Kobolds in APG

[Pfred0]

On page 13, the APG lists Common and Draconic as the Free Languages that the Kobold starts with. I was wondering if it would not be more logical for the Kobolds to also have Undercommon as one of the Free Languages, rather than having to use an Intelligence Modifier point to learn it. If the Kobold starts at an Intelligence of 10, they have a +0 modifier. As a GM, I would give the Kobold Undercommon as a Free Language, but would actually like guidance on this from Paizo.

[Nefreet]

If it's for your homegame, go nuts.

If it's for Society, you can't.

And, it's Paizo's policy that an individual designer (or design manager, or lead designer, or even director of game design) doesn't give rulings.

[WatersLethe]

Ehhh, kobolds frequently live at or near the surface. I could see them switching out common for undercommon if they were from a really deep clan. Draconic is non-negotiable from my perspective, likely important for rites and passing down important lore.

The stereotypical kobold clan would inhabit caves near their dragon master, who frequently goes back and forth above ground and below. Dragons take to the skies and terrorize villages, after all. The Darklands are significantly deeper and would be much less likely to interact with.

[thenobledrake]

Player-facing rules should be player-facing, and functional.

I'll just leave that there and ramble a bit: Kobolds, as an option for a PC, need to be able to speak to other PC options without being pushed into a particular build choice that some player might just not actually go with and then the game-play process gets gummed up by everyone having to remember to specif icy which language they are speaking in because one character can't understand the rest of the party, or that limitation is ignored and they've effectively picked up a free language - and all of that is worth saying because there's enough of a separation between the surface world and the Darklands that it should be a special trait (like one representing a particular backstory or bit of deliberate training) for a creature to have both (upper)Common and Undercommon.

Now that the general rambling is out of the way, on to the kobold-specific bit: none of the kobold examples in the Bestiary speak undercommon. They do speak Common and Draconic though (well, the warrior actually seems to just speak Draconic, but again - a PC should always have Common so they can actually speak to their party and thus the player actually play the game).

So there is no reason to add Undercommon as an automatic language to PC kobolds in any kind of official capacity.

[Abyssalwyrm]

Kobolts usually don't live/venture deep in Underdark. They can learn it of course if they still often deals with Underdark dwellers, but it's not so common for them.

[thaX]

Kobolds, much like Goblins, have taken to finding some security with surface societies in small numbers. There has been a recent recruitment of some Kobolds from The Sewer Dragons by the Pathfinder Society.

It makes sense that these new adventurers would want to learn the language of their future teammates.

[Definitely NOT a certain Kobold]

I think they make us look to friendly! I am not friendly!