Goblin

## On Goblins

*"They lack our discipline, but they have the ingenuity and cleverness that helps our great Dominion thrive. All serve their purpose."- Glaraz, hobgoblin teacher, to a student asking her to explain the roles of the three goblinkin.*

*"Sneaky gits, though unlike us they can't strangle a human bare handed. Don't let that small size fool you though, I wouldn't turn my back on one."-Radun, bugbear Dominion raider, when asked why he lets goblins run in his company.*

*"Disgusting little things, they call themselves civilized, as if they've made anything of value in their entire existence. It's the hobs that do that work, and even they are a mere step above humans."-Vamyar, high elf scholar, to anyone who asks.*

*"Honestly? He's one of the best friends I have, saved my life more than once. I even think he's kind of cute."- Haree, halfling adventurer, on what she thinks of one of her fellow party members.*

 Goblins are diminutive humanoids most commonly found either as citizens of the Goblin Dominion or living within ruins and caves. In some places, they are considered little more than barely sentient vermin, raiders who pillage and plunder, living parasitically off other's work. Elsewhere, goblins are a crucial part of the society dominating a large swath of eastern Apia. Regardless of who is doing the talking, everyone agrees, goblins are far too clever and far too sneaky for their own good. As the smallest of the goblinoid races, goblins rely on their natural cunning, numbers, and the fact they are often underestimated to secure a place within many nations or warbands.

## Physical Description:

   Goblins are diminutive humanoids, between 3-3.5 feet and typically weighing around fifty pounds. Many could weigh much more, as older, more powerful goblins, tend towards obesity, ballooning to massive weights. Those who don't engorge tend to be wiry or vaguely muscular. Most goblins are far stronger than they appear. They have large, pointed ears that droop at the ends and flat noses ending in a sharp point. A mouth of needle-sharp teeth is complimented by eyes ranging from yellow to red and back. Goblin skin colors tend to be red, yellow or orange but a rare few strains are bright green. Typically all tribe members have the same color of skin, though within The Dominion the multitude of goblin tribes intermingling ensure this isn't the case. Goblins wear warpaint and tattoos with gusto, body art and modification is quite popular. Most embrace a tribal aesthetic, typically using animal parts and bones in their piercings and body modifications. Goblin clothing is always practical and rugged, usually made from hide, leather, plants, wood or bone and used until the point of breaking. Dominion goblins tend to be better dressed (with actual materials no less) and clean, with a degree of uniformity that can surprise outsiders. Both Dominion and non-Dominion goblins love bright colors and their clothing reflects this by being brilliantly high-contrast, with yellows, blues and reds all clashing in a kaleidoscopic display. Many goblins tend to be quite ugly but others are not, with softer, pleasant features which could be considered attractive. What causes these differences is unknown.

## History:

Goblins seem to be native to Apia, living in caves or tribes scattered across the continents and the small islands that surround it. With their own pantheon of gods wiped away, and their oldest history lost, most goblins have no understanding of their origins. This doesn't stress most goblins, who tend to be focused on the now, rather than past or future events. Despite this, there are some ideas of their origins, with fey goblins daring to suggest that goblins originally called the feywild home. This view is hardly universally accepted.

Since the beginning of recorded time, they have been a nuisance, raiding and pillaging surrounding areas with gusto. During Latrell's uprising, many goblins were among the free beings that fought to overthrow the beholder overlords. Most famously, the sacrifice of Higgugg and his one hundred goblins during the defeat of Red Marsh saved the rebellion from destruction. Indeed, Higgugg and his one hundred are still honored today in Latrellus, Taskanda and Umgar, though with varying degrees of skepticism. After the rebellion, goblin tribes could become quite dangerous under the command of the right warlords and many pocket empires rose and fell during the free times. Inevitably, goblin greed or orcs or adventurers brought an end to these petty goblin kingdoms. Still, goblins continued to thrive, impossible to exterminate. Some frontier communities made peaceful arrangements with tribes for mutual protection and supplies which led to stability in otherwise lawless regions with these tribes honoring the agreements (perhaps unexpectedly) fighting alongside the city folk against more dangerous threats such as trolls or ogres. Still, goblins, as a general rule, remained glorified pests even in the east where they gathered in vast tribes and raiding parties that the plains folk struggled to oppose. It wasn't until the Apian Blood War that things would change. It was the hobgoblin prophet Ezravar, chosen of Maglubiyet, who led the combined goblinoid peoples against the fiendish hoards that were ransacking Apia. When Demauric fell to infighting and demons, when Everstand was backed against the walls of their mountain halls by devils, Ezravar gathered a great host of goblinoids. There were goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, norkers, vrill, blues and varags, a thousand banners of a thousand tribes, who marched across the planes and drove back the fiendish hoards. Human villages flocked to the protection of Ezravar's great hoard and the security now offered by the goblins. Hundreds of thousands of goblinoids perished in the Apian Blood War, but the territory belonging to Ezravar expanded. By the time the fiends were banished, a large swath of eastern territory rested in the hands of the goblins. With the defeat of their fiendish foes, the goblin host reformed into The Goblin Dominion, a vast empire focused on Maglubiyet's teachings of conquest, domination and tyranny. Recognizing the sacredness of the three core goblinoid peoples to Maglubiyet, Ezravar chose a goblin and a bugbear as co-rulers, forming the basis of the modern Triumvirate government.

Today, goblins are at the forefront of the Dominion, serving as clerks, engineers, politicians, scholars and warriors. The Dominion continues to expand, its people proud and fierce, its streets safe and military strong. Critics of the Dominion claim the goblins are tyrants, that the people are not free and the growing eastern power is a threat to global peace. The goblins care little for these claims, the streets are safe and the demons are driven back. That is all that matters.

## Geography:

There isn't one nation or island where goblins cannot be found as tribes or scavengers. More civilized goblins have a massive presence in the eastern Goblin Dominion which is named for them. Many are found inside Proto-Machanacus among the Clockwork disciples, where their love of tinkering and technology makes them a welcome addition. A company of matchlock ashigaru in the Dragon Empire are goblins as well.

## Personality:

Goblins enjoy puzzles and games of wit, that allow them to do as little work as possible. Due to their lazy nature, most goblins detest physical labor, and thus happily dive into the realms of bureaucracy and larger governments. Goblins like to keep tidy records and organized books, many are good with money as well.

    Goblins are usually cowardly, fearing physical harm and pain, going to great lengths to avoid it. They prefer to attack from ambush or overwhelming numbers if attacking is required. Many tribes take to raiding as a way to compensate for their lack of drive or resources but others live honest lives as bookkeepers, merchants and tinkers. Goblins are not deeply religious as a general rule but do hold Maglubiyet as absolute authority. Goblins do respect strength, but also cunning and their leaders are those who can keep an orderly society while occasionally beating back a challenger. Goblin families are very large with many generations living in one home. These homes tend to be clean and well organized, though cramped, full of shiny things, foodstuffs and various mechanical inventions. A goblin is unafraid of risky inventing if it means getting him gold, renown or attention. Goblins love money, often hoarding it for its own sake but will spend it readily on whatever catches their eyes, be it clothing, food, art or fancy weapons. A goblin need not fully appreciate a painting to want it; if he wants it he'll take it. Goblins are practical jokers who are quick to laugh. They enjoy humor of all kinds, from cruel jokes, to simple puns, to pratfalls and complex wordplay. A good jester can live like a king among goblins. Still, despite their cowardly nature goblins are surprisingly loyal creatures, willing to risk their lives for friends and family. When defending their homes and lairs, goblins fight fiercely and, when forced into combat, can prove surprisingly deadly with traps, poisons and complex small squad tactics, including sneak attacks by goblin rogues who prove highly adapt at stealth.

## Society:

If goblins are known for one thing, it's explosive population growth. Despite constantly dying in battle or accidents, there are always more goblins to take up the cause. Goblin women give birth after only four months of pregnancy, often to litters of children and, due to high sex drives, are often quick to become pregnant again. Because goblin extended families can grow so large, so quickly the tribe is the most common goblin society, mostly made of one extended family. These families are usually accompanied by worgs, wolves, slaves and a few ogres. Hobgoblins or bugbears sometimes muscle their way into leadership over a goblin tribe, using them as raiders to great effect. Goblin chiefs, or "bosses" as they are known, tend to be clever thinkers who motivate the right goblins with bribes, flattery or good old fashion threats. They also tend to be strong enough to survive the odd attack by a rival by charismatic enough to bring wealth to the tribe. A boss will have his raiders fortify their home, usually a cave or ruin, with traps and forward scouts, ensuring that they are rarely taken by surprise. Goblin bosses will take council from shamans, warriors and wise-women if it suits them but ultimately do what they think is best. They have little animal husbandry and planting, though their forges make effective weapons and fine little trinkets, all that suit goblin whims. Most tribes subsidize by raiding but the odd tribe of peaceful goblins does exist, offering their services as smiths, tinkers, money-changers and middle-bureaucrats. Goblins have a knack for paperwork and even the most savage tribal boss has sectaries and undersecretaries who record his ideas and whims. Peaceful goblins are a boon to a large town, easily adopting to urban life.

Dominion goblins are more regimented than in the wild, their baser impulses carefully monitored and controlled. In the Dominion, goblins are critical to the running of the empire, managing all the reports and doing much of the manufacturing. They care for slaves, preform religious functions and do many of the underappreciated tasks that ensure the survival of the Dominion. These goblins are far less cowardly and lazy; they have a great deal of pride and devotion to the Dominion itself which is seen as one large tribe and, therefore, one large family. All in the Dominion is as Maglubiyet wills, it is for the best. An adventurer running afoul of a Dominion, squad expecting them to fight as a goblin tribe, will be in for a very dangerous surprise.

## Religion:

Most goblins worship Maglubiyet, the lord of goblin kind. Still others worship the secret goblin god of jests and pranks, the lone survivor of the original goblin pantheon called, "he who occasionally grants Nilbogism," or simply Great Nilbog. Nilbogs are goblins possessed by this god, and live their lives in reverse. Many goblins revere Machanacus, the Clockwork god, seeing him as the ultimate tinker and inventor. Machanacus welcomes all logical inventors, caring not for their origins and so has a surprising number of goblin priests. Many worship Vutune as the high birth rates among goblins mean that midwives are well respected and honored among that people, with a "great mother" typically serving as a bosses' second. A few worship Khan or Thydtia, or, most recently, an attempt to restore the original pantheon.

## Alignment:

Goblins are neutral good or neutral evil. An axis of neutrality does tend to be consistent among them because goblins value order but are ultimately too lazy and selfish for pure law. However, all alignments can be found among their numbers. The spread between good and evil is fairly even, with raiders tending to be chaotic or neutral evil but they are far from the only goblins to call Apia home.

## Relations:

Goblins tend to be friendly with other goblinoids, notably hobgoblins and bugbears, as well as ogres and trolls. Good-aligned goblins get along surprisingly well with both gnomes and halflings under the right circumstances. With gnomes, they share a love of tinkering and inventions, with halflings food and drink. They like warforged and modrons, seeing their clockwork, mechanical nature as incredibly interesting. They clash with dwarves, who dislike and distrust them, and elves who find them foul-minded and fouler mouthed. Orcs and goblins are on near universally bad terms, as the two peoples have been at war since time immemorial; though individual orcs and goblins can get on surprisingly well. They fear the drow, as dark elves take many goblins as slaves. Good goblins are friendly to most other races. Evil goblins tolerate goblinoids, wolves, ogres and little else.

## Names:

Goblins tend to have only one name, surnames are rare among them. They tend to be either short, simple words, or discriptive in nature. A combination of both is provided.

**Example Male Names:** Pes, Kradgagg, Kreg, Nullark, Crurdeg, Weasel, Wartear, Muckwill, Mudnose, Measles, Wormwood

**Example Female Names**: Enril, Igal, Gurtandis, Dobir, Gurgu, Slugchin, Boarbait, Snailbrain, Ant, Beetle, Bella

## Adventurers:

Adventuring goblins are common. Many adventure for treasure and glory, things that will ensure a comfortable life of ease as quickly as possible. Others adventure to prove themselves to the world, as great heroes in their own right, not minions or pests. Some are exiles or lone survivors, who find that only in the company of adventurers can they be truly happy and contented. Goblins can grow very loyal and attached to their companions, viewing them as a surrogate family, proving both reliable rogues and capable fighters.

## Traits:

Goblin traits are described below...

-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity. +2 Intelligence,  -2 Charisma OR -2 wisdom. Goblins are small and dexterous but they aren't physically very impressive. Many are brilliant but most are either uncouth, ugly or lacking in subtler senses. Even those goblins that may not be physically ugly can possibly be unpleasant and uncouth

Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters

A goblin’s base land speed is 30 feet

Darkvision out to 60 feet

+4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Ride checks

Automatic Languages: Common, Goblin

Bonus Languages: Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Orc

Favored Classes: Rogue or Jester.

## Sub-Races:

Blue

Norker

Vril

Fey Goblin