Goblin

Goblin virtues are about being present, creative, and honest. They strive to lead fulfilled lives, rather than worrying about how their journeys will end. To tell stories, not nitpick the facts. To be small, but dream big.

Goblins are crafty and shrewd, bearing an overwhelming interest in commerce and a strong curiosity about mechanical things. Goblin society is fragmented, defined chiefly by commerce and trade. The ultimate schemers and con artists, goblins are always in search of a better deal. Despite their seemingly chaotic natures, they exist in a fairly strict and straightforward hierarchy. Other races universally view goblins as inventors, merchants and, without exception, maniacs. Goblins value technology as a useful aspect of commerce. Goblin technology is more far-reaching and sinister and makes a larger impact on the natural world then every other race's technology.

If you want a character who is eccentric, enthusiastic, and fun-loving, you should play a goblin.

## You Might...

* Strive to prove that you have a place among other civilized peoples, perhaps even to yourself.
* Fight tooth and nail—sometimes literally—to protect yourself and your friends from danger.
* Lighten the heavy emotional burdens others carry (and amuse yourself) with antics and pranks.

## Others Probably...

* Work to ensure you don’t accidentally (or intentionally) set too many things on fire.
* Assume you can’t—or won’t—read.
* Wonder how you survive given your ancestry’s typical gastronomic choices, reckless behavior, and love of fire.

## Physical Description

Goblins have the unique ability to be untouched by the turning of ages but with the major side effect of their physical appearance. They are stumpy humanoids with large bodies, scrawny limbs, and massively oversized heads with large ears and beady red eyes. Their skin ranges from green to gray to blue, and they often bear scars, boils, and rashes. Goblins average 3 feet tall. Most are bald, with little or no body hair. Their jagged teeth fall out and regrow constantly, and their fast metabolism means they eat constantly and nap frequently. Mutations are also more common among goblins than other peoples, and goblins usually view particularly salient mutations as a sign of power or fortune. On rare occasion a goblin may come out to look more humanoid, sometimes without the oblong head, with pupils, better body morphology, hair, etc. but these children are often killed or sacrificed on birth--few who escape find home by themselves within the wilds and become more monstrous then the average goblin or find their way to a society that accepts them.

Goblins reach adolescence by the age of 3 and adulthood 4 or 5 years later. Goblins can live 50 years or more, but without anyone to protect them from each other or themselves, few live past 20 years of age.

## Society

Goblins bond closely with their allies, fiercely protecting those companions who have protected them or offered a sympathetic ear. Goblins tend to assume for their own protection that members of taller ancestries, which goblins often refer to colloquially as “longshanks,” won’t treat them kindly. However, their attitude as a people is changing rapidly, and their short lifespans and poor memories help them adapt quickly.

Goblins are a wily, cunning race of traders and tinkers whom adventurers typically encounter as parts of trading envoys or on pirate raids. Goblin ships frequent the seas, ferrying or seeking riches, slaves or exotic wares. Rogataan's main goblin port is the town of Tenmidan, a harbor city located on the head of the Fish Isles. Many goblins worm their way into most major cities of Cyril but among many not within their homeland of Rogataan they are not trusted and commonly hated forcing them into the poor districts of the city of that.

They employ vast teams of engineers who expand on current technology and produce gadgets to suit a wide array of applications. They constantly build and repair machines and work on new ideas. Unfortunately, goblins alternate passionate genius with wandering focus. Their lack of discipline means that many creations end up half finished as something else catches their attention. Goblin workmanship has a partially deserved reputation for unreliability, and a goblin device may explode simply because its creator forgot to add a vital release valve. Goblins recognize that firearms represent a new source of power, and he who controls the source controls the gold — which is, to goblins, the ultimate power. Fortunately for the rest of the world, goblin firearm experimentation suffers from the race's normal laxity — and improperly tended gunpowder experiments continue to end the careers of many aspiring goblin tinkers. However, goblin ingenuity has paid off a few times; goblin gunpowder weapons tend to be inelegant and violently explosive (land mines, rockets and the like).

## Alignment and Religion

Even well-intentioned goblins have trouble following the rules, meaning they’re rarely lawful. Most goblin adventurers are chaotic neutral or chaotic evil. Organized worship confounds goblins, and most of them would rather pick their own deities, choosing powerful monsters, natural wonders, or anything else they find fascinating. Longshanks might have books upon books about the structures of divinity, but to a goblin, anything can be a god if you want it to. Crazed goblins or ones which find careers in the magical arts may find worship in Drakkar for his prowess in power and destruction.

## Adventurers

To some degree, almost every goblin is an adventurer, surviving life on the edge using skill and wits. Goblins explore and hunt for treasures by nature, though some become true adventurers in their own rights, often after being separated from their group or tribe.

Goblins often have the artisan, barkeep, criminal, entertainer, gambler, laborer, merchant, street urchin, tinker backgrounds. Consider playing an alchemist, since many goblins love fire, or a bard, since many goblins love songs. As scrappy survivors, goblins are often rogues who dart about the shadows, though their inherently charismatic nature also draws them to the pursuit of magical classes such as sorcerer.

## Names

Goblins keep their names simple. A good name should be easy to pronounce, short enough to shout without getting winded, and taste good to say. The namer often picks a word that rhymes with something they like so that writing songs is easier. Since there aren’t any real traditions regarding naming in goblin culture, children often name themselves once they’re old enough to do something resembling talking.

### Sample Names

Ak, Bokker, Frum, Guzmuk, Krobby, Loohi, Mazmord, Neeka, Omgot, Ranzak, Rickle, Tup, Wakla, Yonk, Zibini