Wyrmhold Kobold

The kobolds of Wyrmhold, a dwarven stronghold seized by a dragon overlord who now shields them, live far better than common kobolds. They know its halls intimately, reuse the weapons and traps the dwarves left, and restock by raiding nearby towns.

Knowing a straight fight means death, they lure invaders into prepared killing grounds and pelt them with burning oil, deadfalls and poisoned arrows. Favorite tricks include: a witch doctor's web followed by massed arrows and spear jabs; herding foes into a pit or a sunken dead end and filling it with stinking cloud; heat metal on a fighter's armor while everyone else shoots; silence, 15' radius on enemy casters; and charms or hold person to take over party members. Pinning nets and ropes are popular too.

When they must close in, they ambush first and then swarm, trying to overbear rather than trade blows. Up to 10 kobolds can pile onto one human-sized foe, or six onto a dwarf, gnome or halfling. For their overbearing attempts, ignore the base AC of worn armor: start from AC 10 and apply only magical protection (armor enchantment, rings, bracers) and the target's Dexterity adjustment.

Example: a human fighter in plate mail +2 with Dexterity 16 is normally AC -1, but against the swarm he is AC 6 (10, minus 2 for the armor's magic, minus 2 for Dexterity). Ten kobolds attacking him need a 9: THAC0 20 against AC 6 is 14, the size difference adds a -4 penalty for 18, and the other nine kobolds give +9. Once he is down, more kobolds must come to bind him or strip his armor and magic; until then, the original 10 must keep winning overbearing checks each round to hold him.

Mountain society is deeply supernatural, with power passing from chief to witch doctors and shamans. Shamans, primitive priests focused on their clan and their own standing, reach 5th level and pray for spells from the spheres of Healing, Combat, Charm, All, Guardian, Divination, Elemental, Necromantic, Wards, Protection, War and Summoning, plus reversed Sun. They punish, divine and aid the clan, and hunt, spy and fight, yet seldom adventure; they may even oust a failing chief.

Rarer witch doctors add a few wizard spells from one school (they are not specialists), need spellbooks, may use any wizard item and cap at 4th level. They advise chiefs, keep lore, add punch in battle and parley with rival clans' witch doctors, with or instead of the chief, but never wander alone. Rival clans have sent assassins to kill each other's spellcasters to break morale, so a shaman or witch doctor usually travels with at least six, and often 10, guards. Both kinds can cast spells of no more than half their level, rounded up: a 4th-level witch doctor reaches 2nd-level spells, a 5th-level shaman 3rd-level ones.

Their society is as stratified as the dwarves' was. The king's power is theoretical: a council of chieftains decides policy and sends it to him to approve, and if he refuses they carry it out anyway. Stronger clans hold more sway and bend decisions in their favor, though never so far that the whole mountain suffers. Beneath the council come shamans and witch doctors, then the common folk, called under-kobolds by their betters, who toil hard yet stay fiercely loyal to leader, tribe, family and mountain, in that order. Clans feud endlessly but unite instantly against intruders, exploiting the chaos only slightly, never at the cost of the mountain.

Lightly modified dwarven stonework makes most of the mountain one vast trap, with chutes, pits and needles their specialties.

Kobolds all but run the mountain and may do as they please so long as they do not cross the dragon. Several monsters inside eat kobolds regularly, but only the careless get caught. Pairs breed normally, usually producing litters of four or five. Rather than scavenge, they live mainly on plunder from towns near the mountain, topped up with small crops and herds.