How do you like your kobolds?

[mockingbyrd7]

I thought I'd start up a refreshing debate on these forums that actually had nothing to do with how to destroy the world in thirty seconds with criteria X and books Y/Z, or topics like that.

Over the years, the vision of "kobolds" has been disputed and twisted and changed a lot.

When I was younger, my first experience with kobolds was Baldur's Gate and 1st edition DnD. I saw them as scaly canine people, roughly resembling yellowish dogs.

Then I was introduced to WoW kobolds: Stocky rat people with candles on their heads, to be killed by 3rd level human characters.

But a concept that was previously unbeknownst to me was that of reptilian and draconic kobolds. I never quite got used to this theory, but I still find it interesting.

What is everyone else's opinions? How do you like your kobolds: canine, reptilian, vermin, draconic, or something completely different?

[Divine Storm]

I like my kobolds like I like my women.

Small.

And scaley.

And smelly.

Ya know what? Nevermind.

[Dark Tira]

I like my kobolds to be giant kitty cats, though I suppose canine versions are also preferable to the other types.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I prefer my kobolds to be small household spirits that give good luck.

Stupid fantasy games re-appropriating words with no respect.

[Mojo_Rat]

I like the first edition appearance of Kobolds the best. However the new Kobolds they introduced for 3rd edition with their dreams of dragon relations were an okay Idea.

However sadly They decided to remove i from the realm of myth and outright said so which i think ruined them. Also people playing good kobolds or insisting they should be core bugs me a bit.

So say for Scaley rat-dog men of first edition!

[RandomNPC]

canine, with no draconic heritage at all.

that thing about the kobold god being born of Tiamats egg to help defend the other eggs? lies. the dragons just found the kobolds are to hard to kill and thus made lies so kobolds seem like dragon offspring or something.

furry, yipping, trap making, scorpion tied to a stick wielding, nutjobs. honestly, how many sane humanoids (monsterous or not) wield a scorpion tied to a stick?

[Pronounceable]

Kobolds are, and always will be canine. I abhor the idea of a reptilian kobold, there's already a huge range of reptilian beasts and monsters out there. Along with all sorts of insensibly sized vermin and stupidly pathetic aberrations, not to mention scores of needless outsiders.

We need more mammals.

[Xefas]

I like my kobolds like I like my women.

Small.

And scaley.

And smelly.

Ya know what? Nevermind.

I like my kobolds like I like my women.

Short

Adorable

And in Large Numbers

[Dragor]

I like them Well Done. Now chop chop, I'm starving.

[d12]

I like my kobolds dead. You hear me? DEAD!!

Um, I started playing in 3.5, so I'm used to the reptilian variety, but don't much mind dog-like versions. Maybe if they reverted then that would also do away with that ridiculous related-to-dragons junk. And feeding that kind of nonsense was probably one of the worst things WoTC has done as far as I'm concerned. Keeping it as some kind of racial mass delusion may have been tolerable in kind of a Danny Devito/Arnold Schwartzenegger way. Kobolds exist so that mooks can have someone to beat up so they can work their way up to beating up cool things. And the idea of temples breeding kobolds in their sub-basements to serve as leveling fodder for the novitates is golden.

[DLoFunk]

I like my Kobolds like I like my women.

On the end of my sword.

[Lord_Asmodeus]

I like the 3.5 version of Kobolds, and though I too had my first kobold sighting in Baldurs Gate (II) I still prefer the Draconic guys, i mean before Kobolds were just furry annoying dog-freaks that seemed to exist for nothing more than lowbies to hack to bits before they move on to crap like orcs and ogres and yadda yadda, in 3.5 they actually have character, they actually have a history, they actually DO THINGS. So yea, 3.5 Kobold all the way.

[Serenity]

They still look like reptilian dogs to me, so I don't see any distinction between BG kobolds and 3.X kobolds.

[kjones]

I like my kobolds like I likes my women: Crafty, tenacious, and with racial bonuses to trapmaking.

[SilverClawShift]

I'm a fan of the dragon-wanna-be style kobolds. It also lends itself to multiple colors of kobolds, which is an intriguing idea for a variety of reasons.

That said, technically reptillian or not, they do still act like insane chihuahuas. Rat-chihuahua-lizard-monsters who are incredibly nervous and like to attack in swarms after the targets have been softened up with traps that only kobolds could think of.

That's how I like em.

Actually, they'd be well served by being abberations. Chattering lunatics who seem to be dragon-iquana-rat-poodles with sticks.

[Draz74]

I prefer my kobolds to be small household spirits that give good luck.

Stupid fantasy games re-appropriating words with no respect.

I thought "kobold" originally meant an evil spirit found in German mines ... not a good-luck household spirit like some other words. After all, it's the same root word as the metal "cobalt," which has that name because it came from the same mines that were rumored to be haunted by kobolds.

[Ralfarius]

I'm going to go with the "stomped to death under my size-13." route.

[Raistlin1040]

Is on fire an option? No? Darn. I like my kobolds green and vaguly draconic.

[Yeril]

I always loved the Lizard/Dragon kobolds idea.

The little cute goblin-like dragonworshiping underdog who just have a smidgen more of taimat than anyone else.

[Snadgeros]

I....I don't understand the question. How do I like my kobolds? People....like kobolds? Because I sure as hell don't. Honestly, all they're good for is combat fodder when goblins are too tough. As a player race? Forget it, they're awful.

[Reinboom]

My first encounter with kobolds wasn't in 2E, but rather, an online game.



Isn't it cute?

That said, I'm torn. I like both this adorable cute one, and the scaly dragon-esque ones.

[lord_khaine]

within melee range..

[mockingbyrd7]

I like my Kobolds like I like my women.

On the end of my sword.

Ah, I see we have a gentleman in the house! A true ladies' man!

See, now, I like my kobolds grilled to perfection and sprinkled with paprika.

[AmberVael]

I personally like the 3.5 version, but I'll never forget the first encounter I had with a "kobold."

Wow.
Well, suffice to say, it was based off of the old mine haunting spirit. I knew a wee bit about kobolds from other sources, so when I played Betrayal at Krondor and heard someone say they needed a kobold destroyed I was like "heh, piece of cake" and went off with my fighter and his awesome sword and mage full of spells to try and kill it.
...well, it turned out the "kobold" was a giant monster made out of rock, somewhat similar to an earth elemental, except with ten times the devastating power. It crushed my fighter to the ground in one hit and then moved up to my mage and I sat there going "oh crap oh crap oh crap I'm gonna die" and then, quite promptly, I DID die.

I brought back my characters from the last save and tried five more times. Died every time.

So yeah, that's the most interesting kobold I've found.

[Darkxarth]

I came into D&D during 3.0, so my first Kobolds were scaly mini-lizardmen.
Then WotC made them mini-dragonmen.
Then I found out they had been ratmen.

I have an extreme dislike of the new approach to Kobolds as mini-dragonmen.
I don't mind the mini-lizardmen angle.
I would much prefer my Kobolds to be more like ratmen.

[Tekren]

(Started playing in 2.0)

I like the newer 'blood of dragons' kobolds.

It really gives a sense of these tiny, pathetic creatures striving to improve themselves through the worship of Tiamat, the baddest Dragon of all.

They are cunning and scaly, like dragons, why not let them dream?

Everyone should have dreams to aspire to, even wussy-ass kobolds.

[Xefas]

I came into D&D during 3.0, so my first Kobolds were scaly mini-lizardmen.
Then WotC made them mini-dragonmen.
Then I found out they had been ratmen.

I have an extreme dislike of the new approach to Kobolds as mini-dragonmen.
I don't mind the mini-lizardmen angle.
I would much prefer my Kobolds to be more like ratmen.

Actually, I've been pairing up kobolds into the lizard family in my current campaign; something like goblins, who they feud with.

Goblin => Hobgoblin => Bugbear => Ogre => Giants

Kobold => Troglodyte => Lizardfolk => Blackscale Lizardfolk => Dragons

I know it ignores all those creatures' fluff for the most part, but so far its been pretty awesome. Obviously the scaly ones are color coded to dragon types, and the fleshy ones are color coded to giant types.

I figured it made sense for the Dragons and Giants not to like each other, since they're both really big and powerful, and share the same territory.

[Cruxador]

while your model (Xefas) doesn't make much sense on a really basic level, I find myself liking it anyway.
That said, I like my kobolds like yellowish reptilian chihuahuas that see themselves as the true servants of Tiamat, and dragons as her all-too-mortal "Angels". that last bit's not wotc, it's just a cool idea from a campaign I was in. It was a lot better in the campaign than it looks written down, but a lot of things are.

[Xefas]

while your model (Xefas) doesn't make much sense on a really basic level, I find myself liking it anyway.

Those are my feelings on it as well.

[VeisuItaTyhjyys]

I like my kobolds like I like my women.

Dead.

EDIT: Someone beat me to the joke, but mine is more ****ed up, so I'm keeping it.