Gobber

Despite the many challenges the Iron Kingdoms have confronted in recent years, gobbers have time and again shown themselves to be a capable and resilient breed. Some might point to their diminutive stature as a sign of weakness, but in response, I point to their cunning, ingenuity, and strength of character. When the kingdoms of humankind teetered on the very precipice of destruction, gobbers were there in great numbers, trying their best to bodge the pieces back toget her.

Indeed, looking back on the history of gobbers, one sees that t hey have successfully integrated into every major kingdom. Although gobbers might sometimes need to live in sq ualor and move in the shadows to avoid persecution, even the most restrictive cities have retained an enclave of their kind, toiling away in their workshops and doing their best to get by. The ability of gobbers to adapt to—and even thrive wit hin—cultures that might be hostile to them cannot be overstated.

— -Professor Viktor Pendrake

Gobbers are an amiable and curious people inclined to violence only as a last resort, which differentiates them from their wilder cousins, known as bogrin. They have had considerable success integrating into human society in both rural and urban areas. Gobbers find work as astute traders, skilled laborers, and innovative thinkers with a natural affinity for alchemy and engineering.

TINY BUT MIGHTY

Slender and wiry, gobbers are a diminutive people. Their hairless skin is generally a mottled green-grey. This coloration can change drastically—often in response to a gobber’s mood—and some gobbers can even control this hue to a limited degree. They also possess wide-set eyes, big pointed ears, overly large feet, quick hands, and a protrusive mug featuring a wide mouth full of teeth.

Despite being half the size of humans, gobbers have found a niche among the civilizations of the Iron Kingdoms and within the expansive wilderness of western Immoren. Although some face prejudice from intolerant humans, they have still managed to integrate themselves into nearly every human society. Among wilder folk, gobbers often find a place as traders of goods manufactured in cities or sell their skills as tinkerers and bodgers.

COMMUNAL CREATURES

Gobbers are one of the three major races that worship the mother-goddess Dhunia, although religion is not a major aspect of their lives. Indeed, they seem irreverent and lacking in solemnity to members of some cultures, but this is merely an extension of their curiosity and general disregard for social barriers. Gobber society has little regimentation or hierarchy, and all gobbers are expected to speak frankly and contribute to the general well-being of their family and closest friends.

Gobbers who work and live together fall into a communal relationship in which ownership of items such as tools and weapons becomes meaningless, a behavior they may also exhibit with friends and colleagues of other races. Although they do not consider taking another’s belongings under such circumstances to be theft, those who live in human society understand human norms and are not allowed to plead ignorance as a means of evading punishment for such crimes.

Small in stature and naturally skilled at evading notice, gobbers make exceptional thieves, but their success in this field has led to unfortunate stereotypes. Most gobbers prefer to create things of lasting value by the skill of their hands and equally nimble minds than to survive by pilfering. That said, they are often exploited in low-paying jobs, with many living in poverty and sometimes turning to criminal professions as an alternative. Others live as seminomadic junkers, a respectable trade among gobbers, and travel from town to town salvaging broken and discarded items to repair and resell.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

A gobber’s name is often a long single name that combines a personal name, the mother’s and father’s names, and some nickname or descriptor. These descriptors often hold a double meaning, with positive and negative elements. A gobber’s component names are usually short and seldom longer than a single syllable. When addressing gobbers, members of other cultures often use nicknames or names that are more appropriate for the kingdom’s naming traditions.

Male Names:

Ad, Ant, Az, Bert, Boll, Bork, Dag, Dar, Gek, Gork, Gul, Gun, Hek, Hok, Kanh, Kug, Lan, Lok, Mo, Mog, Nat, Nun, Oz, Pok, Rak, Tak, Tot, Tun, Tur, Un, Vog, Vorg, Zag

Female Names:

Agghi, Ala, Anh, Ano, Ara, Bel, Dar, Enda, Gan, Gara, Geka, Gren, Kat, Lom, Mari, Meg, Nan, Rala, Ren, Sele, Tere, Ula, Vel, Walu, Wikka

Gobber Nicknames:

‑ak (untouchable, noisy or annoying), ‑aken (tough, stubborn), ‑alok (wise or clever, meek), ‑aneg (ferocious, irrational), ‑anen (stealthy, nervous or insecure), ‑bin (obsessive, destructive), ‑dara (healthy or long-lived, conservative), ‑ekka (radiant, manic), ‑gamun (quiet and withdrawn, maniacal), ‑helek (heroic, domineering), ‑kam (dexterous, cowardly), ‑obal (prankster, hard-hearted), ‑omog (animal friend, good cook), ‑rel (observant, passive), ‑ular (innovative, cheater), ‑uman (faithful and determined, fanatical)

For example, a male gobber named Az born to parents named Mog and Rala might be named Azralamoggamun but go by “Az” among his non-gobber companions.

Traits

Your gobber character has a number of traits in common with all other gobbers.

• Age: Gobbers age more rapidly than many other races, reaching maturity in their early teens. On average, gobbers live 65 years.
• Alignment: Gobbers tend toward neutral alignments.
• Size: Gobbers average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.
• Speed: Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
• Beneath Notice: Gobbers are often overlooked due to their small size and ability to pass unnoticed. You are proficient in the Stealth skill. Additionally, when you perform the Disengage action, after moving you can attempt to perform the Hide action to remain hidden from any creature you have concealment against.
• Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Nimbleness: You can move through the space of any creature whose size is larger than yours.
• Tinkerer: You have proficiency with one set of artisan’s tools of your choice: alchemist’s supplies, mason’s tools, smith’s tools, or tinker’s tools.
• Languages: You can speak Gobberish, which has no written form, and you can speak, read, and write one other language of your choice, usually the language of your birth kingdom.