Mitflits look very goblin-y to me. My kid thinks so too - ("hey, is this a goblin or not?" "yes"). Which would mean that goblins could have originally been a type of gremlin, gradually losing contact with their fey side. Which sounds like a fun idea - soooooo.....
How would the transition from gremlin to goblin work? What obstacles need to be overcome, besides the ability stat bonus differencea? How similar/disimilar are their stats to a theoretical "fey type gremlin subtype primordial goblin"?
I believe the lore on Goblins is that they came from Barghest (somehow), for whatever it's worth.
So it might be a coincidence that Mitflits and Goblins look similar.
Or you can change the lore to be whatever you want, it is your game after all.
I believe the lore on Goblins is that they came from Barghest (somehow), for whatever it's worth.
So it might be a coincidence that Mitflits and Goblins look similar.
Yup, I'm aware of that lore. This is more of a...
What if - the goblin creation myth is a lie. What if they came from a Mite/Mitflit-like gremlin ancestor?
Could be both; maybe some fey came from the First World onto Barghest, then (d)evolved into goblins, then later migrated to Golarion. Perhaps using magic left behind by their mightier (or at least more magical) ancestors.
Mitflits could be the descendants of goblins who entered the First World and became fey.
How would the transition from gremlin to goblin work? What obstacles need to be overcome, besides the ability stat bonus differencea? How similar/disimilar are their stats to a theoretical "fey type gremlin subtype primordial goblin"?
Yes, the lore can be changed easily enough. But how does that affect gameplay, stats, abilities, crunch? In PF2 subtypes don't seem to change very much - at least the Fey, Gremlin, and Humanoid subtypes.
Would adding the Fey and Gremlin types to a goblin change it mechanically? Would adding the Humanoid and Goblin types to a Mitflit change it mechanically?
It wouldn't change their stats, but it may change how certain abilities interact. For instance, if goblins are fey they can be summoned by summon fey, gnomes with fey fellowship get benefits when interacting with them, etc. You could fix that by giving them the gremlin trait but not the fey trait, justifying it the same way gnomes don't have fey because they are so many generations removed from the first world that it no longer matters. Then you only have to deal with rules that interact with gremlins (and as of now I'm not aware of any).
It wouldn't change their stats, but it may change how certain abilities interact. For instance, if goblins are fey they can be summoned by summon fey, gnomes with fey fellowship get benefits when interacting with them, etc.
Very interesting stuff, and an aspect I hadn't dreamed of! Is there a reason to avoid changing how abilities interact like that, whether for PCs or NPCs? Would it be bad for a goblin to be a fey creature? Why isn't a standard gnome mechanically a fey creature, for that matter?
Why isn't a standard gnome mechanically a fey creature, for that matter?
Well, the answer is because they're not Fey, they're Fey descendants who have been on the mortal plane for so long they've lost most of their connection to the First World.
It wouldn't change their stats, but it may change how certain abilities interact. For instance, if goblins are fey they can be summoned by summon fey, gnomes with fey fellowship get benefits when interacting with them, etc.Very interesting stuff, and an aspect I hadn't dreamed of! Is there a reason to avoid changing how abilities interact like that, whether for PCs or NPCs? Would it be bad for a goblin to be a fey creature? Why isn't a standard gnome mechanically a fey creature, for that matter?
You don't need to avoid it, but I would personally because I find it odd to summon PC ancestries.