Down, down, to goblin town...

Hey, three posts in three days! This is what I was aiming for, not my 'once every week maybe' rate. Sorry.

Ah, another long essay on another of D&Ds surfeit of humanoids. The main thing with goblins is distinguishing them from kobolds. Small? Check. Cowardly? Check. Considered fodder? Check. In Shattered World, goblins have two marginally interesting traits -- they aren't a race of bloodthirsty backstabbers who kill each other for sport or because they're bored, unlike pretty much every other humanoid race, and they have a naturally occuring psionic 'leader' caste which can make them act very differently (as well as providing unexpected surprises for those who assume all goblins are 1/2 hit die XP on the hoof...)

Coming tomorrow (or later today, if my odd level of creative energy continues): Kobolds, aka, Arrogant Little Bastards.

Goblins
Goblins are the second-smallest and weakest of the four main goblinoid races. They were created as the 'middle management' caste by the Illithids, and given, more than any other servitor race, the gift of psionics. While each of the three major goblin races has their own legends of the rebellion, the truth of the matter is that the goblins -- the weak, despised, and often oppressed goblins -- were the true masterminds and instigators. The hobgoblins were too loyal; the bugbears too brutal. Of all the servitors, it was the goblins who first developed the notion of 'gods', and were the first to create -- or discover -- them. This new faith grew slowly underground, promulgated by the psionic leader goblins who could hide their thoughts, and the thoughts of the faithful, from their masters. By the time the Illithid suspected, it was too late -- the rebellion was spreading out of control.

When the races fought free to the surface, it was assumed by the goblins that they'd pick up where the Illithids left off. But the long war had reduced their psionics to a mere handful, and in the upper layers of the underworld,strength and size counted for a lot. The three races split and fragmented; the goblins, small and weak, were treated as inferiors or outright slaves. There were new gods, stronger gods, to support the others.

Over time, the goblins retreated to the safety and comfort of the caves. They split into many tribes, each carrying only a small part of their accumulated lore, and as millennia wore on, most of it was distorted and forgotten. Today, the goblins know nothing of their true heritage or origins; they have their own creation myths which only obliquely speak of their captivity and rebellion.

Goblins have learned to be sneaky. There is no goblin term for "fair fight"; there are only "fights you are certain to win" and "fights to avoid". Superior numbers are the primary goblin tactic; they will not attack with fewer than 4-1 odds, and prefer much greater. There are few goblin armies (except those under the command of other powers); goblins form raiding bands. You will never see a goblin force assault a town openly, but a hundred of them might boil up from the sewers, tear through a small neighborhood, and vanish again before the cry can be raised. They take prisoners rarely; they fear what the prisoners might do if they escape. They might capture and torture someone if they think he knows where treasure is, or, very rarely, kidnap someone for ransom (such plots are usually done when a Blue is leading them), but they are not generally slavetakers. They are perhaps the most "merciful" of the humanoids, preferring to kill quickly; this is done more out of fear than kindness, of course.

Goblins like traps, but they are not nearly as cunning as kobolds; they prefer simple traps which immobilize victims so that a dozen goblins can swarm out and fire bolt after bolt into the trapped intruders. If Blues are available, there will often be psionic warning systems put into place, as well.

Goblins are generally self-sufficient, though they prefer to steal if they can. Goblin smiths make passable weapons and armor, and the deep goblin cities are fully functioning centers of trade and commerce. Goblins are primarily carnivorous, but will survive off fungus and others subterranean plants if they must; they mostly herd giant slugs as meatbeasts.

Goblin tribes which have left the caves usually dwell in the deep forests, places where there are many good hiding spots. Such goblins are nomadic; there are few goblin communities on the surface.

Culture
Goblins are among the most cooperative of the humanoids, at least among themselves. Inter-tribe rivalries are settled by formalized ritual combats instead of genocidal war, and internal politics is based on cunning debate instead of raw power. The goblins automatically and instinctively defer to any 'Blue'; all such born are raised by others of their kind (if any exist). A tribe or community which has several such members often changes in character, becoming more driven to conquest or expansion, though still in an essentially cowardly fashion.

Indeed, cowardice is a virtue among goblins, not a vice. To survive to run away is no shame. "Come back without your shield, without your sword, without your leg...but come back!" is the goblin military credo. "Don't let them see the yellows of your eyes!" is another. "Brave" and "Foolish" are synonyms.

Goblin solidarity does not, of course, extend to any non-goblin race, especially not to the dwarves, who are the goblins most vicious foes. The fact goblins are unusually peaceful among themselves does not make them one whit less savage or brutal when dealing with other races. They are almost incapable of making cross-racial deals without treachery or deceit; they never seek to share territory. They will not fight to their own extinction, but will flee rather than live in peace with a powerful neighbor.

Religion is very important to the goblins. They have one of the largest pantheons recorded, and it is often uncertain if the gods are all unique, or are merely different aspects of a smaller number of true deities. Individual gods in the goblin pantheon tend to be weak and highly focused, with few greater gods wielding mighty powers. Much like the goblins themselves, their gods must cooperate to get things done.

Goblins are communal in terms of family and childrearing. They do not marry or form any kind of long-lasting relationships, and are very sexually egalitarian -- another difference from the other humanoid races. Goblins seeking sex will try to bribe a potential mate with gifts and treasures, usually stolen. This is one of the few things which can make a goblin brave -- or at least, less cowardly. Showing daring in the pursuit of a mating-gift is considered admirable (and does a good job of keeping the goblin stock from degenerating completely). As is typical, a 'Blue' does not need to engage in such feats; they merely need to express interest and the object of their affection will almost always comply.

Children are raised by the community and parentage is rarely a matter of record. There is some measure of status in having had many mates, and goblins will often wear tokens from each mate as a way of 'showing off'.

Post Crush
The Crush had surprisingly little impact on the goblins. They lost some of their largest cities in the cataclysm, but they didn't have many to begin with; they were always a widespread people. Tribes which were partially destroyed managed to merge with other tribes and regroup. The destruction of their enemies, especially the dwarves, only benefitted them.

Goblin communities are widespread, but the largest are in the eastern mountains. They are not afraid of technology, but neither are they comfortable with it, and rarely adopt or use it. They do not actively attack holdfasts, but will raid trading caravans if they have an edge, or find passages into towns and use them to conduct lightning-fast assaults.

Of late, though, some goblins have been on the move -- large bands have been spotted migrating. These bands are always led by one or more blues, and engage in some very un-goblin-like behavior, such as directly attacking foes and not retreating until the situation is truly desperate, as opposed to at the point where they take any casualties at all.