Piccamo
2007-01-13, 04:19 PM
First, a bit about this campaign. This creature is for a custom campaign as a playable race (LA 0). This campaign will have the same general power level as Greyhawk or Eberron, though probably less magical. The only form of magic in this world is Pact Magic (from Tome of Magic) and there are no multiclassing penalties or favored classes. I do not have all the languages for the campaign decided yet, hence the bonus languages merely being a question mark. Please tell me what you think of the race and if you think the racial bonuses are of the right power. Thanks for the input.
Hobgoblins
Personality: Hobgoblins love to be mischievous. If there is an opportunity to have fun at someone else's expense, they will take it. Even when down on their luck and requiring the help of another, they will see if they can poke a little fun before working their way out of it. While some take this behavior to mean that they hate outsiders, this is most certainly not the case.
Hobgoblins love new faces and meeting people. They are very friendly, though most consider them to be quite ugly. While they will cause others some mischief, they will also help those are in dire need. Hobgoblins are usually perceptive enough to realize someone else's danger.
The one worst insult that can be given to a hobgoblin is a thank you. They may complain and moan about being thankless or under-appreciated, but the moment that a person actually shows that appreciation the friendship is off and an adversary may have been created. Hobgoblins often consider whatever they are doing to be the most beneficial to others and they often believe that this is undermined by those showing appreciation.
It is said that hobgoblins have 2 great loves in this world: mushrooms and fire. Any sort of mushroom is a great delicacy to the hobgoblins and is far more precious than gold to them. Fire fascinates these folk to no end and it is not unheard of for them to stay staring at the flames of a campfire for half the night. While horses are frightened by hobgoblins, the small creatures often love to try to find a way to mount the beasts. Some stories mention hobgoblins using all their resources to try and mount a horse, often to no avail.
Physical Description: Hobgoblins stand about 2 to 3 feet tall and weigh 25 to 40 pounds. Their skin ranges from dark blue to dark green, their hair is generally dark brown or black, and their eyes can be yellow, green, orange, or black. All hobgoblins are completely covered in hair, except for their faces which sometimes can grow a beard or mustache. The males prefer to be clean shaved on their face and the females grow nothing there. Generally hobgoblins will not wear any clothing, as their thick hair covers them and keeps them warm entirely. They also have a somewhat bestial appearance and long, pointed ears; in fact some ears can grow to as much as 10” long! While not necessary, hobgoblins love shoes and will often wear them as a fashion statement. Hobgoblins reach adulthood by about 14 years old and typically live to be over 500 years old.
Relations: Hobgoblins are universally members of the Unselee court. This means that they have an innate distrust and dislike for those who are members of the Selee court. This has often been likened to a human's slight loathing for the dark; as humans cannot see in the dark, hobgoblins are slightly shut off from their magical sources in the presence of members of the Selee.
Hobgoblin Lands: Hobgoblins are often found within their ancient homelands, but are at home in any wooded or cave area.
Religion: Because the Hobgoblins were originally created by Mohg, the gods often fear and forsake them. This has led to many hobgoblins becoming evil or to begin following Mohg again. There have also been several movements as of late to unite the hobgoblins with the remainder of the Unselee court for both protection, and spiritual growth. The fact that the Unselee court's leaders are gods helps in this venture immensely.
Language: Hobgoblins speak Unselee and Common. Mohg tried to ensure they would never learn Unselee, but part of the process of making them into fey to begin with required the infusion of the Unselee tongue. Mohg outlawed the use of Unselee and taught them Common, the tongue of his empire.
Names: On a hobgoblin's 10th birthday s/he receives a vision during slumber; the vision can come at any time during the day, causing the hobgoblin to fall into a deep slumber, somewhat like narcolepsy. It is a message from the beings that cannot exist from a place that does not exist, the Forsaken Ones. These Forsaken Ones are the source of all magic within Wolg, and it is they who name the hobgoblin. These names are usually several syllables long and are unlike any common words. For a non-fey to know the true name of a hobgoblin gives that person true power over it. S/he may then force the hobgoblin to do his/her bidding as though under an irresistible geas effect. This leads many hobgoblins to make up new names, taken from other nation's common names, to tell outsiders.
Adventures: Hobgoblins are very curious about the world about them and always looking for a new person on whom to play the ultimate prank. This often leads them to wander away from their homes for many years, sometimes centuries, to pursue these tendencies. They may return one day to reiterate the glory of these tricks, or may find a more suitable spot miles away and reside there, often sending word to friends and relatives back home to come live there instead. It has not been unheard of for entire towns of hobgoblins to up and move at the word of a fellow!
Miscellaneous: The Hobgoblins are said to have a king, the original hobgoblin created by Mohg. If this king should die the entire race will die out within a week. The king is currently hiding away somewhere, unknown to his people and everyone else. Also, while no one's sure if they really can, hobgoblins frequently talk with the dead. This may just be part of some elaborate practical joke or they may actually be doing it, no one knows for certain.
Hobgoblin Racial Traits
+2 Dex, -2 Strength, -2 Charisma: Hobgoblins are fairly nimble and quite easily run underfoot the large folk. They are also small and therefore not as strong as larger humanoids, likewise they are often considered very ugly and of weak force of personality.
Small: As a small creature, a hobgoblin gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a medium character.
Hobgoblin base land speed is 20 feet.
Add +2 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against Pact Magic cast by hobgoblins. Their innate Fey magic, combined with the repoire these creatures build over their lifetimes with the Forsaken Ones make them stronger at casting these spelss than others.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks: Hobgoblins have large ears.
-2 racial penalty on Handle Animal checks relating to horses: Horses dislike Hobgoblins.
Unselee Fey: As members of the Unselee Court hobgoblins feel a certain dread when within 60ft of a Selee Fey that is specific to those fey. Furthermore, when within 5ft of a Selee Fey the bonus hobgoblins receive for their DC's on Pact Magic is fully surpressed.
Hobgoblin Invisibility: The hobgoblins are truly magical creatures. While within 5ft of natural fire they gain automatic, instantaneous full concealment and may attempt to hide. This effect lasts as long as the hobgoblin does not move any distance, even around the fire, and does not take any standard actions. Animals may see through this concealment completely.
Fire Fascination: Every minute in the presence of natural fire s/he must make a will saving throw (DC 15) or become fascinated for 1 minute.
Spell-like Abilities: Because of their innate love and weakness to fire hobgoblins have learned some abilities: 1/day: 0th Level: Dancing Lights, Light. These are cast as a druid of equal HD.
Fey Traits:
Low-light vision: A hobgoblin can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Proficient with all simple weapons.
Automatic Languages: Common and Unselee. Bonus Languages: ?
Level Adjustment: +0
Hobgoblins
Personality: Hobgoblins love to be mischievous. If there is an opportunity to have fun at someone else's expense, they will take it. Even when down on their luck and requiring the help of another, they will see if they can poke a little fun before working their way out of it. While some take this behavior to mean that they hate outsiders, this is most certainly not the case.
Hobgoblins love new faces and meeting people. They are very friendly, though most consider them to be quite ugly. While they will cause others some mischief, they will also help those are in dire need. Hobgoblins are usually perceptive enough to realize someone else's danger.
The one worst insult that can be given to a hobgoblin is a thank you. They may complain and moan about being thankless or under-appreciated, but the moment that a person actually shows that appreciation the friendship is off and an adversary may have been created. Hobgoblins often consider whatever they are doing to be the most beneficial to others and they often believe that this is undermined by those showing appreciation.
It is said that hobgoblins have 2 great loves in this world: mushrooms and fire. Any sort of mushroom is a great delicacy to the hobgoblins and is far more precious than gold to them. Fire fascinates these folk to no end and it is not unheard of for them to stay staring at the flames of a campfire for half the night. While horses are frightened by hobgoblins, the small creatures often love to try to find a way to mount the beasts. Some stories mention hobgoblins using all their resources to try and mount a horse, often to no avail.
Physical Description: Hobgoblins stand about 2 to 3 feet tall and weigh 25 to 40 pounds. Their skin ranges from dark blue to dark green, their hair is generally dark brown or black, and their eyes can be yellow, green, orange, or black. All hobgoblins are completely covered in hair, except for their faces which sometimes can grow a beard or mustache. The males prefer to be clean shaved on their face and the females grow nothing there. Generally hobgoblins will not wear any clothing, as their thick hair covers them and keeps them warm entirely. They also have a somewhat bestial appearance and long, pointed ears; in fact some ears can grow to as much as 10” long! While not necessary, hobgoblins love shoes and will often wear them as a fashion statement. Hobgoblins reach adulthood by about 14 years old and typically live to be over 500 years old.
Relations: Hobgoblins are universally members of the Unselee court. This means that they have an innate distrust and dislike for those who are members of the Selee court. This has often been likened to a human's slight loathing for the dark; as humans cannot see in the dark, hobgoblins are slightly shut off from their magical sources in the presence of members of the Selee.
Hobgoblin Lands: Hobgoblins are often found within their ancient homelands, but are at home in any wooded or cave area.
Religion: Because the Hobgoblins were originally created by Mohg, the gods often fear and forsake them. This has led to many hobgoblins becoming evil or to begin following Mohg again. There have also been several movements as of late to unite the hobgoblins with the remainder of the Unselee court for both protection, and spiritual growth. The fact that the Unselee court's leaders are gods helps in this venture immensely.
Language: Hobgoblins speak Unselee and Common. Mohg tried to ensure they would never learn Unselee, but part of the process of making them into fey to begin with required the infusion of the Unselee tongue. Mohg outlawed the use of Unselee and taught them Common, the tongue of his empire.
Names: On a hobgoblin's 10th birthday s/he receives a vision during slumber; the vision can come at any time during the day, causing the hobgoblin to fall into a deep slumber, somewhat like narcolepsy. It is a message from the beings that cannot exist from a place that does not exist, the Forsaken Ones. These Forsaken Ones are the source of all magic within Wolg, and it is they who name the hobgoblin. These names are usually several syllables long and are unlike any common words. For a non-fey to know the true name of a hobgoblin gives that person true power over it. S/he may then force the hobgoblin to do his/her bidding as though under an irresistible geas effect. This leads many hobgoblins to make up new names, taken from other nation's common names, to tell outsiders.
Adventures: Hobgoblins are very curious about the world about them and always looking for a new person on whom to play the ultimate prank. This often leads them to wander away from their homes for many years, sometimes centuries, to pursue these tendencies. They may return one day to reiterate the glory of these tricks, or may find a more suitable spot miles away and reside there, often sending word to friends and relatives back home to come live there instead. It has not been unheard of for entire towns of hobgoblins to up and move at the word of a fellow!
Miscellaneous: The Hobgoblins are said to have a king, the original hobgoblin created by Mohg. If this king should die the entire race will die out within a week. The king is currently hiding away somewhere, unknown to his people and everyone else. Also, while no one's sure if they really can, hobgoblins frequently talk with the dead. This may just be part of some elaborate practical joke or they may actually be doing it, no one knows for certain.
Hobgoblin Racial Traits
+2 Dex, -2 Strength, -2 Charisma: Hobgoblins are fairly nimble and quite easily run underfoot the large folk. They are also small and therefore not as strong as larger humanoids, likewise they are often considered very ugly and of weak force of personality.
Small: As a small creature, a hobgoblin gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a medium character.
Hobgoblin base land speed is 20 feet.
Add +2 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against Pact Magic cast by hobgoblins. Their innate Fey magic, combined with the repoire these creatures build over their lifetimes with the Forsaken Ones make them stronger at casting these spelss than others.
+2 racial bonus on Listen checks: Hobgoblins have large ears.
-2 racial penalty on Handle Animal checks relating to horses: Horses dislike Hobgoblins.
Unselee Fey: As members of the Unselee Court hobgoblins feel a certain dread when within 60ft of a Selee Fey that is specific to those fey. Furthermore, when within 5ft of a Selee Fey the bonus hobgoblins receive for their DC's on Pact Magic is fully surpressed.
Hobgoblin Invisibility: The hobgoblins are truly magical creatures. While within 5ft of natural fire they gain automatic, instantaneous full concealment and may attempt to hide. This effect lasts as long as the hobgoblin does not move any distance, even around the fire, and does not take any standard actions. Animals may see through this concealment completely.
Fire Fascination: Every minute in the presence of natural fire s/he must make a will saving throw (DC 15) or become fascinated for 1 minute.
Spell-like Abilities: Because of their innate love and weakness to fire hobgoblins have learned some abilities: 1/day: 0th Level: Dancing Lights, Light. These are cast as a druid of equal HD.
Fey Traits:
Low-light vision: A hobgoblin can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Proficient with all simple weapons.
Automatic Languages: Common and Unselee. Bonus Languages: ?
Level Adjustment: +0