Goblins goblins goblins.

[Dave_the_quack]

Hello there kiddies,

I've just been inspired by a thread in Gen Con regarding AD&D comics - in particular goblinscomic. As a result, I'm combining this new inspiration and stealing borrowing the idea of CTRL Qing a goblin into a companion off another IW member who mentioned it some time ago.

My general feeling is that my PC will be an elven (half or full, not sure) mage/cleric. After traipsing around in Chateau Irenicus she comes across Mr Goblin, a fighter/thief. It's early days but I think Mr Goblin will be utterly entranced by the PC's beauty and decide to help her out of the dungeon, purely to stay within reach of the beautiful and awesome creature.

Having written that I've noticed that my PC will be in need of a high charisma for the roleplaying aspect, but my question to IW is this;

What sort of stats does a lowly Goblin employ? I don't like the idea of him retaining the average 10 (IIRC) stats that the creatures currently possess - he's an individual in his own right. So.. thoughts, anyone?

Illumina, Six and Dundee I'm looking at you for a legal and roleplaying aspect... but everyone else please feel free to give me your opinion

Edit: Just searched for and found the original Goblin Companion thread (I read it aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages ago). Credit to Jaradu for coming up with the idea in the first place. I do feel like a total cop out now, as I had no idea that he also played a half-elf mage/cleric. Gah! Oh well. I'm too set on the idea now to change my gameplan. I'm not a copy-cat, I swear!

[ 10-18-2006, 08:08 PM: Message edited by: Dave_the_quack ]

[Iron Greasel]

I'd say above-human-average DEX (15 or so maybe), below-human-average STR and CON (penalties for being so tiny, between 8 and 11 perhaps) and absolutely abysmal charisma (charisma means ability to influece humans and humans in Amn consider goblins something to be attacked on sight). If he decides to join your PC, and disobey a direct command from a superior, he must be smart enough to independently think the possible consequences of his actions without the aid of elder goblins and goblin shamans who usually tell what to do. That's quite a feat in a goblin society where weird adulthood rituals usually weed out the potential anarchists at an early stage. So the mental stats would be more than those of other goblins.

[Armen]

goblin fighter/thief sounds like scout rather than expert lock pick (at least at first)

so all the thief points at creation should be in stealth (maybe set traps)

also - this brighter-than-average goblin might have spent longer than usual on his own scouting the 'enemy' spent more time for some periods 'with' humans than his own kind . . . watched them working . . . watched them playing . . . wondered . . .

if you're after legal precedent, i'm sure in one of the drizzt books (i forget which) our noble ranger while not exactly befriending a goblin (who was being used as a slave by a human farmer) at least develops a rapport with him to the extent that drizzt wonders if goblins really are universally bad and compares the goblin favourably to his immoral 'owner'

EDIT: of course if your PC is evil then it's all good

[ 10-18-2006, 01:01 PM: Message edited by: Armen ]

[Dave_the_quack]

Originally posted by Iron Greasel: I'd say above-human-average DEX (15 or so maybe), below-human-average STR and CON (penalties for being so tiny, between 8 and 11 perhaps) and absolutely abysmal charisma (charisma means ability to influece humans and humans in Amn consider goblins something to be attacked on sight). If he decides to join your PC, and disobey a direct command from a superior, he must be smart enough to independently think the possible consequences of his actions without the aid of elder goblins and goblin shamans who usually tell what to do. That's quite a feat in a goblin society where weird adulthood rituals usually weed out the potential anarchists at an early stage. So the mental stats would be more than those of other goblins.

IG - I agree with the dex score, but I would have thought that a goblin wouldn't have lower than normal human score strength (if by normal you mean commoner or peasant, or even wizard)... at least not one that is found in Chateau Irenicus, seeing as how he's trained as a warrior(/thief).

What about the following:
STR - 13
DEX - 15
CON - 12
INT - 10
WIS - 8
CHA - 5

Are those acceptable guys? I seriously have no idea. I'm really trying to get this right for roleplaying; I don't want to overpower him, but nor do I want to underpower him.

[Dave_the_quack]

Originally posted by Armen: goblin fighter/thief sounds like scout rather than expert lock pick (at least at first) so all the thief points at creation should be in stealth (maybe set traps) also - this brighter-than-average goblin might have spent longer than usual on his own scouting the 'enemy' spent more time for some periods 'with' humans than his own kind . . . watched them working . . . watched them playing . . . wondered . . . if you're after legal precedent, i'm sure in one of the drizzt books (i forget which) our noble ranger while not exactly befriending a goblin (who was being used as a slave by a human farmer) at least develops a rapport with him to the extent that drizzt wonders if goblins really are universally bad and compares the goblin favourably to his immoral 'owner' EDIT: of course if your PC is evil then it's all good

Thanks Armen,

I'll definately be putting the majority of points into HIS/MS, but I also figure that seeing as how he's lived in Chateau Irenicus for God knows how long, he's likely to know the locations of most (if not all) the traps on the first level. This, of course, does not mean he will be able to disarm them.

Not really after a legal precedent, but it would help if I had something to work off as a 'template', for lack of a better word. Unfortunately I have no AD&D books of any kind, save the BG2 & TOB manuals

[JulesWinnfield]

Those stats look pretty good....In the AD&D Humanoids Book, when you play a Goblin it says his stats should be....STR 4-15, DEX 4-17, CON 5-16, INT 3-18, WIS 3-18, and CHA 3-12...Looks like you have fallen in those parameters.

[Dave_the_quack]

Ahh! Fantastic Jules, that's the info I was really looking for.

Cheers mate

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

See, you text me AFTER the info I just looked up was posted? Brilliant, simply brilliant [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Dave_the_quack]

I meant for a roleplaying aspect, ya jackass. You're the roleplaying Queen! Share that knowledge, mistress.

He will be the goblin with the arrows of biting (as six originally suggested) as that in itself makes him more unique than the rest of the goblins in CI. Give me some suggestions! I want to match the RP aspect to his stats, and the above stats I just pulled out of my bum.

What would Lilith say!

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

::puts on Author Glasses:: I think what we need here is an enticing reason for the goblin to be following you. Meaning, why is the goblin not with other goblins? Is it a bit too intelligent for its own kind, or perhaps not quite as evil? Does it sometimes regress to goblin-like behavior (I'm thinking here of the Valen mod, especially)? Can it converse at a reasonably intelligent level? I think these are things that you really think about and hammer out before you can go deeper.

Intelligence and alignment will be determined by some of your answers to the above questions. If he's carrying Arrows of Biting, I would give him a reasonable Dexterity, as well. ::takes off Author Glasses:: Thank you for coming tonight.