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Description
Designed a species of deep-dwelling kobold for my homebrew D&D setting, including a work-in-progress stat sheet ready for 5th Edition!

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Ironscale Kobold (small humanoid)
Deep down where the only light comes from rivers of flowing lava, a curious subspecies of the common kobold has emerged to thrive in an otherwise barren environment. Living on an exclusive diet of insectoid protein and raw minerals, ironscale kobolds can be identified by their blind eyes, wide tails and dense build-up of spiky iron “scales”, which helps them withstand the volcanic temperatures. To combat their total blindness, they have developed a keen sense of touch, able to detect vibrations through the ground. They commonly dwell around underground hot springs and mineral-rich caverns, though tend to avoid areas inhabited by fire giants and firenewts.

One would imagine ironscale kobolds to be natural companions to red dragons. This is not the case, for the kobolds have a tendency to attempt to ingest metals and precious stones directly from the dragon’s hoard, such as coins and jewellery. There have even been rumours that ironscale kobolds have sought to eat dragon eggs, though it is unlikely any have ever been successful.

Elemental Worship. Because of their dietary behaviour regarding hoards and clutches, ironscale kobolds tend to hold little to no respect for their draconic owners. Instead, they often seek to honor and appease elementals from the Inner Planes of Fire and Earth, revelling in fiery destruction and coveting treasures of the earth. Because their communities are often found in places where these planes intersect with the Prime Material, ironscale kobolds sometimes find themselves in service of dao and efreeti as slaves.

Explosive Affinity. Although the Tozinshi Empire claims to have discovered the secrets of modern gunpowder, it was originally an ironscale invention: one created by accident, in fact. After various unfortunately-messy incidents involving the consumption of coal, nitre and sulfur, they eventually figured out that, when ground down, mixed together and exposed to heat, these ingredients produced an extremely-explosive compound that could be used as both a tool and a weapon. Named ixen’inik (fire-sand in Draconic), it was traditionally prepared in the mouth, their saliva helping to clump mixtures together, which can be stored and dried for later use.

Ironscale warriors often employ rudimentary grenades and firearms when defending their communities or raiding others. Employing shock tactics, these inik’chaun (“sand-spit”) warriors focus on blinding, dazzling and terrifying their targets as quickly as possible, in order to separate them from their hoards before too much damage is done. Their blindness keeps them from being terribly accurate, and explosive accidents are all too common, but they are surprisingly efficient against light-sensitive creatures and those that rely on sound.

Avg. Height and Weight: ~2’10”, ~50 lb.

Ironscale Kobold (CR 1/2)
Speed: 25 ft. walking
Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 14 (2d10+2)

STR: 10 (0)
DEX: 14 (+2)
CON: 12 (+1)
INT: 8 (-1)
WIS: 11 (0)
CHA: 8 (-1)

Senses:
Tremorsense 30 ft. (blind beyond this range), passive perception 10

Damage Resistances:
Fire

Condition Immunities:
Blinded

Languages:
Common, Undercommon, Draconic, Primordial

Features
Stone Camouflage. The ironscale kobold has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain.

Actions
Iron Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target, finesse. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) piercing damage.
Tail Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target, finesse. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) bludgeoning damage.

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Variant: Ironscale Inik’chaun (CR 1)
Ironscale inik’chaun are fierce warriors that employ primitive gunpowder weapons to dazzle and destroy opponents. They are considered brave champions by their communities, and abhorrent pests to miners and Underdark couriers, as a bothersome encounter can quickly become a fatal cave-in.

Hit Points: 17 (3d8 + 4)

Variant Features
In addition to their natural weapons, inik’chaun also employ a small arsenal of explosive weapons.

Ironscale Grenade. The inik’chaun uses its action to throw a rudimentary grenade at a point it can sense within 30 feet of it. Each creature caught within a 5-foot-radius sphere centred on that point must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 14) or take 9 (3d6) fire damage, or half as much on a successful saving one. Flammable objects caught in the radius that are not being worn or carried are set alight.

Ironscale Boomflash. The inik’chaun uses its action to fire its rudimentary firearm, producing a blinding, ear-splitting explosion in a 15 ft cone. Every creature caught in this range must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 14) or take 2 (1d4) thunder damage, becoming deafened and blinded until the end of the inik’chaun’s next turn.

Death Blast. When the inik’chaun takes fire damage that causes it to drop to 0 hit points, its entire arsenal of explosives weapons erupt in a great fireball. Each creature within a 20-foot-sphere of the inik’chaun must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 14) or take 15 (4d6 + 2) fire damage, or half as much on a successful one.

Description
Designed a species of deep-dwelling kobold for my homebrew D&D setting, including a work-in-progress stat sheet ready for 5th Edition!

---

Ironscale Kobold (small humanoid)
Deep down where the only light comes from rivers of flowing lava, a curious subspecies of the common kobold has emerged to thrive in an otherwise barren environment. Living on an exclusive diet of insectoid protein and raw minerals, ironscale kobolds can be identified by their blind eyes, wide tails and dense build-up of spiky iron “scales”, which helps them withstand the volcanic temperatures. To combat their total blindness, they have developed a keen sense of touch, able to detect vibrations through the ground. They commonly dwell around underground hot springs and mineral-rich caverns, though tend to avoid areas inhabited by fire giants and firenewts.

One would imagine ironscale kobolds to be natural companions to red dragons. This is not the case, for the kobolds have a tendency to attempt to ingest metals and precious stones directly from the dragon’s hoard, such as coins and jewellery. There have even been rumours that ironscale kobolds have sought to eat dragon eggs, though it is unlikely any have ever been successful.

Elemental Worship. Because of their dietary behaviour regarding hoards and clutches, ironscale kobolds tend to hold little to no respect for their draconic owners. Instead, they often seek to honor and appease elementals from the Inner Planes of Fire and Earth, revelling in fiery destruction and coveting treasures of the earth. Because their communities are often found in places where these planes intersect with the Prime Material, ironscale kobolds sometimes find themselves in service of dao and efreeti as slaves.

Explosive Affinity. Although the Tozinshi Empire claims to have discovered the secrets of modern gunpowder, it was originally an ironscale invention: one created by accident, in fact. After various unfortunately-messy incidents involving the consumption of coal, nitre and sulfur, they eventually figured out that, when ground down, mixed together and exposed to heat, these ingredients produced an extremely-explosive compound that could be used as both a tool and a weapon. Named ixen’inik (fire-sand in Draconic), it was traditionally prepared in the mouth, their saliva helping to clump mixtures together, which can be stored and dried for later use.

Ironscale warriors often employ rudimentary grenades and firearms when defending their communities or raiding others. Employing shock tactics, these inik’chaun (“sand-spit”) warriors focus on blinding, dazzling and terrifying their targets as quickly as possible, in order to separate them from their hoards before too much damage is done. Their blindness keeps them from being terribly accurate, and explosive accidents are all too common, but they are surprisingly efficient against light-sensitive creatures and those that rely on sound.

Avg. Height and Weight: ~2’10”, ~50 lb.

Ironscale Kobold (CR 1/2)
Speed: 25 ft. walking
Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 14 (2d10+2)

STR: 10 (0)
DEX: 14 (+2)
CON: 12 (+1)
INT: 8 (-1)
WIS: 11 (0)
CHA: 8 (-1)

Senses:
Tremorsense 30 ft. (blind beyond this range), passive perception 10

Damage Resistances:
Fire

Condition Immunities:
Blinded

Languages:
Common, Undercommon, Draconic, Primordial

Features
Stone Camouflage. The ironscale kobold has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain.

Actions
Iron Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target, finesse. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) piercing damage.
Tail Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target, finesse. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) bludgeoning damage.

—

Variant: Ironscale Inik’chaun (CR 1)
Ironscale inik’chaun are fierce warriors that employ primitive gunpowder weapons to dazzle and destroy opponents. They are considered brave champions by their communities, and abhorrent pests to miners and Underdark couriers, as a bothersome encounter can quickly become a fatal cave-in.

Hit Points: 17 (3d8 + 4)

Variant Features
In addition to their natural weapons, inik’chaun also employ a small arsenal of explosive weapons.

Ironscale Grenade. The inik’chaun uses its action to throw a rudimentary grenade at a point it can sense within 30 feet of it. Each creature caught within a 5-foot-radius sphere centred on that point must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 14) or take 9 (3d6) fire damage, or half as much on a successful saving one. Flammable objects caught in the radius that are not being worn or carried are set alight.

Ironscale Boomflash. The inik’chaun uses its action to fire its rudimentary firearm, producing a blinding, ear-splitting explosion in a 15 ft cone. Every creature caught in this range must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 14) or take 2 (1d4) thunder damage, becoming deafened and blinded until the end of the inik’chaun’s next turn.

Death Blast. When the inik’chaun takes fire damage that causes it to drop to 0 hit points, its entire arsenal of explosives weapons erupt in a great fireball. Each creature within a 20-foot-sphere of the inik’chaun must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw (DC 14) or take 15 (4d6 + 2) fire damage, or half as much on a successful one.