Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Racial Options: Kobolds

As the title suggests! Kobolds are a fantastic dark-horse option for a player race. They're recognizable, expressive, and while they're considered "monsters" by a lot of the more close-minded and ignorant folk, they're on a more harmless level than most unless whipped into a fervor by a dragon or enslaved by bigger monsters-so, not worse than most humanoids!

Plus, they have a heroic and comedic legacy! Deekin from Neverwinter Nights and the myriad of options in Idle Champions come to mind.

While it might not be a core racial option, I'd love to see it as an early DLC, call it a "Volo's Guide" expansion.

Plus we know for a fact that Larian does a bang up job animating lizardfolk and making them expressive, fleshed out, dynamic characters (I am, obviously, a Red Prince main in Divinity).

+1 for any additional race, on wich world would react properly ...
+100000 for reacting properly to allready existing races first.

We do? O_o
I heared only Dragonborn head models were leaked(?).

Oh ... you mean this.
Not sure if i would call those models Lizardfolk. :-/

I’m never going to object to more choices for players, plus I loved Deekin, but similar to points made in this thread about goblin player characters, if we’re going to have kobolds then I’d like them to be done well with appropriate responses to the race from NPCs which isn’t straightforward.

Personally, I’d prefer Larian to focus on doing the PHB content really well (with extensions where there is a good story reason, or to correct problems or gaps in the PHB) before starting to even think about adding further races. Though, yes, fingers crossed there will be later DLC that will add further races, sub races, sub classes and so on after launch.

Hopefully we’ll at least get to meet some kobold NPCs at some point in the main quest, though.

Considering the only kobolds we have seen yet have just been props for Gale to blow up, I would recommand not to hold your breath. They will most likely be used for the same reason as gnolls : as moving targets.

Well, I’d be surprised if we didn’t get some kobold enemies somewhere during our Sword Coast explorations, but hopefully when we get to the melting pot of Baldur’s Gate we have the opportunity to see the odd representative of generally-considered-monstrous races in a different context. And even for kobold enemies, I’d hope they’re treated more like the goblins than the gnolls and don’t just attack on sight (unless we’re given a good story reason for this).

I am in favor of Kobolds.

I don't know, lots of these monstrous races are highly antagonistic to the common races.

Kobolds are in awe of and in thrall to evil chromatic dragons. People that have suffered dragon attacks have suffered kobolds. They're not going to be treated much better than Sazza. You'd need to do a whole heap of story-gymnastics to make it plausible.

If they clean-slated it in a new setting, sure. But for FR? nah, not really in favour.

I think Kobolds are probably more accepted than Goblins are thanks to Deekin.

If we want a normally evil species/race, we have Drow (and Duergar?).

So, the question for me is what makes a new "evil" species special. Goblins are entertaining in their strangely brutal ways. Kobolds:

-- have various despictions. Including a very lizard like one
-- are lawful evil
-- Napoleon complex

"aggressive, insular, yet industrious small humanoid creatures. They were noted for their skill at building traps and preparing ambushes, and mining."

--> interesting racial bonus?

-- excellent team players
"Among the monstrous humanoids, they were known for cunning plans, and unlike many others, would also share those plans among the entire tribe. General plans and goals would be common knowledge, and detailed plans were shared with all who asked to allow them to work fruitfully for the good of the tribe."

-- very different ideals
"Where other races considered heroes to be those who enact great feats of strength or military prowess, kobold heroes were those who showed great prowess in trap setting, torture and ambush"

-- special ability
"At some point in time, kobolds learned to domesticate dire weasels to serve them as guards and hunters. This resulted in lycanthropic kobold dire weasels. Around one in ten thousand kobolds was a natural lycanthrope in this manner."


A kobold seems to fit a ranger or rogue kind of character very well. Unlike goblins, who seem not particularly skilled?

I'm always in favor of new races. Kobolds are one of my personal favorites.

It's unfortunate this game probably won't have mounts involved because a kobold ranger mounted on its pet is a really fun build.

Seen this on facebook ...
And i just knew i have to share it here:

Goblins and Kobolds are far more loved than alot of people realize.

Most likely they won't include dragonborn so why do you think they would add kobolds?

Actually they said all base Races will be in, Dragonborn are a Base game race.

Not to my knowledge. They said they want (not promised, wanting) all base classes to be in. They never said anything about races, that just often gets assumed/misinterpreted.

It's depressing that a lot of the racial options are locked because of in-universe fantasy racism. Honestly kind of makes me want to skip the game entirely if they maintain that angle, especially with a lot of more modern D&D products moving past it because... make believe racism is really shitty to experience, too.

...honestly if the choice was being stuck with just the demihuman races from the PHB like fifteen goddamn flavors of elves, humans, and three short humans, I'd want to burn the whole setting down too.

Hyperbolic I know, but for gods' sake I'm tired of being the exact same Tolkien rehashes again and again and again.

Yeah it would be strange to arbitrarily exclude a PHB race when they've included drow (which are noted as being EXTREMELY rare!) and Githyanki (who're relevant to the story, but also almost unheard of in their rarity)

Granted I think the idea of excluding any kind of player race option on the grounds of rarity is, frankly, a load of B.S.

Player characters are the *exception* in the setting, not the rule, so them being exceptional in terms of race is not only fine, but I think a good goal for options. Given that they're a dime a dozen, it's a granted that there's going to be human adventurers everywhere, but Dragonborn? Kobolds? Goblins? That's when it gets interesting to me. Not many stories about them, whereas I have a backlog of probably 30+ forgotten realms novels about demihumans.

Looking tough for you seeing that a lot of the story is based on discrimination. Tieflings kicked out of their city so they became refugees; the Druids want them out because the Grove should only be for Druids; goblins and gnolls are bad and so feeble minded they allied with The Absolute; Duergar use Deep Gnomes as slaves; and there are many more examples just in EA.

Honestly, I think is pretty cool to use those topics, they add stakes, dinamics between different groups and I like it.


Personally, I freaking love goblins so I would love to play as one, I really like for example the vibe of Warcraft orcs and goblins, but Larian is doing Baldur's Gate and they have lore to work around.

Now, could they introduce goblin player character that not necessary has to go with the common goblin stereotype, to be an individual with the traits that we choose? Yeah, for sure, but if you want a truthful introduction based in the existing lore the npcs should react quite different to him, adding a ton of work to do properly.
They also have a shit ton of models made for the goblins, so based on that they would be closer to have goblins than dragonborns or half orcs.


I'm gonna say, hopefully we get some "monster" races at least as DLC, but usually when I see people saying that everything is always the same and they are so freaking tired of that... i don't know pal, go write a story that you like, go make that game that you believe so much is lacking in the market, I don't see the reason to shit over someone else's work because it doesn't align with your exact taste and simplify everything as a "Tolkien rehash", is not a smart quote.

Can you provide some source on wich you base this asumption?

Bcs as mentioned earlier ... both in this and Goblin topic ... aswell as every else talking about so called "evil races" ... it dont really seems like "in-universe fantasy racism" even exists.
I mean so far we only visited one settlement that can be called somehow civilized ... and that is Druid Grove ... and yet nobody seems to care if you are Tiefling, Drow, or Githyanki!
Besides one short bark (i cant even call it sentence) at the start of conversation. :-/
And when we play as a Deep Gnome ... nobody in Grymforge is trying to enslave us ... they dont even threaten with that prospect as far as i know. O_o

So ... where did you get it?

Speaking of, what IS the extent of Deekin's influence on how Kobolds are seen?