Should Pathfinder goblins have a wisdom penalty?

[doppelganger]

I know that regular goblins have a -2 to charisma, but Pathfinder goblins seem to be seriously lacking in common sense. In D&D, wisdom is generally the common sense attribute. Are the reimagined goblin getting the right penalty?

[Jodah]

I could certainly see Pathfinder goblins with a wisdom penalty in leu of a charisma penalty. maybe give them a 1d3 secondary bite attack, as well.

It does open up the door to much re-imagined hilarity, like Goblin Sorcerors lighting themselves on fire with their own spells.

[Sect]

Jodah wrote:

It does open up the door to much re-imagined hilarity, like Goblin Sorcerors lighting themselves on fire with their own spells.

Hey, come on! It's a totally and completely viable combat tactic!

[Jodah]

Okay, okay, I...I
::finally stops laughing::
Okay. So totaly scouring the spell compendium for a spell that involves lighting yourself on fire. and looking up that spell that creates a 10ft radius burst of fire centered on you, statting up a goblin sorceror NPC, and tossing him at the party as a random encounter on the way to somewhere, along with a few mooks, just so he can light his buddies on fire, too. The party hasnt seen more than one spellcasting goblin so far, so this guy should be fairly interesting to them.

[Majuba]

doppelganger wrote:

I know that regular goblins have a -2 to charisma, but Pathfinder goblins seem to be seriously lacking in common sense. In D&D, wisdom is generally the common sense attribute. Are the reimagined goblin getting the right penalty?

From a wisdom penalty to a statted up encounter with goblins setting themselves on fire in just 3 posts time - new record!

[James Jacobs]

Perhaps... but changing the stats for standard monsters isn't something that's really good for Pathfinder, I think, because that means we'd need to reprint those alternate rules every time we did anything with goblins.

Wisdom is certainly a goblin's dump stat, though. That's for sure.

[doppelganger]

James Jacobs wrote:

Perhaps... but changing the stats for standard monsters isn't something that's really good for Pathfinder, I think, because that means we'd need to reprint those alternate rules every time we did anything with goblins.

Wisdom is certainly a goblin's dump stat, though. That's for sure.

I was just trying to think of a way to codify that. The new description of of the goblins talks at length about their lack of common sense. Things like hiding in ovens in a kitchen, that sort of thing. Why shouldn't the stats match the description?

I think you've nailed it in one, James. Just make wisdom the dump stat is a simple elegant solution.

I do wonder at reimagining creatures without changing their stats, though. I already find it odd that a Pathfinder elf is that big but still has the same elf stat modifiers as the short ones every knows and loves. Maybe the artwork shows the Ahnuld of elves or something.