Slayer's Guide to Goblins (Lore)

*By Slayer circa 989 CA*

## Preface

Please note that this book is not intended to act as a guide to killing the goblin people. Some examples of goblins can prove to be hostile and anti-social to communities outside their own groups (even others of the same race). Goblins, like most peoples, are a mix of all different types. Of all the species on Urz, goblins have the most variations due to breeding, sometimes for specific purposes. This is due to their relatively short lifespans compared to other peoples and the nature of and cultural focus on breeding. They have very different natures and characteristics based on their race. A foolish adventurer will engage with a goblin band and think of them as little more than green-skinned enemies of some small town, but they may find themselves against masters of ambush, peaceful zealots, or even a hulking brute as large and as strong as a giant. At all times, try and engage peacefully with goblins unless they give you no other option.

## **Races of the Goblin People**

*The book is filled with illustrations, not present here, showing examples of the different goblin races.*

***Akki:*** A large goblinoid with deep reds and browns for hide color with a heavier hide than a standard goblin. Others have said that Akki remind them of an ogre, whatever that is.

***Amitok:*** "Snow goblins." They reside in higher altitudes with lower climates and presumably worship the archomental of ice. Amitoks are more like hobgoblins than standard goblins.

***Bakemono:*** A mutation of a normal goblin from the lands of Seiryu. No two bakemono are alike, and they have a range of colors, furs, feathers, body shapes, paws, hands, hooves, legs, tails, fangs, eyes, and ears. Each bakemono is something of a random assortment of parts assembled into a creature.

***Barghest:*** Considered to be a race of fiends, these goblins can transform into massive wargs and also feast on the souls of other humanoids.

**Bhuka:** Bhukas are smarter, more cunning goblins that claim ancestry with the earliest of goblinkind from the First Era. Typically not found in bands of murderous bandits.

***Blue:*** These goblins are known for their blue-tinged skin and innate knack for psionics. They possess a noticeable cunning and wit.

*Bogey:* A bogey is a goblin-sized bugbear (see below), which are normally as big as a large human.

*Boggart:* A boggart is an immature will-o'-wisp that takes the form of a goblin. Some return back to their incorporeal state, while many others remain as goblins and take residence in swamps and bogs.

*Boggle.* Sometimes called bogeymen and incorrectly called bogeys, these creatures are fey goblins who like to pull tricks on others. They are dark gray or blackish-blue creatures that can turn invisible.

*Bugbear:* Known for their ambush tactics and strength, bugbears are the most commonly feared type of goblin and are also nearly as common as common goblins and hobgoblins. Bugbears are covered with brown, black, or gray hair all over.

*Dekanter:* Goblins that were artificially mutated originally by an elder evil to serve as labor in the mines, the dekanter were left over and have bred into a society of their own. They have a horn growing from their nose, deep ruddy skin, and black hair.

*Duende:* Goblins from the Feywild. They are more benevolent than a typical goblin, but are also a lot rarer on Urz.

*Duster:* Also called "desert goblins", these lanky and scrawny goblins are found in the wastes hunting down anyone unlucky enough to end up in their area.

***Erkling:*** Also known as "forest goblins", they sustain themselves primarily through banditry. They have forest-green skin and deep golden eyes.

*Erlkonig:* Also known as a goblin king, this mutation of goblin is different than a goblin boss or chief as it becomes a different breed entirely. A goblin king is cunning, charismatic, gifted in the magical arts, a masterful tactician, and is faster and stronger than even some of the larger breeds.

*Facevaulter:* Just like the name says, these goblins launch toward humanoid faces. It's said their bite or their kiss can cause a necrotic infection that leads to a person becoming a will-o'-wisp.

*Fester:* An undead goblin that is filled with necrotic fluids that can harm attackers if any gets on bare flesh. To avoid a goblin eventually becoming a fester, be sure to deal a lancing wound to any corpses found so that it cannot be allowed to remain full of its vile blood.

*Forestkith:* These goblins reside in the forest and try to maintain a balance with it, though are seen by forest-dwellers such as elves as a nuisance. They appear to be a hybrid of apes and goblins.

*Frogtosser:* As the name suggests, frogtossers do indeed throw up frogs. They have a special second stomach which can hold water within and many frog species find it as a perfect breeding ground for their spawn. Some use the frogs as a food source, others harvest frog toxins for medicinal and shamanistic purposes.

*Gigoblin:* A very rare variant of goblins, the gigoblin stands around 18 feet tall and weighs around 4500 pounds. They are blessed with giant strength. Many believe a gigoblin is the result of a union between a giant and a goblin.

*Gnoblin:* Gnoblins are goblins that have a similar resistance to magic as do gnomes. They typically have goblin features with a massive gnomish nose.

*Gobel:* A bright green goblinoid that is about the same height and stature as a dwarf. Gobels are an industrious lot that tinker and innately desire to know how things work.

*Goblin:* A standard goblin.

*Goblinate:* A goblin raised by non-goblins.

*Goblyn:*The result of powerful transmutation magic that turns a humanoid creature into a goblin. Goblyns still have memories of their lives before becoming a goblin, but are usually oppressed into serving along with the nature of the tribe that made them. Sometimes this magic requires the death of the victim who is reincarnated into the new body.

*Goblot:* A mountain-dwelling goblinoid with heavy, rock-like hide and a penchant for eating rocks. One of the most famous goblots in the world is actually a goblyn (see above) goblot that was a dweogar hero who was transformed into a goblot due to a botched resurrection attempt.

*Gremlin:* A city-dwelling goblinoid with a very flexible body that has a strong hunger for metal objects, especially small fine metal bits found in mechanisms.

*Gretchen:* A breed of goblin found in and about the plains of the world, they can extend there legs to double in length and are extremely profound leapers. They are typically light green or straw colored.

*Grodd:* These goblins hail from the Shadowfell and they cannot be harmed by the touch of shadows and many other incorporeal undead. Also known as "shadowgoblins".

*Hobgoblin:* A very common variant of goblinoid that is around the same size as humans and possesses a cunning and ordered nature unlike the common goblinoid. Hobgoblins are great foot soldiers, but more often than not fall in league with wandering goblin bands that prey on innocent frontier folk.

*Hogboon:* This race of goblinoids has a strong desire to be around the dead of other peoples and can be found in old graveyards, burial mounds, and crypts. They don't seem to defile the dead in any way, but it's believed they might feed on the souls of the recently dead in some way.

*Iratxo:* Iratxo are to goblins as tieflings are to other humanoid races. Iratxo typically have very imp-like features. Despite their fiendish lineage, iratxo are usually benevolent, helping with farming labors in the night if given presents of food. The most famous of the Iratxo was Galtxagorriak, also known as "Redpants".

***Jermlaine.*** These rat-like goblinoids are distinguishable from common goblins by their overabundance of loose, wrinkly skin and massive two front teeth.

*Kabouter.* A goblin with a number of gnome-like qualities that make it hard to tell if a kabouter is a goblin at all. The main things to look out for are red caps and wooden shoes. Kabouters live in tunnel ways beneath hills and keep to themselves, working hard towards making sure all in their family are well fed. They prefer mushrooms and small game, but have been known to eat other goblins and even larger humanoids in desperate times.

*Kallikantzaros.* Kallikantzaroi dwell underground but come to the surface during the days just before and just after the Winter Solstice. While underground, they dig grand networks of tunnels and saw the bases of trees so that they fall over and the roots can be pulled away to clear their tunnel ways.

***Knocker.*** These tiny goblins (no more than 2 feet tall) are a tunneling goblin that cause mischief in the earthworks of other humanoids. Dweogar above all others hate knockers. They commit random mischief, such as stealing miners' unattended tools and food or causing minor cave-ins.

*Koalinth.* This goblin species is an aquatic variant of the hobgoblin. They are much more ferocious and primal than normal hobgoblins.

*Kol'ksu.* This goblin species is an aquatic variant of the standard goblin. They find their way in large rivers and deep lakes, but are basically unheard of out at sea.

*Kookus.* A goblinoid with an elemental nature similar to that as a djinn or efreeti. These are a very rare breed, but are most noted as living within the Elemental Chaos in areas contrary to their elemental affiliation.

*Kairen.* These goblins are slightly taller than normal goblins and hail from Khardith. It's said they have towns and cities in the wildlands of that province, but very few have traveled into the other places of E'yané to trade and coordinate with other civilized folk. This might be due to lingering hatreds of normal goblin creatures found in other provinces.

*Lutin.* Also known as "Red Caps", these goblins have red cloth hats they wear to cover up a sensitive mushroom-like appendage that grows on the crown of their heads. As they age, the number of these mushrooms increases and, when they die in the forest, a new lutin grows from each of these appendages.

*Mogg.* More so than a normal goblin, Moggs are about the destruction of all other living things and the procreation of their kind across Urz. Moggs attack in great numbers with no concern for their losses.

*Mosskin.* These goblinoids are known for the layer of moss-like hair that grows over their own body and their ability to blend in as rocks in the deeper regions of the forest. Mosskin aren't a hostile bunch, more likely to hide in terror than confront aggressors head on.

*Muki.* Muki live in mines and are able to work with other races such as dweogar, gnomes, and other subterranean peoples with a habit of mining. Muki are great miners and they scare knockers (see above) more than anything, so having a muki in your mining company is seen as a boon. Sometimes called "deep goblins".

**Nilbog.** A condition known as nilbogism that infects a standard goblin happens when the goblin is possessed by trickster spirits from the Feywild. This results in the goblins spirit becoming a fusion of the trickster spirits and its own and when it dies allowing it to infect another goblin in the same way. Unlike other goblins, nilbogs are vegetarian and some have magic that allows them to turn the flesh of living creatures into plant matter.

***Nimerigar.*** A goblin people focused in the Aigen region of Parnak. A hunter-gatherer people, they are very focused on stealth and use special glands to create a type of poison that puts many creatures to sleep. In hunting, they knock their prey out and drag them back into their caves for consumption. Their bite can also transfer their poison to a victim.

*Norker.* This type of goblinoid is distantly related to hobgoblins. Norkers breed more slowly than goblins. They raid and steal from other humanoids, being too lazy to do their own hunting. Sometimes norkers will be commanded by powerful groups of hobgoblins, who will use the norkers as shock troops and cannon fodder. They have tought, armor-like hide and are not considered cunning, wise, or socially graceful.

*Okk.* A goblin with two heads like an ettin. This mutation is very rare, but usually okks will end up becoming leaders among other goblins as two heads are better than one.

*Pukwudgie.* A type of goblin concerned with stealth, more so than bugbears. They live very isolated lives, hiding away from everything only showing themselves to ambush prey. Very few sighting throughout the ages have been reported.

*Skerk.* Mountainous goblins who live in and around volcanic areas. They have an innate resistance to fire and can survive in intensely hot environments.

*Spriggan.* Lore holds that spriggans were once halflings or gnomes that were twisted by vile magics of the duergar to have yellow and warty skin, bright red hair, long and gangly arms, and strange powers like the ability to swell to giant size.

*Swab.* These goblins get along well with other peoples and enjoy menial tasks such as cleaning and cooking. They enjoy community and camaraderie and always seek to do their part.

*Thoul.* Part hobgoblin, part troll, part ghoul. These goblinoids were magically bred by some powerful mage in a place far from Urz and have found their way to this world. Thouls are capable of twisting other willing goblins into becoming like them and this is how they appear to breed in the world.

*Trasgo.* Mischievous goblinoids that can change their face to look like halflings, gnomes, or the children of other larger humanoid races. Sometimes a group of trasgo will abduct children and then have one of their number infiltrate a house hold as a double, learning about the house and its potential defenses before raiding the whole family over.

*Trow.* These goblinoids are individualistic, short, considered ugly by most, and shy creatures. They hide under bridges and work to maintain bridges, but will demand tolls of food or treasure to those who pass over them. Trow are covered with dark hair and have long limbs and the ability to climb like spiders.

**Varag.** The varag goblins were the result of magical crossbreeding of hobgoblins and dire wolves. The wizards who created varags have long since passed away, but its believed they wished to have an obedient army that would strike fear into those they opposed. Varags that breed with other hobgoblins simply make more varags.

*Verdan.* This mutation of goblin has been warped by pure chaos. They are prone to spontaneous mutations, such as randomly shifting gender, height, and general nature.

*Viniyaka.* These goblins have long snouts like an elephant and can grow tusks like them as well. Viniyakas keep to themselves, but will coordinate to cause trouble to small humanoid settlements near where they end up wandering.

*Vril.* Another race of goblins created by magical crossbreeding, the vril are the result of standard goblin stock mixed with that of bats. It is assumed this was done to allow for a race comfortable in subterranean areas.

*Wirrycow.* This furry variant of the goblin has coloring similar to cows and they wander the plains in search of livestock locked in barns or paddocks for an easy hunt.

**Zozu.** These very territorial goblins plague a designated place until no living thing remains of the area and they're forced to expand. A place with a zozu den will have recurring trouble with them if the den isn't found and rooted out.

**Types**

***Warg-Rider***

***Warlord:***