Goblins

Background

It is said that you are no more than three meters away from the next goblin in Longfall. Indeed, the streets seem to be teeming with the greyish-green little pointy ears. It would be a potentially fatal error to consequently dismiss them as merely some sort of mild annoyance, however. The goblins are a powerful faction on Leonera, having managed to compensate for their weaknesses with unceasing inventiveness.

Not only have they discovered that pistol balls and shrapnel are no less devastating because the finger pulling the trigger is reedy and green. They also have a few orcs in their ranks, who are only too happy to lend the muscle required to further the interests of goblinkind and defend the independence of Goblinopolis.

Hiring

Challenge level

A Goblin crew can hire the following number of characters from the different ranks:

1 Leader
1+ Deckhand characters
0-1 Specialist for each deckhand character
0-2 Mercenaries. A mercenary takes up a specialist’s place.

History

Goblins have been sharing the world with humankind since time immemorial. Well, for a very restricted meaning of “sharing”, because due to their weaker stature they have spent most of their history enslaved by humans. But then, a few decades ago, an orc washed up on a beach and taught the goblins how to fight. The humans were once again too busy with each other, and the goblins used the opportunity to gain their freedom in an uprising which spread through the Empire like wildfire.

This worked especially well in the chaotic melting pot which is Longfall. So well that the goblins were able to conquer an entire quarter of the city. They’ve kept it for themselves to this very day. This part of Longfall, proudly named Goblinopolis by its owners, is a bright beacon of hope for all those goblins throughout the Empire who are still struggling with their newly-won freedom.

Appearance

Goblins can change their sex and gender at will, and usually don’t have either unless needed. However, some of them take a liking to certain shapes and keep them permanently. Goblins thus tend towards a certain overall shapelessness with individual, striking accents.

Goblins usually stuff their greenish bodies into whatever they can find. Some are still wearing their unforms from when they were slaves, others, fresh from the jungle, barely have some sort of loincloth. Because many of them are quite cowardly, they like to wear things which protect their precious skin: they have been spotted in shells of giant crabs, sharkskins, wooden barrels, and similar sorts of armour.

Equipment

Goblins are cowardly and usually not that tough – which explains the large number of peg limbs among them. They compensate for these weaknesses with boundless creativity and a love for things that go Boom! The goblin arsenal contains rockets, rams on wheels, bombs, armed octopuses (well, derr) and many such exotic armaments.

Of course goblins also use conventional weapons, even if some of them are little more than weapon-shaped rust with a metal core. But then there is the legendary Paddle of Doom…

Characteristics

Goblins are usually found in large mobs, which helps to offset their individual weakness and cowardice. Their strength is not just in numbers, though. Their sometimes very exotic weaponry and equipment make them extremely diverse and hard to predict on the battlefield.

The combination of numerical superiority and creative “wonderweapons” – in addition to the occasional orc – is a goblin crew’s core strength. This does not always work completely reliably, but is always fun. Captains who fancy the occasional surprise from Fate while having fun should hire a goblin crew.