Basic History
"Goblins were once a race of elves transformed by Yu'Zodo" is a lie that has been told and retold over many centuries, casting undo suspicion upon them. The reality however is far more grim.
Like many of the races that call Nor'Ova home, goblins are not a natural race. They are sadly a byproduct of the hubris of the powerful. They are not the result of genetic testing for some noble cause like some of the races. No, they are the direct result of the Great Magic War itself. The goblins of today can trace their lineage back to the ones who could not find shelter when the bombs went off. Twisted by radiation both magical and man-made, the first so-called goblins were the survivors of men, women, and children who were not given the chance to survive. Goblin kind is the result of those in power not caring. They are a walking, living, breathing punishment of greed and pride. Goblins are the very children of the apocalypse.
In the years following the Great Magic War, during the long winter when the rest of the world hid in caves and bunkers, the first goblins were surviving on the surface. There they dealt with both nuclear winter and ravaging magic storms. They survived on waters tainted and meat radiated. Their features forever changed from the races they once were to grotesque creatures that roamed the ruin plains and broken cities. Yet throughout all of this, never did they lose their sense of being. Never did they lose the spark that separates beasts from the races of elf and men.
When the first of the races came out the goblins tried to fit in with them. Most were either turned away or killed out of fear, disgust, or perhaps a bit of both. The other races did not know what these goblins were. How could anything so unsightly be good? Surely they must be twisted creatures in service to Yu'Zodo. So the goblin kind lived along side of but not with the other races. Most living in caves and ruins that the other races had abandoned. Some living in the sewers of the cities of the other races.
Goblin kind made many attempts to join with the others. Some would create and sell contraptions to them, some worked ok and others would fall apart or explode. Other goblins went the path of alchemy and would try to sell potions whose effects were far better than what they could make but all carried strange side effects. Even others tried to win over the dwarven races and would try to share their mines with them, however that would often end in tragedy when the mines would collapse or fill with gas or flame. And finally some would become so desperate for inclusion that they would swap their young with the young of humans or elves, which never ended well.
To this very day goblins seek both to survive and to develop more positive relationships with the other races.
Positives & Negatives
Goblins are erratic, aloof, and love to play tricks on others. Goblins, being so small, seems to be at a disadvantage. But they do have some advantages. Goblins have a natural aptitude towards geomancy and pyromancy. Also being so short, they can fit into places that other races cannot. Goblins are also very adept at alchemistry and trap setting, making them more effective than anyone else. Goblins also have a scrapper's ingenuity which lets them piece together quickly contraptions that could either be extremely useful or explode on them.
Goblins due suffer from the assumption that they are evil and general misunderstandings. Their appearance only makes things worse for them. Goblins try hard to fit in and be useful but they always seem to mess up. Some goblins will play this off as purposeful trying to make light of the situation, while others will apologize over and over and try to make it right. They have gained the reputation of mischief makers and tricksters because of this.
Goblins have increased magical healing or damaging power, with the increase depending upon their element. If the goblin is a geomancer, the increase is x 1.4 (40%) . If the goblin is a pyromancer, the increase is x 1.3 (30%). All other forms of magic enjoy an increase to healing or damage power of x 1.1 (10%). Unfortunately, they are easily addicted to potions but are immune to poisons. They are highly clever and inventive, making them great as saboteurs and adventurers. Having a goblin in the party may make dealing with others more difficult but it will surely bring unexpected rewards and laughable moments.
Racial Skills & Talents
Goblins start with the following skills:
| Skill | Stat Cost | Range & Area | Duration | Check Roll | Effects | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distraction | 1 Soul | any within a 3x3 space area | instant | Normal Perform +1 |
Targets in affected area must make normal focus check to not lose concentration, or their spells they are casting will fail to cast. |
N/A |
| Item Combination | N/A | self | instant | Easy Insight |
Lets you combine a number of items to make a new item:
|
N/A |
| Junk Shield | 2 Soul | self | until broken | Normal Insight |
The goblin can quickly assemble a shield from scrap using a support action that will block damage with a successful Normal Defense check, without needed to use a Block skill. It will block 1d10 damage however it breaks after being hit 1d4 times. This shield can be used by the goblin or given to any of the goblin's allies. |
be a goblin |
| Relentless Mockery | 2 Soul | 1 target within 6 spaces | instant | Normal Intimidate |
The goblin will mock endlessly any one hearing target that is within 6 spaces. The hearing target must make a normal mental balance check. If the target fails, the target will receive loss of self status effect for 1d6 rounds. |
be a goblin |
| Scurry | 1 Power | self | 1 movement action | Easy Acrobatics |
The goblin can drop to all fours and scurry along more quickly than normal. This doubles the goblin's movement and allows for movement without triggering Attack of Opportunity. |
be a goblin |
| Set Trap | N/A | area in front of you | until trap is sprung | Easy Stealth |
You can set traps. You will need to design your trap and have the needed materials. |
N/A |
Goblins also have the following talents:
| Talent | Effects | Requirements | Handicap Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low Light Vision |
You are used to working and living in areas of limited light, so while they can't fully see in the dark, they can see better than most. Your eyes quickly pick up the slightest light sources allowing them to make out basic details in shades of gray. |
be of a cave dwelling race (dwarf, cave ravager yeti, goblin) |
N/A |
| Survivor of the Apocalpyse |
When the goblin's vitality would be reduced to 0, the goblin can make an easy Survival check to instead have it reduced to 1. |
must be a goblin |
Grotesque Stigma: any influence and persuade checks are increased by one difficulty level. Charm checks are always set at impossible difficulty. |
| Trap Proof |
Being masters of trap setting and disarming, it should come as no surprise that the goblin can simply ignore and be ignored by most traps. |
must be a goblin |
N/A |
| Unstable Invention |
As a support action a Goblin can jury-rig an item, weapon, or potion.
|
must be a goblin |
N/A |
Lifespan
Goblins have two stages of life, childhood and adulthood. Childhood, which last from birth until 10, the child is completely dependent of his/her parents for every need. This is the stage the goblin learns to take care of himself. During adulthood, which last from 11 until death, the goblin leaves his parents and tries to make his own way in the world.
Goblins often forget about their parents and any family they have, and it is not uncommon that, because of this, the goblin's mate often ends up being related to the goblin. A goblin male constantly is searching for a mate, but never settles down with one significant mate. Instead the goblin male will during the adult stage have as many as ten different mates a year. Female Goblins on the other hand seem contempt with being alive simply for mating, as it is taught to them during their childhood what their purpose in life is, a left over teaching when surviving the fall out of the Great Magic war when life was much more harsh and a lot shorter. When a goblin reaches their max age, they die of a severe heart attack.
As noted before, sometimes goblins will swap out their young with that of a human or elf. The goblin will raise the one they took to the best of their ability and when the young one is 10 years old, the goblin will attempt to make contact to bring the young back to their parents, sometimes creating a story of how they both wound up with each other's kids. More often than not the goblin young that was placed in the care of the other family will no longer be around. However if by some miracle that they are, they will have a lifespan that is 10-50 years longer than normal goblins, likely due to the better care that the host family could have given the young one. They will also have an increase of +1 to all Intellect traits while having a -1 to all Fortitude traits. This is simply due to the easier upbringing with better education provided. The one taken by the goblin will have the reverse, an 10-40 year shorter life span, a decrease of 1 to all Intellect traits and an increase of +1 to all Fortitude traits.
Appearance
A goblin's appearance isn't fully universal, but there are certain aspects that are present on all goblins likely due to generations of inbreeding and their ancestors having all experienced the same hellscape that was post Great Magic War Nor'Ova. This is despite the fact that those that became goblins were of different races, mainly human and elven.
The similarities are that all have long pointed ears, from 2 to 4 inches long, all pointed horizontally. They are also all hunched over suffering from skeletal complications that prohibit standing upright. Their eyes are large and will dilate fully allowing for low light vision. It is also extremely rare for a goblin to grow facial hair or hair on their heads, though bodily hair is common. Their skin color varies from pale white to deep green with all shades in between.
The differences however vary greatly. Some have ears that are mangled. Some are thin, some are obese. Some may have only one eye or three eyes. Some may be missing fingers and toes or have extra.
Living Habitat
Goblins try desperately to live alongside other races, whether it be the mountains with the dwarves, the deep forests with the yerk elves, or the cities. However they are often chased away. This leaves the mountain goblins to live in the abandoned mines or forgotten caves, the forest goblins to live in the darker parts of the woods often in ancient ruins, and the city goblins to live in the sewers. Goblins are always traveling, looking for acceptance.
Food & Sleeping Requirements
Goblins consume 2 meals a day consisting of meat, and drink water or other liquids with each meal. Goblins prefer raw food over cooked food but will happily eat any food. They must sleep at least 4 hours a day or suffer from lost endurance.
Culture
It is hard to really define a culture for the goblins as they have tried so long to fit in with others. It is easiest to say that their culture is a smorgasbord of many different cultures, patch-worked in in ways that are often seen as offensive by the culture they are trying to imitate. But the goblins mean no harm here, they are simply trying to belong.
Therefore if the nearest culture is a matriarchy, so will that goblin clan be but with a goblin twist that the goblin men still seem to call the shots. If they are imitating a culture that values warriors and courage, their version of it will value the goblin warrior who wins no matter what.
Some goblins will take the youth of another race and replace it with one of their own. That youth will be brought up in goblin custom and when the youth becomes 10, to the best estimation of the goblin parents anyways, they will attempt to return the youth to their real parents and pick up their own youth. If the other parents didn't keep the goblin youth, the goblin parents will not return the stolen youth without due compensation.
While most of goblin kind do seek to fit in and be accepted, there are those that are tired of trying to prove themselves and choose to live up to the stereotype placed upon them. They give into trickery and cruelty. The other goblins call these gremlins and write them off as if they have died.
Goblins really do not care about religion, and names do not matter much to them. The goblin will often choose his or her own name when they turn ten during a naming ceremony. The typical means is to name oneself after something that they like, that they see, that they smell, or just some word that sounds good to them even if it is gibberish. The goblin clan ensures that they do not pick a name already used in the clan, but it is not unheard of that they will have the same exact name as a goblin in another clan.
Racial Relations
Other races typically will not associate with the goblins, but the goblins keep trying regardless. Sometimes, rarely, they do make a friend of someone of another race, and they will share everything with that friend.
There are tragic events however where the goblin attempts to get close to someone of another race. There is the infamous story concerning the conception of a half-goblin named Ishmal.
The Tragic Story of Ishmal
'Get a human drunk enough, and he will sleep with anything...' Such was often the excuse used or believed when it came to Ishmal. Being an oddity that is the result of a goblin and a human mating that he is, often times led to strange stories about how he could even come to exist.
The truth of the matter though is perhaps stranger and way darker than even the wildest story imagined. Ishmal's mother, Ga'lea was a typical goblin female, though perhaps more ruthless than some. Goblins, as they are, had always had the strangest obsessions to fit in and to be accepted. For Ga'lea, her acceptance as it were, was the human boy named Mikael. Mikael, at the young age of ten, had come to her rescue when she was trapped within a storm drain in of the Mercada village of Capa City. It had been one of the rare extremely wet monsoons that had drenched the typically arid city, the cobblestone streets werr inundated and the currents had swept away the young goblin female when she was chasing after a shiny trinket that was carried by the same flood waters, until she herself got stuck in the overflowing drain. The human child saw the strange creature, and only wishing to know some form of happiness in the very destitute village, he pulled her out and placed her on a top step of a door stoop.
From that moment on, Ga'lea had proclaimed the boy to be her friend. She stuck to him like glue. Mikael's single widow mother was concerned, but when she saw that her boy was not only smiling for the first time in many, many years, but also that the goblin protected him from the various street predators that often preyed on the young, the mother came to accept the goblin and eventually allowed her to live with them. Ga'lea and Mikael were inseparable. They went everywhere together, played games together, and when Mikael was threatened by addicts, thieves, and those with undeniable hungers, Ga'lea met them with deadly force. To Mikael, Ga'lea was his closest friend and the only bright spot in his suffering life. She kept him safe and kept him company, and her odd ways and strange speech helped to take his mind from the reality of things, from the long hours his mother must work, from the tricks she must play, and from the gradual worsening of her health. For Ga'lea, Mikael was her most special and dearest friend. He was her whole world.
Things took a change though when Mikael turned 15. In Ga'lea's small mind, Mikael was no longer a boy but a man. She had stayed away from the other goblins that dwelled within the undercity for so long now, and thus she had no suitors and was coming close to beyond the age of reproduction. Her friend would have to do. So one night Ga'lea awakened Mikael from his slumber when she proceeded to rape the youth. He screamed in protest as she had her way with him, but Ga'lea did not understand the screams and persisted. By the time Mikael's mother had busted into the room, the deed was done. Ga'lea was so frightened by the raging mother and her screaming friend, that she thought to quickly dismount and swing behind the boy for protection, but her claws caught the youth's jugular. As she saw her dearest friend bleed to death and choke on his own blood and the now berserked mother rushing towards her, dagger drawn, Ga'lea had no choice but to flee. She quickly escaped through the window and scurried away down into the sewers.
Ga'lea remained forever distraught about what had happened to her precious friend, about what she had done. When her baby came, she sought out the house to give the child to the mother who's child she had taken, only to discover that she too had died not long after. Distressed beyond belief, the imp mother left the child on the doorsteps of the St. Tiana Orphanage, an orphanage well known for taken in the forgotten youth who were strange and different - though usually due to magic mutation. Ga'lea then returned to the sewers where she took her own life.