Kobold Cavalry

monster bff

Introduction: Kobolds are crafty ambushers on their own, but when the going
gets tough, these canny foes mount up on monstrous steeds to defend their war-
rens against invasion from pesky adventurers

A scalable encounter for 5th-11th level characters

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 Kobold Cavalry
Monster BFF

A scalable encounter for 5th-11th level characters

Writing: David Friant

Editing: Doug Vehovec
Layout and Design: Doug Vehovec

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Kobold Cavalry Monsters
“Don’t fear the 5 kobolds you see, but the 50 kobolds A
you don’t see.” — Gaerth Stoneshield. dwarven gen- Carrion Crawler (1)
eral of Craithengulch
Kobolds (5)
Kobold Scaled Sorcerer (1)
Introduction Rust Monsters (2)
This is an encounter that you could use as a stand- B
alone, or it could be perfect addition to an ongoing
adventure involving kobolds. The thing about ko- Carrion Crawler (1)
bolds is they are sneaky buggers. As the Dungeon Kobolds (2)
Master you should play them that way. A kobold Kobold Inventors (3)
cavalry is going to thrive on hit-and-run tactics as
well as kiting their enemies. Kobold Scaled Sorcerer (1)
We had list of possible mounts for our kobold rough Rust Monsters (2)
riders. Many would make excellent choices as sub- C
stitutes for our picks below. Here are some alterna-
Carrion Crawler (1)
tives — bat, grick, giant badger, giant crab, drake,
mastiff, and giant lizard. Kobold Dragonshields (2)
Kobold Inventors (3)
Kobold Scaled Sorcerer (1)
Environment Rust Monsters (2)
Dungeon, Underdark, Mountain
The first group (A) is pretty straightforward. Ko-
bolds riding a carrion crawler will attack using
Suggested level slings from a distance. If the carrion crawler para-
lyzes enemies, the kobolds will rush forward to
A
try and take out the helpless victims. The kobold
4 characters of 5th-10th Level scaled sorcerer will use ranged spells to harry ene-
5 characters of 4th-8th Level mies, while the rust monster riders attack in melee.
6 characters of 3rd-6th Level Things get more interesting in the second group (B)
with the kobold inventors involved. I suggest pick-
B ing the ranged options, unless enemies find them-
4 characters of 5th-10th Level selves paralyzed by the carrion crawler. In that case
5 characters of 4th-8th Level they will rush in with their daggers or their scor-
pions on a stick. The kobold scaled sorcerer will
6 characters of 3rd-7th Level use ranged spells to harry enemies, while the rust
C riders attack in melee.
4 characters of 5th-11th Level The final group (C) operates the same as group B,
except the kobold dragonshield rust monster riders
5 characters of 5th-10th Level
are much tougher than regular kobolds.
6 characters of 4th-9th Level

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 Treasure
Each kobold has some coins on them 1-19 cp, 1-9
sp, 1-3 gp

Description
No matter what level of difficulty you decide to
go with, kobolds are involved. They will seek to
ambush a party of adventurers. This encounter
should be placed in a large cavern or chamber
where the kobolds can move around.

To this end there are two false stalagmites that

are large enough to house the rust monsters and
their riders. Characters who succeed on a DC 20
Wisdom (Perception) check will spot the fakes. The
riders won’t attack until after the carrion crawler
riders attack from above.

The carrion crawler will stay up above out of light

if adventurers are carrying one. There is a large
crevice the carrion crawler and crew will tuck into
giving them advantage on Stealth checks to be
seen. It also provides three-quarters cover until
they emerge from it. The kobolds will try to rain
death from above until the rust monster riders en-
gage. Even still, the carrion crawler will only rush More online
within 10 feet of targets to attack and then fall Check out the Nerdarchy YouTube channel for a
back, preferably back up a wall. video where we discuss the development and de-
ployment of this Monster BFF encounter here.
Nerdarchy also has a series of Adventurers League

Complications Character Guides that include level breakdowns

from 1st-20th level, plus a bonus for Dungeon
Masters — a brand new creature stat block in-
Two of the kobolds are mounted on rust monsters.
spired by the character build for use as an ally,
They will have to succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (An-
NPC or antagonist in your D&D games.
imal Handling) check if they try to ignore armored
targets. • Mind Breaker Paladin
• Zen Archery Master
• Sewer Ninja Tortle
All of the others are riding in a howdah on top of
the carrion crawler. They recieve half cover from • Nature Possessed Warforged
the howdah (+2 to Armor Class and Dexterity sav- • Scaled Skald
ing throws). There are special harnesses in the • Quick Strike
howdah to keep kobolds from falling out when they
• Night Parade
ascend walls or even upside down as the carrion
cralwer scuttles along the cavern surfaces. • Combat Medic

• The Roper Wrangler Encounter

• The Hag's Apprentice

Thank you to the Nerdarchy and D&D commu-

nity for continued support and until next time,
stay nerdy!

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