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Overview
Kobolds in this game have gaunt bodies and claim both surface and underground mines as their territory.
They know the tunnels, fissures, and dark places intimately and are described as enemies that launch coordinated ambushes.
The developers explicitly identify Kobolds as one of the monsters inspired by folktales and legends.
Kobolds in Folklore
The kobold originates in German-speaking folklore, where it is described as a small, dwarf-like spirit.
Kobold traditions can broadly be divided into two types.
The first is a household spirit that helps with chores when given daily offerings of food and drink but plays tricks on the residents if these offerings are neglected.
In mining folklore, kobolds were underground spirits believed to ruin ores, lead miners astray, and substitute poisonous ores for valuable ones.
The name of the element cobalt also derives from kobold. Miners reportedly attributed the poisonous fumes released by arsenic-bearing ores to the work of Kobolds.
The Kobolds in this game appear to be based on the latter mining tradition.
Why Are Kobolds Dog-Like in Japanese RPGs?
Japanese RPG players, influenced by games such as Wizardry and Shin Megami Tensei, may primarily associate kobolds with upright, bipedal, dog-like monsters. In the original folklore, however, kobolds are not generally associated with dogs.
One theory holds that kobolds acquired their canine image because early editions of Dungeons & Dragons described them as having “dog-like heads.” This interpretation was subsequently given visual form and became established in Japan through works such as the Famicom version of Wizardry and Sword World.
Modern Western fantasy often depicts kobolds as reptilian or draconic creatures. Japanese games, however, have preserved a distinctly dog-like interpretation.
View Wizardry Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord on Amazon
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Sources and References
Community Bulletin Board #7 – Beasts & Monstrosities, Illustrated | Bandai Namco Europe
【月イチ連載】友野 詳の「異世界Role-Players」第4回：オークにゴブリン，悪の下っ端種族〜あいつらをチョロいと思っちゃいけない
