Goblin

Goblins can be described as impulsive, short-tempered, and easily distracted creatures with a love of shiny objects and a sadistic sense of humor. They are prone to vandalism and self-destructive behavior when bored, but can also be kept busy and distracted by games and dares. Their songs and stories are often crude, violent, and focus on dirty fighting techniques. Goblins are not known for their intelligence, but they can be cunning and are skilled at stealth and deception. They tend to be loyal to their tribe and chieftain, but are quick to turn on each other. Overall, goblins exhibit a behavior and psychology that is often chaotic, violent, and unpredictable.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Goblins are widely known for their short stature and unattractive appearance. Their heads are enlarged and filled with needle-sharp teeth in large, perpetually grinning mouths. When fully grown, they typically stand about 3 feet tall and have skin tones that vary in color, with green, gray, and blue being the most common, depending on their habitat. Blue goblins are usually found on warm seashores, while gray-skinned goblins are more common on temperate coasts, and green goblins are often found in forests. It has been suggested that goblins may adapt to the color of their environment, with pale goblins living in the north and pitch-black ones inhabiting deep mines.
Their faces feature red eyes and huge pointed ears on large heads. The ears are usually stiff, but they droop in old age or when they are deeply saddened. Male goblins typically lack hair, so many wear hoods to keep their heads warm. Females, on the other hand, often have dark, wiry hair and are physically similar to males, though with smaller heads and larger eyes.

Genetics and Reproduction

Goblins have a relatively short lifespan and are generally more interested in causing mischief, such as pulling the wings off butterflies or setting things on fire, than in mating. Whether goblins practice monogamy varies from tribe to tribe, with open relationships more common in regions where goblins are scarce. When goblins do form close relationships, it is usually out of convenience and fear rather than love for their partner. In fact, particularly dangerous goblins are often considered good mates because they are less likely to harm their mates.
Mated goblins may form a truce to scavenge for food or protect their treasure, with the understanding that their roles as guardians can be switched if necessary, allowing the previous guardian to engage in reckless behavior. However, miscommunication is common, and both goblins may abandon their responsibilities at the same time.

Growth Rate & Stages

Goblin infants are born with disproportionately large heads and spindly limbs, resembling comical caricatures of their adult counterparts. Despite their unusual appearance, goblin babies are surprisingly self-sufficient, equipped with a full set of teeth at birth. While a single goblin could theoretically care for its offspring, communal rearing is the norm among goblin tribes. Babies are kept in cage-like structures and raised almost as pets, with little supervision. Accidents and deaths are common, but the goblins generally view this as a natural culling of the weak and helpless.
Goblins reach maturity at the age of five, but their lifespan is relatively short, with few surviving past 20 years, even with exceptional luck. The exception to this rule are chieftains and religious leaders with access to healing magic, who may live longer. Even so, it is extremely rare for a goblin to live past the age of 50.
As goblins mature, they are given short names that are easy to call out in battle. Unless the goblin in question is highly respected, another goblin may quickly lose interest and wander away if the name is too long. Goblin chieftains and other influential figures have longer names that reflect their fighting prowess and qualities, though many chieftains choose to take the name of their predecessor, especially if they have consumed some of their predecessor's spirit.

Dietary Needs and Habits

With the ability to digest almost any organic matter, goblins are always hungry, with a preference for well-cooked and salted meat. They can survive on almost anything in a pinch, though their hunger usually drives them to forage for food before their stomachs begin to growl.
Storing food is a challenge for goblins due to their constant hunger. Their solution is to cure food in brine, which both preserves it and softens hard-to-eat items. Goblins are proud of their teeth and take care of them by chewing on stringy plants. Tooth loss can quickly lead to starvation and death, and adventurers may encounter goblins cleaning their teeth with needles, ferns, or files.
Goblin food storage rooms are often easily identifiable by their limited contents. These rooms will be quickly depleted by bored or hungry visitors if not well guarded. However, assigning goblins to guard the room is not a practical solution, as they may become distracted or even join the raid. Some tribes hire or force other creatures such as bugbears or ogres to guard their food, but this can lead to problems if the guard becomes too powerful and decides to take the food for himself. Alternatively, some tribes stock bland foods that goblins tend to dislike, such as cabbage, carrots, or turnips, to deter pantry raids. This is not foolproof, however, as goblins still enjoy pickled vegetables.
Cannibalism occurs in some goblin tribes, especially after the death of a member, and goblins will eat anything if they are hungry enough. While there is no social stigma for goblins regarding cannibalism, goblins who have developed a taste for goblin meat are quickly shunned and feared.
Goblins have a high tolerance for salt and can survive on salt water for short periods of time. Some tribes have even developed their own saltwater-based concoctions as a primary ingredient in their diet.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Restlessness is a defining characteristic of the goblin senses. Their eyes are constantly scanning the horizon for potential threats, their ears are constantly alert for danger, and their noses are constantly sniffing for food and fire. Despite their heightened senses, however, goblins are not particularly observant and are easily distracted, even in the dark. When goblins team up with mounts such as goblin dogs or worgs, they often rely on the superior senses of their animal companions.
Interestingly, taste is the least developed of a goblin's senses, which is a blessing considering their dietary habits. While goblins can easily detect spicy, sour, or salty foods, they lack the ability to detect more subtle tastes. This may explain their fondness for pickled foods, as well as their love of hot peppers, which provide a painful and fiery sensation that goblins find enjoyable.

Civilization and Culture

Common Dress Code

Goblins have a habit of saving everything, believing that anything can be of use in the future. Therefore, they throw nothing away and use everything they have to build weapons, armor, homes, and cages. Even what is considered "junk" today could be the difference between life and death in the future. As a result, goblin clothing tends to be a patchwork of mismatched materials and styles, often in poor condition.
Because raiding is an ever-present possibility, goblin clothing is designed to blend in with the environment and facilitate stealth. This ability to create clothing that camouflages itself in the wild is one reason why goblins are such excellent sneaks. Most goblins prefer lightweight, functional clothing with plenty of pockets for storing snacks, loops for holding weapons, and most importantly, tribal fetishes and souvenirs from previous battles. Goblin warriors like to adorn themselves with items taken from raids, and the more powerful the warrior, the more trophies they carry. Although goblins are not typically interested in money, they are attracted to shiny objects. Valuable items can be found hanging from a goblin's neck, tucked under his armpit, or tied around his head.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Songs

Goblins have a rich and extensive cultural history, despite their reputation for being sadistic and destructive. Singing is a popular activity among goblins, and their songs play an important role in preserving their oral history. These songs are often bawdy and violent, but they are also incredibly catchy and easy to remember. Goblin songs are blunt and brutal, with simple rhymes and rude and violent words. Although goblins usually sing in their own language, many goblin bards and singers learn the language of their enemies to ensure that they understand the message.
Singing is an important part of goblin training, along with weapon training. To be an effective commando, a goblin must not only know how to use weapons such as dogslicers and short bows, but also how to sing songs about using them against their enemies. These training songs, usually a dozen or two verses long, detail the tribe's tactics and provide helpful tips for using unconventional weapons such as snakes, pointed sticks, hedgehogs, poisonous roots, and spiked objects against the enemy. These songs also teach dirty fighting techniques. A would-be attacker can gain valuable knowledge about the range of goblin tactics by listening to their songs around a campfire.

Distractions

Goblins are known for their short attention spans and their tendency to become easily distracted by seemingly trivial matters, often at the expense of their own safety. This behavior is driven by their love of pretty things, their cruel sense of humor, and their insatiable hunger. They may stop to pick and eat a toadstool or admire a spider's web even in the face of imminent danger, as their love of shiny objects and constant hunger often override their sense of immediate danger. Only the most terrifying of creatures, such as horses, can hold a goblin's attention for any length of time. In fact, accidents and danger are often a source of amusement for goblins, especially when they befall their less popular companions.

Games

Goblins have notoriously short attention spans and can get bored easily, which can lead to destructive behavior and weaken their tribe. Smart goblin leaders keep their minions busy to prevent this, but too much raiding can be counterproductive. To keep their goblins occupied, many chieftains introduce various games. However, because goblins enjoy risk and cruelty, their games are often unsafe and unfair.
Some common goblin games involve tests of strength or violence, but the most sadistic ones involve inflicting pain on small, harmless creatures or helpless captives. Many goblin pastimes are similar to children's games played by other races, but often with a dangerous or sadistic twist.
Dares are another favorite Goblin pastime. Tribes use them as tests of members' skill and cunning, with successful dares rewarded with valuable items from the chief's treasury. These differ from games in that they have a reward and are therefore more dangerous, often involving lifting metal objects from fire pits, swimming over waterfalls, or stealing from a human settlement. Goblin heroes boast of their insane dares in order to gain respect from their tribe.

Common Taboos

Goblins have a strong belief that writing down words will remove them from one's mind. This fear of writing is instilled in goblin children through cautionary tales, often with violent and gruesome endings for those who dare to write. This fear can make life difficult for goblins who must keep written records, such as alchemists and wizards. Some of these more enlightened goblins hide their writing activities, while others use pictures and diagrams instead of words to record their spells and formulas. These notations can be crude and difficult to decipher. Goblins who learn new spells or formulas from scrolls usually do so in secret and then destroy the evidence by burning the scroll.

Lifespan

50 years

Average Height

75 cm to 100 cm

Average Weight

10 kg to 20 kg

Goblin

Goblin Racial Traits

Goblins are humanoids with the goblinoid subtype. Goblins have the following racial traits.
Abilities: +4 Dexterity, –2 Strength, –2 Charisma; Goblins are fast, but weak and unpleasant to be around.
Small Size: Goblins are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
Normal Speed: Goblins have a base speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision 60ft. (Ex): Goblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Sneaky (Ex): Goblins a very adept at sneaking, even compared to other small races. All goblins gain a +4 racial bonus on Stealth checks.
Scavenger (Ex): Goblins gain a +4 racial bonus on Appraise and Perception checks to find hidden objects (including traps and secret doors), determine whether food is spoiled, or identify a potion by taste.
Pyromaniac (Su): Goblins are really good at burning things, they’ve got it down to a science, an art, and a religion. Goblins are treated as +1 level higher when casting spells with the fire descriptor, using granted powers of the Fire domain, using bloodline powers of the fire elemental bloodline, using the revelations of the oracle’s flame mystery, and determining the damage of alchemist bombs that deal fire damage. This trait does not them early access to level-based powers; it only affects powers that they could already use without this trait. If a goblin has a Wisdom score of 11 or higher, it also gains the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—flare, prestidigitation, produce flame. The caster level for these spell-like abilities is equal to the user’s character level.
Weapon Familiarity: Goblins’ traditional weapons are the dogslicer and the horsechopper, weapons designed specifically to bring down their most hated foes. Goblins are proficient with the dogslicer and the horsechopper, and treat any weapon with the word “goblin” in it as martial weapons.
Languages: Goblins begin play speaking Goblin. Goblins with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Gnoll, Gnome, Halfling, and Orc.

Alternate Racial Traits

Cave Crawler (Ex): Some goblins are born and raised in caves and rarely see the light of day. Goblins with this trait gain a climb speed of 10 feet and the +8 racial bonus on Climb checks associated with having a climb speed. Goblins with this racial trait have a base speed of 20 feet.
City Scavenger (Ex): Goblins who live within the boundaries of human cities survive by scavenging for refuse and hunting stray animals. Goblins with this trait gain a +4 racial bonus on Perception and Survival checks, and can use Survival to forage for food while in a city. This racial trait replaces scavenger.
Eat Anything (Ex): Raised with little or no proper food, many goblins have learned to survive by eating whatever they happen across and can digest nearly anything without getting sick. Goblins with this trait gain a +4 on Survival checks to forage for food and a +4 racial bonus on saves versus effects that cause the nauseated or sickened conditions. This racial trait replaces scavenger.
Hard Head, Big Teeth (Ex): Goblins are known for their balloon-like heads and enormous maws, but some have even more exaggeratedly large heads filled with razor-sharp teeth. Goblins with this trait gain a bite attack as a primary natural attack that deals 1d4 points of damage. This racial trait replaces sneaky.
Over-Sized Ears (Ex): While goblins’ ears are never dainty, these goblins have freakishly large ears capable of picking up even the smallest sounds. Goblins with this racial trait gain a +4 bonus on Perception checks. This racial trait replaces sneaky.
Tree Runner (Ex): In trackless rain forests and marshes, it can be difficult to find dry ground to build on. Goblin tribes living in such areas have learned to live in the treetops. These goblins gain a +4 racial bonus on Acrobatics and Climb checks. This racial trait replaces sneaky and scavenger.

Favored Class Options

The following options are available to any goblins that have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.
Alchemist: The alchemist gains fire resistance 1. Each time this reward is selected, increase fire resistance by +1. This fire resistance does not stack with fire resistance gained from other sources.
Barbarian: Add +1/2 on critical hit confirmation rolls for attacks made with unarmed strikes or natural weapons (maximum bonus of +4). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus.
Bard: Add +1 to the bard’s total number of bardic performance rounds per day.
Cavalier: Add +1 hit points to the cavalier’s mount companion. If the cavalier ever replaces his mount, the new mount gains these bonus hit points.
Druid: Add +1 hit points to the druid’s animal companion. If the druid ever replaces her animal companion, the new animal companion gains these bonus hit points.
Gunslinger: Add +1/3 on critical hit confirmation rolls made with firearms (maximum bonus of +5). This bonus does not stack with Critical Focus.
Oracle: Add +1 on concentration checks made when casting spells with the fire descriptor.
Ranger: Gain a +1/2 bonus on damage dealt to dogs (and doglike creatures) and horses (and horselike creatures).
Rogue: Add a +1 bonus on the rogue’s sneak attack damage rolls during the surprise round or before the target has acted in combat.
Sorcerer: Add +1 spell known from the sorcerer spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level the sorcerer can cast, and must have the fire descriptor.
Summoner: Add +1/4 evolution point to the eidolon’s evolution pool. These bonus evolution points must be spent on evolutions that deal fire damage or protect the eidolon from fire (for example, resistance, energy attacks, immunity, breath weapon, and so on).
Witch: Add +1 spell from the witch spell list to the witch’s familiar. This spell must be at least one level below the highest spell level she can cast. If the witch ever replaces her familiar, the new familiar knows these bonus spells.