Kobold Tactics



A kobold attack begins as an ambush: hiding kobolds (who aren’t exceptionally stealthy but will probably gain the element of surprise anyway, since they have decently high Dexterity and live in dark places) pop up and pelt the party with sling stones from 20 to 30 feet away in order to soften them up. This lasts until the player characters close with the kobolds or the kobolds no longer have any advantage over the PCs (such as their being restrained by a trap or blinded by darkness). At this point, the kobolds surge forward and engage in melee.

Kobold melee combat is all about swarming. No kobold will ever fight an enemy hand-to-hand by itself, not even one its own size. Any kobold who’s the only one left fighting a single foe retreats, possibly regrouping with other kobolds fighting a different foe. However, a seriously wounded kobold (1 or 2 hp remaining) turns and runs. It’s not smart enough to Disengage to avoid an opportunity attack; it Dashes instead. If at any point the attacking kobolds no longer outnumber the frontline PCs by at least 3 to 1, they’ll withdraw. They can’t do much damage on their own—on average, just 4 hp per hit—so they have to make every attack count. But kobolds using Pack Tactics against a chain mail–wearing target can still land a hit two times out of three.

And that’s basically it. Kobolds don’t get bonus actions or reactions (other than opportunity attacks) that might increase the complexity of their behavior. They have Pack Tactics, so they attack in packs. When attacking as a pack no longer works, they cut their losses. They’re no Clausewitzes, but they know to do that much. They also know to stay out of bright sunlight. If their enemies retreat into a well-lit area, kobolds simply will not pursue. And kobolds who retreat won’t bother switching to ranged attacks, because their slings don’t have enough range to keep target PCs from closing with them again.

Winged kobolds are only slightly better. Because they can fly, they can sustain the ranged-ambush phase longer . . . provided they have access to rocks they can throw. (Their flying movement is enough to allow them to swoop down, grab a rock, swoop back up and throw the rock.) If they’re out of rocks, or if the PCs block their access to the rocks, so much for that. They also have two more hit points than regular kobolds, but that makes no difference with respect to when they’ll flee.

If kobolds are lucky enough to defeat a whole party of adventurers, they’ll haul them off as prisoners and taunt them for entertainment.

Next: Orcs!

8 thoughts on “Kobold Tactics

  1. Something else to consider is that the kobolds’ Pack Tactics feature does not require the attacker to be adjacent to the target, only their ally needs to be. So, potentially, some kobolds may arrange themselves in two lines: the first line–the smaller, weaker kobolds, if you’re rolling for HP–will “surge forward and engage in melee” when the party is within 30 feet, while the second line takes their place.

    Here their Pack Tactics might work both for and against them: while they have advantage on attack rolls against targets their allies are adjacent to, the kobolds will attack at first opportunity, meaning that they place themselves between the party and their back line slingers. They will not circle around to the back to allow their slingers a clear shot. Since there is now a creature between the back line attackers and their target, the target may have half cover (see: Cover, PHB 196). I say “may” because the rules do not explicitly state what size creatures provide this cover.

    Since this particular tactic requires a greater number of kobolds than their usual one, it’s likely that they only do this to defend vitally important areas, such as food stores, living spaces with noncombatants, treasures, or perhaps if they are backed into an area from which they cannot retreat.


    Great blog, by the way. I’m subscribed, and have been trying to implement these tactics into my game wherever I can. I look forward to that e-mail in the morning that says a new post is up in The Monsters Know What They’re Doing.

  2. My favored use of Kobolds is for them to have a layered defense structure (obviously not possible if they’re attacking), with large amounts of traps and small tunnels so the can pop out, ambush the trespassers with a couple of sling shots, then duck back into hiding until their foes open another opportunity. (I really like Kobolds, and am one in a campaign I’m playing in).

  3. Pingback: Táticas Kobold

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