Welcome to Goblin Town!

As I was writing earlier, I dig on the goblins of folklore; i.e. the dark faeries of the Unseelie court.

At least, that’s MY take on goblins: evil faeries. Nothing says faeries all have to be miniature “hot mamas” and no one says goblins have to be ugly…at least not on the outside.

Which is, of course, why I included certain monsters of a goblin nature in my B/X Companion. I’m still working on my introductory Companion adventure module, in which goblins feature prominently. Still working but O So Slooooowly. Hopefully, this whole goblin kick I’m on will help inspire me to get done before Christmas.

[actually, it looks like I’m going to be getting some extended “time off” in the near future due to state budget cuts. Guess I’ll be writing next week!]

Meantime, I’ve still got B/X gaming to do, and a goblin-themed campaign setting ain’t the worst idea I’ve had (to give you an example of “worse,” I have been thumbing through Rifts: Warlords of Russia the last few days…). Is “going goblin” a better setting idea than Dark Sun? Um, well…at least it has better justification for the inclusion of elves and dwarves. Here’s the basic gist:

The Goblin Wars have ended.

In the end, the only thing that turned the tide was the joining of human-kind with the good faeries with whom they struggled. Not that the humans had much choice: the goblin hordes were as likely to burn and raid the humans’ farms and storehouses as those faeries that opposed their excesses.

Now the tide of Chaos has withdrawn to secure its holdings. Sylvan forests once filled with light and laughter loom dark and foreboding on the edge of villages. Dwarven strongholds have been ransacked, and are used to launch attacks against the mountain passes they previously guarded. The few human kingdoms that stand are armed bastions, islands of civilization and order separated by dangerous roads. And even within these sanctuaries there is strife, for the humans who have lost so much are quick to vent their frustration on the refugee faerie-folk now living within their walls.

Player Characters have the following choice of character class:

Fighter: A human fighting man or woman.
- No changes from standard B/X/C rules.

Cleric: A Christian holy man and servant of Our Savior Lord Jesus Christ.
- All experience costs to advance are doubled (3000xp for level 2, 6000xp for level 3, etc.).
- No restrictions on useable weapons.
- Clerics speak High Gothic (similar to Latin), in addition to Common (human).
- Inspire awe/reverence in other humans (+1 Reaction bonus)
- Alignment must be Lawful or Neutral; reverse spells are NEVER standard.

Magic-User: A human who has been taught magic by the faeries.
- Magic-users must learn new spells from Elves unless they wish to pursue spell research.
- No restriction on useable weapons.
- May face prejudice/awe from other humans (-1 Reaction penalty).

Thief: A human miscreant of ill repute.
- No thief “guilds,” though a master thief that builds a hideout still attracts apprentices.
- Can use Hear Noise skill to fight in darkness or against invisible creatures.

Elves: Good faeries of the forest.
- No “infravision,” faeries can see in the dark as in sunlight.
- Receive a +2 saving throw bonus versus charms and glamour.
- Receive an automatic save versus illusions like phantasmal force.
- Speak Common (human), High Faerie, Low Faerie, and Dark Faerie languages.
- May face fear/prejudice/awe from humans (-1 Reaction penalty).

Dwarves: Good faeries of the mountains.
- No “infravision,” faeries can see in the dark as in sunlight.
- Can craft magic items at 9th level as an elf or magic-user.
- Speak Common (human), Low Faerie, and Dark Faerie languages.
- May face fear/prejudice/awe from humans (-2 reaction penalty).

Brownies: Small, friendly faeries used to living near humans.
- Uses the same tables/abilities as Halfling.
- Faeries can see in the dark as in sunlight.
- Speak Common (human) and Low Faerie.
- May face fear/prejudice from clerics ONLY (-1 reaction penalty).


The following Character Creation notes apply:

- Characters are created using standard B/X/C rules.
- Languages other than Common (human) include High Gothic, the three Faerie languages, Draconic (dragon). Monsters and animals do not generally have languages that can be learned by Player Characters, though intelligent creatures may speak one of the languages available to PCs. All goblin-types speak Dark Faerie. There is no “alignment language.”
- The following equipment is restricted:

• Plate Mail is NOT available.
• Only Elves may craft/purchase Long Bows.
• No one uses “slings.”

- Non-human player characters are encouraged to be of Lawful or Neutral alignment. Humans may be aligned with any side.


The following Monster notes apply:

- Undead are MUCH less common in the campaign setting (no “dark clerics”); many are only created as the result of a curse. Faerie (PC or goblin) may NEVER become undead.
- Sentient humanoid monsters are generally Dark Faerie, or “goblins.” The following are typical types:

• Hobgoblins: the smallest goblins. Stat-wise, they are treated as kobolds in all respects.
• Goblins: standard goblins.
• Trolls: larger, sneakier goblins. Stat-wise, they are treated as bugbears. Turn to stone in direct sunlight (saving throw applies every round) and tend to hide under bridges and in caves except at night.
• Giants: rare, humongous faerie. Stats depend on size, but are generally able to regenerate any injury and often have magical powers.
• Goblin Lords: as written up in B/X Companion, though more common.

- All goblin-folk speak Dark Faerie and can see as easily in darkness as a human does in full sunlight. They cannot be transformed into undead, and are immune to lycanthropy.
- No faerie (Dark or otherwise) may trespass on sanctified (Holy) ground…like a church or Christian burial ground.
- Other mythical creatures and natural animals found in the B/X/C books are represented with standard regularity. Oozes, slimes, and “space critters” (like displacer beasts) are extremely rare if present at all.
- All monsters award twice their usual XP value if defeated.


The following Treasure notes apply:

- Coins weigh half of what they weigh in B/X (20 coins = 1 pound). When measuring encumbrance for other equipment, 1cn should continue to be read as “one-tenth of a pound.”
- Treasure found provides its actual GP value in XP, not its sale value (which may be more or less).
- Magic items found never provide XP, even if sold.
- Only “faerie armor” (magical armor crafted by faeries) has less encumbrance than standard armor.
- Only “faerie weapons” have intelligence (and few of them).
- Only a dwarf may craft weapons or armor of greater than +3 enchantment.
- Clerics may not manufacture potions or scrolls (there are no “clerical spell scrolls”).


All right, folks…what do you think? Is it “fantasy” enough for ya’?

; )