Goblins of Golarion!

[Vattic]

What do you guys think of goblins, and the new sourcebook for them for the pathfinder system?

Personally, I am in love with goblins. I think it has to do with my love for all things even vaguely related to old man coyote, raven, brer rabbit etc. Trickster gods and their children just speak to me.

Goblins seem incredibly free to me. Free to behave in any way they please, free to indulge their passions wantonly and without the slightest fear of either compromise or of death (the fear of death often leads to compromise).

I dig the book, but I feel that it falls short in several regards. Not enough feats, for one. Too much contradictory fluff, for another. Claiming that goblins are intelligent, and then depicting them as lemmings eager for the cliff is a bit of a contrast imho.

I was hoping for a resource that would help me build more flavorful goblins, and they did deliver in some respects. But a large opportunity was lost by the pretty standard and vanilla interpretation of goblins that was provided.

I saw the same problem in the orcs of golarion supplement, but to a far greater degree. Anyone who bought the orcs book most likely regretted their decision after about 5 minutes of studious reading. Worst Supplement Ever. Anyway, as much as I'd love to bitch about the portrayal of orcs, I'll try to stay on topic in my own thread.

Goblins. Yeah. So what do you think? Did pathfinder do a good thing? Do you have goblin NPC's in your campaign? What about goblin PC's? Did you enjoy Goblins of Golarion?

[Cieyrin]

I enjoyed reading the book and I think Paizo provided an excellent slice of the goblin life that is somewhat coherent. There may be conflicts here and there but that's just how goblins are, little bags of contained chaos. These are not Hobgoblins, with their military protocol and ordered ranks, these are Goblins, who rush forth to do what catches their fancy at that time, their superstitions and folklore constantly coloring what they see and hear and how they react to new things, often with violence.

[nyarlathotep]

Also for racial feats all of the new goblin specific ones were absurdly good.

[FatR]

Goblins. Yeah. So what do you think? Did pathfinder do a good thing?
No. You've nailed the reason why yourself:

Too much contradictory fluff, for another. Claiming that goblins are intelligent, and then depicting them as lemmings eager for the cliff is a bit of a contrast imho.

This was practically unevitable, though. Golarion wouldn't be Golarion without pointless grimderpdark. In case of monster races this means that they must be blight on the world, impossible to reason with or rehabilitate. Which in practice means making them lemmings, which is more noticeable with goblins, because they aren't actually entirely hardwired to kill everyone else in the most painful way possible, like Golarion bugbears, orcs and ogres.


Do you have goblin NPC's in your campaign?
I think I went overboard with my portrayal of goblins when I ran Runelordds, so by now my players are convinced that the only good goblin is a dead goblin (then again, why shouldn't they think this way about a race, that appears in adventures solely as sociopathic man-eaters?). Maybe I should add some goblin NPCs in the future, but I don't think I'll use any of Golarion's goblins characterization.

[Vattic]

Also for racial feats all of the new goblin specific ones were absurdly good.

really? *flips through companion*

i guess that i like combat distraction, roll with it and vandal. but they are still pretty situational. the other feats add a d4 damage from a bite or with fire, help inspire other goblins (which is good only if the whole party is goblins, but if they are then this feat is pretty bad ass) etc. nothing too shiny here.

i think my biggest problem with the companion is that the goblins have no intelligence penalty, yet their culture seems completely, forgive me please, retarded. now, some may like this, little monstrosities running about biting and burning and getting stabbed in their bulbous heads constantly. but i wouldn't characterize this behavior as intelligent. not by a long shot.

what about sneaky merchant gobins? you know, goblin economics, goblin markets? they aren't expressly forbidden, but neither does the fluff support much else but chaotic little cannibals. it seems like they picked one perspective from which to write about, and then ignored any other possible expressions of goblitude.

i mean, where are the options for druidic, shamanistic, or oracular goblins? same as the other standard races, which is kind of sad for a tribal/nomadic race. where are the options for shadowy ranger/assassin type goblins? yep, pretty much the same unless you want to take the feat that gives you bonuses to horses and dogs. yeah, you certainly fight those a lot in most campaigns.

i realize that i am complaining a bit much about a decent product. it's not terrible, and it is leagues above and beyond that horror that was orcs of golarion. but. they picked a stereotype and pushed it hard rather than provide a nuanced look into some of the more interesting monsters one might choose to play. a very shallow, one dimensional stereotype at that.

thoughts?

[Thurbane]

These are not Hobgoblins, with their military protocol and ordered ranks, these are Goblins, who rush forth to do what catches their fancy at that time, their superstitions and folklore constantly coloring what they see and hear and how they react to new things, often with violence.
"A group of seven goblins approaches...it is plain that they are not hobgoblins by their haphazard way of walking, neither tarrying nor running." :smalltongue:

[BobVosh]

"A group of seven goblins approaches...it is plain that they are not hobgoblins by their haphazard way of walking, neither tarrying nor running." :smalltongue:

A goblin is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he fancies to.

[Paul H]

Hi

There is the free "We Be Goblins" scenario for PFS. It's hilarious.

You play one of a group of gobbo's, and at the end of the adventure you get a chonicle sheet to add to a low level character in the PFS campaign. Nice access to Fireworks! :smallbiggrin:

Ran it online short time ago. About one third time spent actually on the mission, two thirds just doing silly voices, laughing & having fun.

Highly recommended.
http://paizo.com/pathfinderSociety/scenarios/sanctioned

Thanks
Paul H