Lost Galmagia: What are Goblins part 2

1)      Classic Hobgoblins: these are goblins who have accepted the Giant’s Gift of growth eternal. They quickly attained man size and considerable fecundity. Their skins have darkened, moving to reddish-brown to grey-black while their faces remain bright orange to red. They favor bright, bloody colors and black leather. Since they have accepted the Giant’s Gift they no longer reincarnate, but they are also very hard to kill: unless a coup-de-grace is performed on any Hobgoblin they will heal given enough time (usually a full month or more; this is not combat regeneration). Their community population is 4-24 combatants (not counting the kings court), 150% that in non-combatants and 300% (!) that in youths. The largest Hobgoblin tribes so far are 160 individuals; give them time.

a.       For all goblins their night vision is very sharp, but no longer suffer from daylight penalties. At human size they no longer have the Goblin advantages and disadvantages from stature, and they have forsaken the last of their Unseelie heritage. They do revive from serious wounds unless deliberately killed, and recover (as per the Cure Wounds act of faith) in one month of their wounding. They are solely warriors.

b.       Their ‘non-combatants’ are 1 level with a Typical morale. There aren’t really Hobgoblin non-combatants, just those not big enough or healed enough to fight at the moment. Given their healing abilities they practice combat constantly, so much of their force is too wounded to act. Given a month they convert all of non-combatants to full Hobgoblin warrior stats. Their youth are as powerful as goblin warriors.

c.       Among their combatants, all are warriors. Level 2 foes (AC 14, HP 7, 6 damage) with a Good morale, Excellent if their King is still alive. If the Hobgoblin’s attack roll is 1-3, they left themselves open to an attack, target must save vs. Wands or do 2 damage to the Hobgoblin and lose their weapon as the creature falls back with it embedded in its body. On an 18+ their blow will shatter an opponents shield (if they have one) or damage their non-magical weapon (-1 damage until repaired).

d.       The Hobgoblin King has a ‘court’ of 1d4 bodyguards, Level 3 (AC 14, HP 11, +2 to hit, they wield huge weapons that can either be one swing for 9 or a swing and backswing for 6 and 4). They have the same special abilities as warrior Hogoblins, just with more chances with their extra attacks.  

e.       The Hobgoblin King, like the goblin king, has a magic sword (but the sword actively hates him for abandoning his Fey Nature and therefore refuses to activate its special abilities). He is Level 5 (AC 14, HP 23, +3 to hit or +4 with their magic sword, making 3 attacks at 4/4/8 (5/5/9 with their sword) and Excellent morale. They have the same special abilities as a Warrior, but again, more chances to use it.

f.        Hobgoblins have no pets. Animals shun them, and will make noise and kick up a fuss if approached.

2)      Bugbears: These are Hobgoblins who have grown in twisted ways, with their pumpkin heads, dull yellow skin and tannish brown to brick red fur, expecting their head-fur, which is deep orange. Like Hobgoblins they have accepted the gift of eternal growth with similar powers, but are even larger (7’ high) and stronger, even as the rage and brute cunning that comes with their growth has made them less savvy fighters.

a.       Like hobgoblins they fight equally well in low light and daylight, and recover from near mortal wounds.

b.       They don’t have non-combatants, or a society. All are level 3 foes, with cobbled together armor and thick fur giving AC 14, 11 HP, making one attack a round at +2 for 9 damage, Good morale. On a roll of 1-3 they appear to retreat but are just setting up another ambush. They always carry 2 large weapons and a couple stone hand axes. They can throw their large weapon for full damage at no penalty, and on a roll of 18+ they do 4 damage to another target with a thrown axe.

c.       Animals fear them so much they fall silent at their approach, but the Bugbear itself is so stealthy that it gives a -2 penalty to opponent surprise rolls.

Lost Galmagia Session Write-Up 2.1

 Aethra Chatoyant [Magic-User 1 – apprentice of a famous master / elf-sister]; Ayleton the Cat [Familiar 1 – animal familiar / ship cat of unknown port]; Oland [Rogue 1 – Spy / personal keyword not yet defined]; Brömm [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Bonded Clockwork Guilds-dwarf] NPCs Dungar [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Treasure Hunter]; Azric [Rogue 1 – Assassin / leatherworker]; Richard Stockworth [Hairfoot Halfling 1 – Satyr / Tavernkeeper & Cook]

After recovering from their wounds the adventurers spend another 10 minutes exploring their general vicinity – Ayleton, Aethra and Brömm stay with Dungar at the door for Ayleton to listen at it while Oland leads Richard and Azric up the North passage to see what’s there. Ayleton’s cat-ears confirm that the bugs have calmed down at least some, and that group plots an exit back the way they came. Aside from the heavily armored dwarves everyone should be able to get across the quicksand at a run without getting mired. Some plans involve one of Aethra’s precious spells, but ultimately the ideas if have Ayleton (whose cat form is still as strong as a strong man) carry the grappling hook and rope over the quicksand to the far wall and set it; then if need be the dwarves can be hauled across. 

Oland’s team, using a single fire beetle glad inside a belt pouch for minimal light, discover a crack in the wall that’s clearly a secret door that closed improperly – quick study shows a broken lever inside circular arrays – and is firmly set  enough to not give way to the crowbar. During this the rogues hear something trying to move quietly further up the passage – perhaps other tomb robbers? Pilgrims that got lost below? – and decide trying to progress here is just too dangerous. They fall back and join the others in the escape. 

Said escape goes as planned, more or less: the lightly armored members of the party get past the again docile bugs, which are now crowding in the quicksand room away from the smoke, and prepare to pull the dwarves across. The highly wounded Dungar goes first, and while he’s crossing several creatures race down the custom’s house road towards Brömm, ineffectually using their slings on his sturdy armor. The creatures stand a yard tall with broad pointed ears, carrying spears with glowing red lights at their ends. Seeing no advantage to this battle Brömm flees, being yanked across the room. Whatever the creatures are – Ayleton refers to them as Angry Goblinos – they close the door Brömm passed through. 

Another 10 minutes are spent making sure that nothing has disturbed the rooms they passed through, resetting the spikes on the west door, and exiting before the bugs get riled up again. The exhausted adventurers then limp their way back to camp to find their mule has survived their absence. None can believe they were underground but 2 hours. 

Camp security is boosted as people lay in to rest and recover. The next two nights pass quickly. During the first Ayleton perched on watch in a window of the stone lean-tos hear metal scraping on metal, and then scream that the cat knows came from a rabbit: something is coming through the gated door in the sword ward to hunt. The party continues to adopt a live and let live attitude. Ayleton and Aethra recall stories the cat overheard in the elven city of Deepwater of the history of the North Vale – Goblins, outcasts from both the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, have probably returned there – which would explain the figures underground. 

One day was spent traveling from Amethyst Spire, one for the initial delve, and one to rest; they each have a week’s rations, plus one extra week to split between the seven for an emergency day. Today marks the halfway point of their expedition. So far they have confirmed no simple entry to Aethra and Dungar’s goals in the Mage’s Ward, the answer to the nighttime lights in the Trade Ward, and the presence of some other creatures (likely goblins) below. Leaving their more wounded members to guard the mule and treasure found (so far two ornate gold candlesticks that would fetch 25 GP each, a bracelet with 100 coin weight in silver and a 25 GP stone, a pouch of 50 GP and one of 400 SP. 175 GP total). Plus the sash, key, and plaque/script from the clerk’s room. 

The biggest find is likely the chief clerk’s journal, which hints at so many things: the path to and entry mechanism for the vaults. That one of the vaults contains valuable artwork. The existence of sub-vaults. The existence of something called the Final Door under the vaults, the contents of which disillusioned the ever-faithful chief customs clerk. That the goldsmith’s guild caravanned their vault contents out before they end but they never made Amethyst Spire, just a day away. So many possible treasures and mysteries just in this ward. 

Lost Galmagia Week 12: The Park Ward Vaults West

This is the western half of the park ward vault level, accessed from the two sets of stairs in 1.20, and via a secret passage from the Sword Ward Vaults. It represents the bulk of the goblin community space.

3.20 Entry to the Farm
Stairs down from 1.20, this floor is covered with a thin later of dirt and grey dust coming from the west door, with goblin  tracks and trails like something had been dragged through here to the door. Stacked up by the door are goblin-sized backpacks with poles holding a dented metal canopy that is counter-weighted to always stay up..

3.21 The Fungal and Piercer Farm
This large room – it stretches up to an otherwise inaccessible basement that was between 1.20 and 1.21 – is covered with a layer of dirt, decayed/decaying plant matter, and mushrooms, all running up the wall; the distant, dark ceiling obviously has other shapes on it. There are large animal skeletons here, including a centaur that was killed the last day of winter (which will determine the state of the body) that has braided into its main 100 Platinum Pieces from the old Seelie Court – the goblins won’t touch them, Elves will recognize them, Magic-Users might – and a leather bracer with markings on it that are the command phrases for the magical saddlebags in 3.26. On the ceiling are 15 piercers, only 5 of which are hungry enough to drop. The goblins feed the piercers the herd animals, then harvest their nutrient rich flesh.

3.22 The stairs up
This room is the Goblin’s main passage up to level 1, and the door is barred from the hallway side – quick examination of the door will reveal a sliding peephole at 3’ in height and another at 6’, and that the door is split so the top and bottom halves can open separately. In a secret space under the stairs there’s a locked chest with 200 GP worth of herbs and ointments used for preparing bodies in room 1.22. There’s a magical trap on the lock that, unless the rune is detected and removed, the opener saves vs. spells turns bright green and glows faintly for a season (or until magic is dispelled).

3.23a Guards
The passage between 3.23b and 3.22 is a guard space, with two goblin veterans and a giant ferret on a bored watch (unless circumstances have obviously changed), playing a dice game over the same pile of 20 coppers and feeding rats to their ferret, in a space lit by treated fire beetle glands. How they react depends on the state of things with he PCs – they will slide the wood (but not the mesh) parts of the lower peephole open, but if the PCs get obviously violent or snarky they will unleash the ferret through the lower door, then fire centipede venom blowgun darts through the upper one.

3.23 b: Insect Reverence Room:
This space holds at least one goblin adept (20% chance of 2) who is either treating fire beetle glands for light or to compress them for holy symbols, and a terrarium filled with giant centipedes. There’s a wooden chest here filled with 10,000 CP into which the centipedes are deposited and their paths are read for divination. (Their venom is also collected for hunting). If pressed the adpt will smash the terrarium, unleashing 2d6 giant centipedes into the room.

3.24 Goblin Families
This room is normally home to three goblin families (the veterans, not the adepts who are in 3.18 and 3.19) and while their accoutrements are here, they are not, all being out and about.

3.25 Goblin Families 2
Like 3.24, this holds the families of the military goblins (3 veterans, 2 non-combatants, 3 kids) and their pet giant ferrets. Each family has 1/3^rd of the space but nothing of real value. They will respond quickly and as a unit to protect the non-combatants and unleash the ferrets in face of an attack.

3.26 Goblin Families 3
This is identical to 3.25, save that the center unit has in their possession the apparently empty saddlebags of the centaur whose skeleton is in 3.21. If the PCs have the bracer with the command words (or the time to suss them out), the saddlebags will be revealed to hold 2 weeks of rations (1 week for a centaur sized being), an adventurer’s kit worth of rope and other gear, and 2000 copper, 700 silver and 10 gold coins of imperial vintage.

Lost Galmagia: Goblins

We have now established that Goblins are the scattered remnants of the Unseelie Courts, who are creeping back into the North Vale that used to be a center of Unseelie power. We also know that they see insects as being key parts of of their religion, and we know that while the human mind is unable to capture the shape of a deity, giving them mammal or bird heads/features but never insect ones. I quite like the idea that in the absence of the Elvish gods the Goblins have taken up the worship of a singular insect-affiliated deity in the shape of a comet that is at distance to the world. Therefore Goblin acts of faith have been deeply limited – causing a schism in the goblin community with some falling prey to the Giants’ Gods’ gifts (Hobgoblins, Bugbears), while others have stated true to the insect faith.

This moves them away from the Tolkien Goblins imagery of Basic D&D, but I think makes them more interesting. It also means that we have several different types of Goblins to play with:

1)      Classic Goblins: these are small, incredibly ugly humanoids of yellow through dull orange through brick red in skin tone and their eyes reflect red in dim light; their soldiers wear dark brown leather and muted colors for utilitarian and strategic reasons, while their civilians run a panoply of shades and designs. Unlike elves, goblins are mortal, living some 50 years or so, but like elves they reincarnate freely so death is not the end. Their community population is 6-60 combatants (not counting the King’s court), 60% more in non-combatant adults, and 100% more in young. The largest tribes have 190 individuals.

a.       For all goblins their night vision is very sharp, but they are at -1  to attacks in full daylight. With their reduced stature Goblins have a +3 AC vs. foes larger then they are (so halflings, familiars, or Reduced people strike as normal) and a 20’ move. They all have some weird unseelie fae abilities they can draw on, and gain experience as either Warrior or Acolyte of the Green Star.

b.       Their non-combatants are 0 level with a Poor morale. If they are attacked they will defend themselves, but most importantly on a roll of 1-7 they mirror the face of their attacker (Morale check for NPCs). Non-Combatant goblins are able to Make Trades once a month (often during the faerie market), happily handing over things the PCs consider valuable (and _are_ valuable) for impossible things like the color of their eyes, the memory of their first love, and so on. Making the trade also marks the PC – they now show up on a Detect Evil spell, and at the start of Winter must save vs. Death or waste away in 3 months unless extraordinary efforts are taken. (Thank you, Christina Rosetti.)

c.       Among their combatants, 80% are warriors. Level 1 foes (AC 11, HP 4, 3 damage) with a Typical morale, Good if leader present. On 18+ their wounds carry an icy chill that reduces foe movement by 10’ for next round. On a 1-3 they close their eyes and slip into shadow for a second (only matters when it’s a morale loss, in which case they just vanish).

d.       20% are acolytes of The Green Star. Level 1 (AC 8, HP 5, 3 damage) with Typical morale, Good if leader present. When appropriate they can Turn Undead (levels 1-3 fall back); cast Abey/Enhance Curse, or cast Protection from Evil. On an 18+ they do no damage but target instead saves vs. Polymorph suffer the following for the fight (1d4) 1) weapon in hand turns to bugs, 2) armor (or shield, if worn) turns to bugs, 3) mouth disappears (no spellcasting/talking), 4) target swaps faces with foe (NPC Morale check ).  

e.       The Goblin King will have a court of 2d6 leaders, with the same 80/20 fighter/acolyte percentage.

                                                               i.      Warrior Leaders are Level 2 (AC 11, HP 9, +1 to hit, 6 damage) their chill wound lasts all fight. They fade into shadows on a roll of 1-7.

                                                             ii.      Acolyte Leaders are level 2 (AC 11, FP 9, +1 to hit, 6 damage), and can also cast an Summon Swarm erudition spell, and Remove Fear. Their 18+ effect is unchanged, but on 1-3 they now vomit up either a single big bug or a lot of little ones that menace their foes but don’t attack.

f.        The Goblin King has unlocked much more of their Unseelie power thanks to their magic sword (there is one such sword per goblin kingdom). They are Level 3 (AC 11, 14 HP, +2 to hit or +3 with their magic sword, making 3 attacks at 3/3/5 (4/4/6 with their sword) and Good morale. They have the same special abilities as a Warrior, but can also at will Glamour to look like a human or elf (normally a beautiful version of that race, but it can be someone in particular). A Goblin King’s Short Sword is Intelligence 10, Speaks Goblin and Faespeak, can Detect Magic and Evil, and create an Illusion 3 times a day.

g.       Goblins live in and amongst Fire Beetles, whom they view as symbolic psychopomps – their preferred disposal of corpses is being eaten by insects – and the use fire beetles to light in their communities (and to grow their crops!). While Acolytes will preserve the lights of dead beetles they do so with reverence; anyone just hacking apart beetles to steal their lights earn considerable enmity.

h.       Goblins in Lost Galmagia have no wolves, instead having trained giant ferrets as guards against white apes and rat hunters. These are Level 2, AC 11, HP 9, 50’ move, 1 attack at +1 for 6 damage, Good Loyalty but on a roll of 1-3 they have turned and bitten their trainer for 3 pts. Ferrets aren’t trustworthy.

Lost Galmagia Write Up Session 1.4

Aethra Chatoyant [Magic-User 1 – apprentice of a famous master / elf-sister]; Ayleton the Cat [Familiar 1 – animal familiar / ship cat of unknown port]; Oland [Rogue 1 – Spy / personal keyword not yet defined]; Dungar [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Treasure Hunter]; Brömm [Dwarf 1 – Dwarf-raised / Bonded Clockwork Guilds-dwarf]; Azric [Rogue 1 – Assassin / leatherworker]; Richard Stockworth [Hairfoot Halfling 1 – Satyr / Tavernkeeper & Cook]

The crew takes a 10-minute rest, eating rations and using the convenient garderobe, as Azric flips through the journal. The owner, Jon Thompskin, is a customs house clerk working on his ‘flourish hand” every lunch break. 20 pages in we learn that he achieved his goal of becoming chief steward of the Customs House, and he marries his beloved Victoria. He now escorts people to the private vaults (to the first-class waiting room via a lift the eastern storage area). He lays out the roughs of roughs of how one accesses the vaults, but the group opts to keep moving and explore more later.

It's been impossible to track the beetles but their helpful light is shining in the next room, into which flows the stream on the dirt floor. There’s a low archway in the east wall… another drainage grate? There are things sticking out of the floor that they can’t clearly see as the beetles’ lights point up not down. Brömm, Aethra and Dungar approach and find parts of halfling-sized skeletons each with silver circlets, torques, bracelets and anklets. Concerned with Disquiet Dead they start breaking the skulls and scattering the bones, only to find themselves sinking into the wet mud. Brömm, the furthest in, glances madly, spotting another 3’ of door concealed in the mud to their west and surges towards it.

This is when the adventurers learn the fire beetles attack hindered targets. The four in the room deploy mandibles on the slowed adventurers; while Aethra can ward off one with her athame she gets a nasty bite on her other arm. The dwarves are for the moment safe due to their heavy armor, but that plus their short stature may doom them in the mud. Oland beats surprise to leap across the scriveners’ room to spike the door to the ballroom shut, blocking 4 beetles.

The beetles still have the initiative, despite Oland and Azric’s attempts to seize it with risky attacks – if the beetles were interested in anyone outside the mud the rogues would be in trouble – but the beetles only manage a strike on Brömm due to Aethra’s luck and Dungar’s heavy armor. The hearty dwarf ignores the small cut and gives back better, killing one with an axe blow as he reaches the door. Everyone save Aethra is surprised when her familiar leaps from her hood, transforming mid-flight to a cheetah that batters away one of the bugs menacing its master.  Dungar considers making a run for the drainage ditch but pulls his hemp rope free and lobs it loosely to Richard. Aethra grabs the slack of the rope and is pulled free by the doughty satyr’s strength. The rogues’ attacks are frustrated by the beetles’ carapaces.

The adventurers win initiative, and Brömm shatters the concealed door’s latch, shlorking out to a corridor with mud, half of the glowing beetle, and some skeletal remains. Richard yanks Dungar free, and, seeing the bugs still attracted to Aethra’s blood, the dwarf staggers to his feet and hurls the magic-user onto one of the tables to get her clear. Aethra desperately binds her wound to hopefully calm the beetles. Azric hurls her grappling hook and rope across the mud room to latch into Brömm’s open doorway to give them a path. Olands dagger and Ayleton’s claws find no purchase.

This is when the beetles all sphincter their light-glands shut, and the room goes dark. The only light remaining is in the mud room from Brömm’s bisected beetle, and in those feeble shadows the adventurers see the beetles go mad, feel the bugs skittering over them, hear the chittering from the beetles trying to get in from the ballroom, and the blossoming of blood and pain as bite after bite lands as the adventurers are unable to recover the initiative and the horror continues.

“Marines, we are lea-ving!” Aethra yells. Dungar, severely bloodied despite his armor, snags the rope from Richard and vows to be the last to leave. Fearing their light might die Oland yanks open one of the paperwork filled drawers and lights it with flint & steel, throwing light as others scramble across the surface of the mud with the rope for support, as Brömm keeps watch to make sure they’re not ambushed from a different direction. Within seconds the scriveners’ room contains just Oland and Dungar, and the they lose the initiative. They should die here save that Oland seizes it back with a risky attack, wounding one of the beetles as he breaks for the door and across the mud. Dungar finishes the bug, finally getting a clean strike that impales the bug on his axe. He drags it behind him as he runs for the door. He wouldn’t have made the distance before the mud took him save for Brömm yanking the rope and pulling his dwarvish ally to safety. Richard and the now-cheetah Ayleton shove the concealed door closed and Oland spikes it shut. End of session 1.