Pathfinder 2E Presents a New Take on Kobolds

Pathfinder is getting ready to explore kobolds in a totally different light. Kobolds are one of five new ancestries set to debut in the Advanced Player’s Guide, a new rulebook for Pathfinder‘s Second Edition that serves as the first major expansion for the new edition of the popular high fantasy tabletop roleplaying game. Although these new kobolds are still diminutive descendants of dragons, they’ve gotten a major redesign both in terms of their looks, attitude, and abilities, giving players tons of new options when creating their new character.

Kobolds have a long history as ingenious but cowardly creatures, a stereotype that originated in Dungeons & Dragons and persisted into Pathfinder’s original edition. The Advanced Player’s Guide does away with most of the negative stereotypes, instead presenting kobolds as “resourceful survivors” with a keen eye towards using their surroundings to their advantage along with a natural understanding of group dynamics. Pathfinder‘s kobolds also retain at least one characteristic of their draconic ancestors, which can include horns, sharp teeth, or even draconic breath or wings. A kobold’s scale color might also vary wildly, although they usually reflect the kobold’s “draconic exemplar” – the dragon from which a kobold derives its power.

When players first create a kobold character, they can choose from five different heritages, each of which provides a different base ability. For example, cavern kobolds have a natural affinity for climbing natural stone walls, while spellscale kobolds have a trace of draconic magic that manifests itself through a free cantrip. As with other ancestries, players will gain ancestry feats as they level up, giving their kobold character more abilities. At Level 1, these feats include kobold breath and snare making, and at higher levels they include everything from the ability to use an adjacent ally’s saving throw modifier as their own to adding more innate spells traditionally known by dragons.

You can check out two preview pages showing the new Pathfinder kobolds in action. The Advanced Player’s Guide will go on sale on July 30th.

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