Goblin

Goblins legends claim that the first goblins on Golarion were born from the human blood spilled by the barghests Hadregash, Venkelvore, Zarongel, and Zogmugot. Each of these barghests gave the goblins a gift to help them prosper. From Hadregash came the gift of tribe, making goblins stronger in numbers. Venkelvore gave goblins a bottomless hunger that drove them to spread out across the world. Zarongel, the most bestial of the barghests, granted an affinity to the predators who shared the goblins’ inclinations, such as goblin dogs and wolves, so that goblins excelled at riding these creatures and could fight and travel more quickly. Finally, Zogmugot taught the goblins the secrets of the shores, how to scrounge, fish, and seek, so they could scavenge and survive no matter where they found themselves.
Over time, goblins spread across Golarion, and today they can be found across the Inner Sea region, from the sweltering jungles of Mediogalti Island to the frozen and blighted forests of Iobaria. Goblins have even found homes on the distant continents of Arcadia and Tian Xia, their clever instinct for survival allowing them to thrive even in the most hostile of environments. In fact, goblins are no strangers to hostility; whether bullied by and recruited as disposable shock troops for their larger hobgoblin and bugbear kin or mercilessly wiped out by adventurers who see them as little more than pests to be exterminated, goblin lives are, more often than not, short and full of hardship. Despite the overwhelmingly negative perception most other peoples have of goblins, the small people have begun to find places among other societies, primarily in human cities and towns. While cities like Magnimar have long tolerated the goblin tribes that occupy their sewers, viewing them as a convenient cleaning service preventing disease-bearing rats or dangerous otyughs from proliferating, there are more and more areas where goblins can walk openly on the streets without fear of being skewered by guards or frightened farmers. On the sun-scorched streets of Katapesh, a tribe of Rasp goblins maintain a thriving mercantile enterprise under the leadership of an elderly goblin known by the name Yigrig Moneymaker. Operating in the northern lands of Irrisen, the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, and even the southern edge of the Crown of the World, a band of frost goblins recruited by the Pathfinder Society acts as a team of scouts and guides for the Society’s members and allies. In the land of Sarkoris, a cunning tribe of forest goblins fights alongside a tribe of Sarkorian refugees looking to reclaim their homeland from the demons and monsters that infest it. Goblin arsonists are proclaimed heroes and allies by human generals as goblin-brewed alchemical fires sear the undead forces crawling forth from the Eye of Dread.
Even goblin cutpurses scrounging their living in alleys find themselves recruited by enterprising adventurers who recognize the value of an alliance with a clever sneak whose survival instincts have been honed by untold generations of hardship and persecution. Their means and circumstances vary greatly, but goblins across Golarion have begun to carve a niche for themselves where they can be accepted.
Goblins of the Inner Sea Members of the Crookedtoes forest goblin tribe often take up the adventurer’s mantle. The Crookedtoes’ migrations have taken them from the Chitterwood in Isger to the Fangwood on the southern border of Lastwall, and finally to Absalom. In the city at the center of the world, the Crookedtoes occupy the Puddles district as valued allies of the Knights of Lastwall, as the two groups fought alongside one another during the harried evacuation of Lastwall. One of these goblins, Zusgut, served as the lord of Lastwall’s aide-de-camp and has now declared himself “the Goblin King of Absalom.”
To outsiders, it might seem like goblins are all part of a single, monolithic people, but like any other ancestry, goblins have a variety of ethnicities and cultures nearly as diverse as the territories they occupy. Certain aspects of goblin culture, such as a penchant for song, an overzealous appreciation of fire, fear of dogs and horses, and an instinctive distrust of literacy and the written word, are common across all goblin cultures, but these represent only the most superficial elements of goblin life.
The convoluted histories other people cling to don’t interest goblins. These small folk live in the moment, and they prefer tall tales over factual records. The wars of a few decades ago might as well be from the ancient past. Misunderstood by other people, goblins are happy how they are. Goblin virtues are about being present, creative, and honest. They strive to lead fulfilled lives, rather than worrying about how their journeys will end. To tell stories, not nitpick the facts. To be small, but dream big.
Goblins have a reputation as simple creatures who love songs, fire, and eating disgusting things and who hate reading, dogs, and horses—and there are a great many for whom this description fits perfectly. However, great changes have come to goblinkind, and more and more goblins resist conformity to these stereotypes. Even among goblins that are more worldly, many still exemplify their old ways in some small manner, just to a more sensible degree. Some goblins remain deeply fascinated with fire or fearlessly devour a meal that might turn others’ stomachs.
Others are endless tinkerers and view their companions’ trash as the components of gadgets yet to be made.
Though goblins’ culture has splintered radically, their reputation has changed little. As such, goblins who travel to larger cities are frequently subjected to derision, and many work twice as hard at proving their worth.
If you want a character who is eccentric, enthusiastic, and fun-loving, you should play a goblin.
You Might...
• Strive to prove that you have a place among other civilized peoples, perhaps even to yourself.
• Fight tooth and nail—sometimes literally—to protect yourself and your friends from danger.
• Lighten the heavy emotional burdens others carry (and amuse yourself) with antics and pranks.
Others Probably...
• Work to ensure you don’t accidentally intentionally) set too many things on fire.
• Assume you can’t—or won’t—read.
(or
• Wonder how you survive given your ancestry’s typical gastronomic choices, reckless behavior, and love of fire.
Physical Description
Goblins are stumpy humanoids with large bodies, scrawny limbs, and massively oversized heads with large ears and beady red eyes. Their skin ranges from green to gray to blue, and they often bear scars, boils, and rashes. Goblins average 3 feet tall. Most are bald, with little or no body hair. Their jagged teeth fall out and regrow constantly, and their fast metabolism means they eat constantly and nap frequently. Mutations are also more common among goblins than other peoples, and goblins usually view particularly salient mutations as a sign of power or fortune.
Goblins reach adolescence by the age of 3 and adulthood 4 or 5 years later. Goblins can live 50 years or more, but without anyone to protect them from each other or themselves, few live past 20 years of age.
Society
Goblins tend to flock to strong leaders, forming small tribes. These tribes rarely number more than a hundred, though the larger a tribe is, the more diligent the leader must be to keep order—a notoriously difficult task. As new threats rise across the Inner Sea region, many tribal elders have put aside their reckless ways in the hope of forging alliances that offer their people a greater chance at survival. Play and creativity matter more to goblins than productivity or study, and their encampments erupt with songs and laughter.
Goblins bond closely with their allies, fiercely protecting those companions who have protected them or offered a sympathetic ear. Goblins tend to assume for their own protection that members of taller ancestries, which goblins often refer to colloquially as “longshanks,” won’t treat them kindly. Learning to trust longshanks is difficult for a goblin, and it’s been only in recent years that such a partnership has even been an option. However, their attitude as a people is changing rapidly, and their short lifespans and poor memories help them adapt quickly.
Alignment and Religion
Even well-intentioned goblins have trouble following the rules, meaning they’re rarely lawful. Most goblin adventurers are chaotic neutral or chaotic good. Organized worship confounds goblins, and most of them would rather pick their own deities, choosing powerful monsters, natural wonders, or anything else they find fascinating. Longshanks might have books upon books about the structures of divinity, but to a goblin, anything can be a god if you want it to. Goblins who spend time around people of other ancestries might adopt some of their beliefs, though, and many goblin adventurers adopt the worship of Cayden Cailean.
Names
Goblins keep their names simple. A good name should be easy to pronounce, short enough to shout without getting winded, and taste good to say. The namer often picks a word that rhymes with something they like so that writing songs is easier. Since there aren’t any real traditions regarding naming in goblin culture, children often name themselves once they’re old enough to do something resembling talking.
Sample Name S
Ak, Bokker, Frum, Guzmuk, Krobby, Loohi, Mazmord, Neeka, Omgot, Ranzak, Rickle, Tup, Wakla, Yonk, Zibini