and treasure to satiate those appetites and the treasure-hoarding instincts, and the Silver Dragons in turn pass on the knowledge from their libraries, their allies amongst the other races and possibly traces of their own blood and draconic essence to make Half-Silver Dragon Kobolds and Kobold Sorcerers with Silver Dragon Bloodlines, we could see a Lawful Neutral/Good society of Kobolds that can and will trade with other races while retaining their intense rivalry with Gnomes and dislike of 'tall' races, but channelling those aggressions into nonlethal pursuits or mercantile 'conflicts'.
It would certainly be amazing to encounter, and the challenges you face may have more to do with convincing the nearby Human, Elven and Dwarven nations/communities/busybodies to sod off and leave the Kobolds alone, convincing them that, yes, the Silver Dragon(s) are doing this of their own volition, no they aren't building an army to take over the lands, yes the Kobolds are open to trade agreements, no you won't help them kill the 'corrupted' Dragon so Baron McDwarvenBigot of the McDwarvenBigot Clan or Lord SnootyHumanBastige can sleep well at night knowing the uppity little reptiles aren't more worthy of a Silver Dragon's attention than themselves.
Idk about how they would act in their leisure time, but i feel like you could definitely have the kobold city built into the walls of a canyon(so its both underground and accessible to adventurers). Scaffolding along the cliff face linking together their numerous ant colony like passages and tunnels dug into the cliffs. Have the city somewhat revolving around the mining of precious metals and gems to offer to their dragon leader. Have the guards specialized in animal handling with lieutenants and captains having riding lizards to travel quickly along the subterranean tunnels of their city. Create a set of laws that makes sense in a kobold society, and just expand from that into a hierarchy that centers around the dragon's chosen speakers leading the tribe without the micromanagement of the dragon.
I haven’t read all the previous comments. I just wanted to recommend a product that includes a lot of options for kobolds, including some ideas for their social structure: Nord Games Ultimate Bestiary: Revenge of the Horde.
Its not DDB product, and I would recommend that you check out a review to see that it fits your intended game, but me, a random internet person, recommends it based on your question!
Honestly since kobolds can live upto 120 years, but usually fail to do so because of their tendency towards violence and stupidity have this be a fifth or sixth generation of kobolds with the wisdom of elders passed on. They could possibly have a completely different culture to anything previously seen in kobold history. Kobolds genetically have instincts to dig and like shinies (More so gold and gems than your average kobolds because a dragon has to eat like 130k gold to get into winged lizard heaven).
Bit of a late response, but check out 3.5's Races of the Dragon for a good take on Kobolds, if you can find it.
I'm not certain, but since all 3.5 books are out of print I think they are public domain now, and WotC isn't enforcing any copyright on them. As such the books can easily be found online for free, with a simple google search. But I am not positive about that, if someone knows otherwise please let me know. As such yes check out the 3.5 Races of the Dragon book, it does have some great info on kobolds and kobold culture. Take the Draconomicon books from the various editions and use them for understanding the dragon that would be influencing them and extrapolate from there.
The 3.5e Race of Dragons lore for Kobolds kinda flies out the window if 5e Kobolds serve a Good Dragon. While they'll likely always be familial, they'll be familial with different intents and methods if they adopt the Good alignment into their society. The longer it lasts, the more unfamiliar their culture will become compared to Evil-aligned Kobolds. It's a branch of Kobold culture that really isn't explored much. So for that, I still stand by "Go nuts." and have fun with it. To the unwary, a Kobold might seem like a Kobold, but to the perceptive and educated, that branch of Kobolds might give them pause before taking Initiative.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I recommend reading Ren of Atikala and the rest of the Kobolds series.
Yes, but it's good for knowing where the kobolds start from and taking the logical steps from there. Deciding how far along the culture is. It could be funny if they are only a generation or two along and are still dealing with some of their bad habits. The dragon's frustrations at their misbehavior would be funny, and entertaining. Their attempts at legal proceedings but misunderstanding what that entails would be a hilarious encounter, a mock trial where the PC's are "defending" their "crime" against a kobold judicial system, and the completely confusing legal system they have to figure out, only to find it impossible and have to be saved at the last second by the dragon at the last second... An encounter that could be epic. Especially if you make it seem like they have the opportunity to succeed. (just keep making them make checks until they fail some and have it be a critical one. ) Remember that the system doesn't make sense, and they won't understand the rules anyway, so they should have no advantage on any roles, and disadvantage on most.
I adore the idea of kobolds serving a silver dragonnnn! Having them be social, friendly little creatures makes me just want to hug one. When my PC's are lower levels, I always feel terrible having them kill kobolds. In fact, my latest PC straight up refused. They're just too cute. Anyway.
The fact that a group of kobolds is called a warren (like rabbits!), and their dens really resemble anthills to me gives me clues about what I feel like society might be like for them if they DIDN'T have to fight for their lives every day. I feel like they'd be great architects. Since silver dragons live in mountain caves, the kobolds that find themselves around there would probably build into that rather than try to build structures on the mountain itself, but maybe they'll put some more detail in their rock walls, or do cave paintings, or embed their little treasure hoards in patterns on the stone. Being that they are natural born followers, a civilized culture would probably develop quickly, and I bet they would most likely behave just like little baby silver dragons. The silver dragons I'm sure would be delighted by this, and probably feel like they're doing a great service to kobold-kind just by being around. Heck, after a few generations, the kobolds would probably abandon Kurtulmak altogether in favor of Bahamut, and help the silver dragons defend their lairs when they go off adventuring.
I could go on forever. That encounter would be adorable and I'd remember it forever. I hope you all have so much fun! Maybe come back and tell us how it went?
I've been thinking about this somewhat, not from the perspective of a kobold city but from having a kobold presence inside (underneath) a large town or city populated by another race. One thought was having said town or city create a pact with a clan of kobolds where they maintain a main sewer system and are allowed to build around it and thus generally protected by the city above them (although this might create an issue with sinkholes). What I really want to do (especially as a player) is have a group inadvertently become the chiefs of a clan of kobolds and now they have to deal with a whole bunch of diminutive little gremlins that are both helpful and a complete nuisance.
Either way I personally like to shy away from the straight Good or Evil for most creatures. I see no reason why kobolds could be either murderous little monsters or goofy but generally helpful depending on the context.