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{{flavour|Kobolds are small, mysterious creatures of unknown origin. They are well suited to lurking in the darkness of the Dungeon, and have a reduced range of vision which also reduces the range at which they can be seen by enemies.

They are competent in combat, especially with short blades, maces or crossbows, and are comfortable with all forms of magic. They are also very adept at using magical devices. Their small size makes them unable to wield large weapons, but they are agile and stealthy, and advance in levels as quickly as Humans.}}

==Innate Abilities==
*'''[[Nightstalker]] 3''': Kobolds' [[line of sight]] is reduced by 3, to a range of 4 squares. Their [[stealth]] is also increased by +150.
*Kobolds are '''[[Size#Player Sizes|small]]''' creatures. They get a bonus to [[EV]], but have trouble with many items.
**They are unable to wield many two-[[hand]]ed weapons: [[great sword]]s, [[triple sword]]s, [[dire flail]]s, [[great mace]]s, [[battleaxe]]s, [[executioner's axe]]s, [[halberd]]s, [[scythe]]s, [[glaive]]s, [[bardiche]]s, [[longbow]]s, [[javelin]]s, and anything medium-sized species can't wield.
**Large one-handed weapons: [[double sword]]s, [[trident]]s, [[demon trident]]s, and [[broad axe]]s, are two-handed weapons to them.
**They are also incapable of wearing [[tower shield]]s.

Kobolds have a base [[Strength]] of 5, [[Intelligence]] of 9 and [[Dexterity]] of 10 (before Background modifiers).

==Preferred Backgrounds==
*'''Warriors:''' [[Brigand]]
*'''Zealots:''' [[Berserker]]
*'''Warrior-mages:''' [[Hexslinger]], [[Enchanter]]
*'''Mages:''' [[Conjurer]], [[Earth Elementalist]]

==Level Bonuses==
*+1 to a random [[stat]] every 5th level.
*20% less [[HP]] than average.
*Average [[MP]].
*+3 [[willpower]] per level.

==Starting Skills and Equipment==
Kobolds receive the skills and equipment listed for their background, with the following exceptions:
* [[Javelin]]s are replaced with [[boomerang]]s.

==Difficulty of Play==
{{Moderate}}

Kobolds' reduced LOS is often a good thing - monsters cannot see or attack until they are in ''your'' LOS. This makes sneaking and [[stabbing]] easier, while limiting the range of enemies. It also limits your range, too.

Other than that, Kobolds are a straightforward race, with generally good aptitudes, fast leveling, and an EV bonus from size. As a low HP species, though, they are somewhat more difficult than average.

{{species_aptitudes|Kobold}}

==Strategy==
===Builds===
Kobolds' tiny [[line of sight]] lends itself well to a few builds:
*[[Wu Jian]] / [[Rampaging]] + [[Stab]]ber: Wu Jian's Lunge or Rampaging will allow you stab from 2 tiles away; for Kobolds, this is 40% of the screen. A [[scarf]] of [[shadows]] turns this into half the screen.
*[[Necromancy]]: It is easy to fill all visible tiles with undead allies, severely limiting the number of enemies that can appear simultaneously on-screen. [[Kikubaaqudgha]] makes it even easier.
*[[Ranged Weapons]]: Even with reduced sight, their Ranged Weapons skill is quite impressive. A range of 4 is still fairly decent, and ranged weapons are their best "heavy" weapon aptitude.

Of course, you aren't limited to these builds - a Kobold can do archetypal builds in both melee and magic just fine, though with a preference towards lighter armour.

==Trivia==
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobold Kobolds] were originally creatures from Germanic mythology, but they are well known to gamers due to appearing as low-level monsters in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and as creatures in ''Nethack''.

==History==
*Prior to [[0.33]], [[magical staff|magical staves]] were two-handed for Kobolds.
*Prior to [[0.30]], Kobolds, as a small species, were more encumbered by [[shield]]s, but received slightly more SH from [[kite shield]]s.
*Prior to [[0.29]], Kobolds had +2 [[Crossbows]], and weaker aptitudes in other ranged weapons, rather than +3 Ranged Weapons.
*Prior to [[0.27]], Kobold [[Fighter]]s started with a [[kite shield]] instead of a [[buckler]].
*Prior to the removal of the [[food]] system in [[0.26]], kobolds were [[carnivorous]], but did not have the [[Nightstalker]] mutation.
*Prior to [[0.21]] and the merging of [[ration]]s, the carnivorous mutation had three levels.
*Kobolds' aptitudes were rebalanced in [[0.19]]. Prior to this change: [[Axes]] was -1, [[Maces & Flails]] was 0, [[Throwing]] was +3, [[Slings]] was +2, [[Bows]] was -1, [[Spellcasting]] was -1, [[Conjurations]] was -1, and [[Transmutations]] was -1, and [[Evocations]] was +3. Kobold base stats were also changed.
*Prior to [[0.15]], kobolds had 2 ranks of [[Saprovore]] and would recover from [[sickness]] faster than normal.

{{species}}

[[Category:Kobold]]

Kobold - Revision history

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