| Curgyr |
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My group and I really enjoy the way goblins "are" in Pathfinder 2E! Especially after they met the Bumblebrashers and got to RP with some non-hostile goblins. Sadly, none of them are playing a goblin - something they found particularly sad once they realized some of the ridiculous heritage feats available to goblins. So we decided that we would make a "B-Team" that are all members of the Bumblebrashers, and that would give them a chance to not only play goblins but to test out classes and ideas they were interested in. The idea was that they would keep pace, in level, with their own "A-Team" characters (to see all the class options available to their new classes) and that we would play a short adventure with them at a good breaking point in each subsequent book of this AP, while their regular team was gallivanting around on new continents. We thought it would be a fun way to keep the Citadel and Breachill in our campaign beyond just "where we stop for some downtime".
So... Meet Bumble's Brashers!
(And help give me some ideas for them!)
When a group of adventurers showed up to help the Bumblebrashers reclaim their home, it was agreed that their mascot, Big Bumble, might serve the tribe by clearing out the cultists. After all, they had chosen a terrifying and powerful mascot to represent them. The group was, of course, warned that she wasn't very good at telling friend and foe apart, but the hope was that she would be every bit as fearsome and incredible as the goblins naturally assumed she'd be. They also drew a map, to be helpful.
As the strangers ventured away, the tribe waited, anxious and curious, for news. Eventually they returned, carrying a great brown pelt with them. The pelt of Big Bumble! The adventurers brought promises that their mascot might live on in the form an ingenuous craft they would engage in the moment they had time. But, more than that, they brought an amazing story! Big Bumble, released from her room, became a fury. The group hid from her, and could only relay what the battle had sounded like, but they found her body, dramatically posed in a pool of blood and water from that annoying roof-drip, the munched and mutilated bodies of their feared tormentors in her wake.
With just enough details to wildly exaggerate and extrapolate greatness from, a story of complexity that short attention spans attributed to some cleverness Big Bumble herself was involved in (in reality the oddly involved Rube-Goldberg-with-a-bear-esque plan my players concocted to free and direct the bear without seeing her themselves utilizing ropes and carefully held doors), and a near-holy artifact handcrafted for them to immortalize Big Bumble, there has been talk among the tribe that Big Bumble may have become more than just a mascot...
Our usual Fighter player is playing a Razortooth Bard whose muse is the concept of Big Bumble herself. He wildly attributes traits and opinions to Big Bumble that a bear simply cannot hold, and has eagerly built you up in his mind to fit his idea of what she should be.
Our usual Alchemist is playing a Barbarian of some kind (Unbreakable Goblin?), and is - obviously - going to be a Bear Animal Spirit Barbarian, empowered by the rage and drive that Big Bumble exhibited in her final rampage through the cultists.
Our usual Sorcerer is going to take over the bomber role as Charhide Alchemist who is the classic goblin arsonist. The connection to Big Bumble isn't yet established, if there is one, but we're very excited for the feat that lets a goblin set themselves on fire!
Finally, our usual Cleric is going to be an Irongut Rogue who likes to steal food and other things, too. Probably admired Big Bumbles imagined gluttony, even though that was mostly directed at other goblins!
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I already have an idea for their first adventure. We agreed we wanted to do a level 1 "get used to the classes" romp before jumping into the first place we planned to play them, which would be level 6 or 7 - sometime during Cult of Cinders. So I decided that Breachill would face a new crisis just a few days after "Big Bumblefest", a festival thrown in honor of the clan's savoir, Big Bumble (and the adventurers who helped her), where the party's homemade item would make its debut (my players are scheming to turn Big Bumble's pelt in a Chinese-dragon-like puppet that two/three goblins can wear and dance around in).
Goblins tried to attack Breachill. They were singing about "Bumbles" and "brashers" and incomprehensible things, and some townsfolk think the local tribe is responsible. They aren't! Now, the tribe is in trouble again, and it's time for new champions to save the tribe. Sure, those adventurers helped save them from Calmont and they were instrumental in Big Bumble's apotheosis, but they're busy, and these four goblins are inspired! So they go out searching for these goblins that are continuing to give their kind a bad name.
Well, it turns out, the Bumblebrashers aren't the only tribe in town with a new god. With the death of Ralldar, a nearby lesser barghest is hoping to muscle in on territory that used to be his. Now, he obviously hasn't used the territory in forever, but barghests are territorial and I'm thinking no one would want to mess around the old stomping ground of a crazed greater barghest that's refusing to move on to new pastures. Now that rumors of his death have spread, though, it's time to muscle in. So a regular barghest is trying to unite smaller goblin tribes and has its eyes set on the Bumblebrashers and the town of Breachill, and it's up to this party to stop it!
I'm only looking for a session or two, and that might be ambition. I'm thinking they discover what's going on and convince some goblins to mutiny - maybe there's a tribe or two that wanted to live kind of neutral lives but is scared - or maybe there's another tribe they can drive to disorganization by killing the Hobgoblin leader that's not the barghest's lieutenant? Hopefully it ends in a pitched battle setpiece again a (weak adjusted) barghest with some NPC support.
I do maybe want to touch on the difference between goblins who remain like the evil goblin stereotype and the Bumblebrashers, and maybe bring in some pieces of their interactions with Hobgoblins, and maybe a barghest trying to be a new goblin god isn't the best way to do that. But what I really want is an opportunity to discuss some of the lore behind Ralldar, because it's cool but the PCs don't have a lot of ways to get that in Hellknight Hill. Between what they see in his cave and what he'll yell at them in combat, I anticipate they'll figure a lot of it out, but I think this plotline might be a way to introduce some more of it, with goblin dialogue and "villain speeching" from the new barghest. What do you think?
DomHeroEllis
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This sounds awesome! I too love what Pathfinder have been doing with Goblins and can't wait to see what you come up with.
| Barnabas Eckleworth III |
The We Be Goblins adventure series run for PF2 would probably be a lot of fun.
| Curgyr |
The team is established.
Barble the Bard is a Razortooth Goblin with a love of stories and songs and fascinating things. His muse is Big Bumble, to whom he attributes (falsely) many of his own traits. It's a sort of reciprocal modeling of Big Bumble after himself and himself after Big Bumble, oddly scaffolding his way up into his ideal self. He plays a flute/recorder made of bone and is definitely ready for adventure! Learned "Bear" from Peebip.
His unique background is Goblin Accompanyist and I believe it game him a Boost to Charisma (+ a free Boost), Performance, Lore (Goblin), and the Goblin Song feat.
Peebip is an Unbreakable Goblin, and that's a good thing! She made a name for herself as one of the Goblins who corralled Big Bumble into her place in the crypts, and has been especially inspired by her rampage, becoming a Bear Instinct Barbarian. When not raging out, she fights with a maul that she is scarily proficient with. Her extra Int went into "learning" the "Bear" language, which, like Klingon, is a surprisingly functional language not actually spoken as a primary language in real life. (Bear is a real language but, sadly, bears do not speak it.) Has a scar from her time with the clan mascot she calls her "Bumble bump."
Her unique background is Bumble Wrangler, giving her a Boost to Constitution (+ a free Boost), Athletics, Lore (Bear), and the Titan Wrestler feat.
KaboomBoom is the clan arsonist Bomber Alchemist and obviously a Charhide Goblin. Oh, he loves fire! And minor arson. And, you know, all of that... And he's fantastically misunderstood the term "blaze of glory", so now he loves Big Bumble, too! Perhaps a bit too fascinated with the Goblinblood Wars and the massive arsons of old, but his heart's in the right place. We think...
His unique background is Goblin Pyro, and that gave a Dex Boost and a free Boost (for the throwing of bombs), Athletics (for running away), Lore (Goblinblood Wars), and Fleet (definitely for running away!). We allowed a general feat because Fleet doesn't seem too strong and it's only the B-Team!
Tbblobnoern, Lob, Tob, or any other shortening and mispronunciation of his name, is the party's Rogue. Really, he just likes food. Loves it! He's an Irongut Goblin gourmet, but he's a sneaky git with grabby hands and he takes more than food! For example, he took the regular cleric's spare +1 rapier (and just doesn't really know how to use it yet, but he's trying!)
His unique background is Scrounger, giving a Wis Boost and a free Boost, Survival, Lore (Food), and Forager.
They each got a scrap bracelet made from Big Bumble's hide, and they sometimes get cameos in the main team downtime stuff.
(In case you're wondering, yes, the Rogue is named after that misspelled Toblerone meme.)
| Curgyr |
Now, the first arc is underway!
So, I'll admit, I became a patron to two different and very lovely mapmakers. Hey, I needed maps! But, I feel in love with all the options. Buoyed by the energy and enthusiasm of my players for their goblins and exited about the story I wanted to tell, I ended up making about three session's worth of content. We had the first today, and it went over well. For my first time writing Pathfinder sessions myself, I consider that a win!
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We opened with a recap of Age of Ashes so far from the goblins' perspectives, detailing how this group of heroes was almost overshadowed by Big Bumble's apotheosis (in the eyes of the Bumblebrashers) and how life continued to change for them, after. They were given a place to live in the citadel's courtyard, they saw more longshanks than most had seen in their lives, and they even became comfortable around them.
They also helped the kobolds relocate to a new lair. The main party talked them into taking over Ralldar's cave and adding (what's left) of his hoard to theirs. They're still friends ("friends"?), but they don't live right next to each-other anymore. While there, Bumble's Brashers saw the remains of Ralldar and his macabre goblin servants and heard some of his story from Renali, whom they passed on the way. They recalled ancestral stories of a "goblin god" in the area, a distant thing in the short memories of goblins but more present in the minds of longer-lived creatures. I narrated how this was a factor in the evolution of goblin culture in the area, opening the way for the Bumble Brashers and allowing other tribes to grow, split, and evolve on their own. Hobgoblins didn't come to take over as bitterness from the Goblinblood Wars made the residents defensive on that particular point, and barghests or similar creatures haven't stepped in because they know Ralldar is still there and still dangerous. But Ralldar was mostly inactive, so the goblins were left in peace.
The Brashers soon forgot about this, however, as it was festival time! In honor of Big Bumble, the Bumblebrashes put on the first annual (monthly?) Bumblefest! They did this in their new village, a rickety and somewhat vertical and dense construction rapidly deployed into the citadel's courtyard. It had everything. Wrestling, dancing, music, food, and more! And residents of Breachill were invited. Some even came! Lob ran a food stand - nevermind that people recognized ingredients and trinkets from their homes. Peebip wrestled the warp pups for the entertainment of all and then ran an armwrestling booth. Barble placed well in all musical competitions, and KaboomBoom put on a massive and spectacular fireworks show! Roxie Denn and some of her regulars showed up and delighted in the rough and tumble atmosphere. They arm wrestled with Peebip and brought pickled everything from the Pickled Ear, much to the goblins' delight. KaboomBoom even asked Roxie to pickle one of the barghest's ears. Near the end, the music picked up and there was a dance by a trio of goblins wearing the Big Bumble puppet the main party had rigged. It was a glorious night, and build some real connections between the Bumblebrashers and Breachill...
Which was important, as their connections were about to be tested! A week after the main party departed through a mysterious portal to solve the cultist problem once and for all, Breachill residents approached the Bumblebrashers with questions. This is odd, because goblins know few enough things, and yet they came, asking things like:
"Why did goblins try to burn down part of our town?"
"Why were they singing your tribe's name?"
"Are you sure you didn't have anything to do with it?"
"Do you have an alibi?"
"Do you need me to define the word 'alibi'?"
Bumble's Brashers knew emphatically that their tribe was not behind this. They consulted with Warbal - now the citadel's seneschal - and she gave them some advice:
A ways away, the Friendwood Farm was run by a single family of goblins who traded their produce (cucumbers and pickles, primarily) with everyone, and who probably knew what was going on. Warbal told them how to get there and sent them on their way.
While walking the roads out, though, the party ran into mysterious trouble! The party witnessed a patrol of two unfamiliar goblins atop goblin dog mounts... a patrol which became aggressive upon seeing them! [I ran 2x Weak Goblin Dogs and 2x Goblin Warriors, but gave the Goblin Warriors the equivalent of the Ride feat to simplify things.]
The party won the fight easily enough. The barbarian got to rage out and cause some real damage, and we discovered just how big some emanations can be! No one got too hurt. It's interesting using goblin dogs against an all-goblin party, as they're immune to the goblin pox (or, as they call it, simply "the pox"). It was hard to encourage use of terrain features with what was functionally only two targets moving around and engaging, but they had some fun and it got a bit narrative. Once the assailants were dead, they realized they didn't recognize any of the markings and icons, and that the goblin dogs were emaciated and mildly abused.
Moving on to Friendwood Farm, they discovered its residents being harassed by a band of three goblins. [I used a regular Goblin Warrior, a Warrior using a torch an alchemist's fire, and a weak Goblin Commando - this last might have been a mistake!]
With good initiative rolls and, admittedly some luck, the Brashers trashed the commando before he could even act. The barbarian turned the arsonist to paste, and the final warrior tried his best but fled in the end, only to be felled by clever use of Sudden Charge. And here I thought that feat wouldn't see use! I guess I'm not used to how open some maps can be.
At the Friendwood Farm, the harassed but otherwise unharmed goblin family (a grandpa, dad, mom, and five kids) clued the party in on what was going down. Now, ever since I roleplayed the goblin tribe heckling Calmot, goblins at my table have been a bit... vulgar. These farm goblins especially. But, with much censoring, I can tell you that necessary information was conveyed. Someone named "Gothgram" has swooped in and began forcibly uniting the local goblin tribes and families. He's very belligerent about this, and brought goblins with him that were already loyal. They already pulled in and relocated the Fleetfeet, the Jamjaws, the Shankbiters, and the Burning Bloods, but the farmers said that - were they the type to do anything about it - what they would try to do was win over the more reluctant conscripts and create some sedition. (Here, realizing I'd used an uncharacteristically large word, I made a joke where the child asked his pa what sedition meant and was supplied layman's speak in simple but profanity-laded terms.) But there was a problem: whoever Gothram was, he was ensuring loyalty with enslaved hobgoblins! Each conscript camp was monitored by a hobgoblin who reported back. So the plan was to take out the hobgoblins in transit and then use what time that afforded them to fold the conscripts into the Bumblebrashers and stage a final assault on this Gothgram fellow.
Lore (Goblin) and Lore (Goblinblood Wars) revealed that the Fleetfeet were, like the Bumblebrashers, peaceful goblins. Only they were skittish and fearful and tried to live in isolation. Providing them support and girding words would probably win them over. The Jamjaws were neutral to good leaning, very animal loving with goblin dogs and wolves and such, but they placed almost total authority in the perceived whims of their mascot. The Shankbiters they knew less about, only that they were generally hostile goblins no one wanted to interact with. The Burning Bloods are arsonists and warriors who were still mad about what happened generations ago (from their perspective) in the Goblinblood Wars. Because they are an active threat, they are more a small band than a tribe, but they're very dangerous. Those last two were unlikely to be willing to turn against Gothgram, who seemed bent on sparking another conflict of organized goblins.
The bard and the alchemist went towards the Fleetfeet camp, while Peebip the barbarian and our rogue went for the Jamjaws. Here, I ran two simultaneous but separate encounters using side-by-side maps and one initiative list, as the groups tried to fell the hobgoblin middlemen... who did, indeed, bear heavy collars and the signs of malnutrition and weakness. [Each pair fought a Weak Hobgoblin Soldier and two Goblin Warriors.]
The battles were hard, but decisive. I didn't end up utilizing the NPC's abilities as much as I wanted, but they went well, and one player learned the difference between 5E DnD Attacks of Opportunity and PF2 AoO the hard way - by being downed by one. In the sake of fairness, now that he knew, I let him take back his movement - all he was trying to do was get flanking bonus to sneak attack a hobgoblin he very much could have killed without precision damage, and it was a good learning opportunity.
Victorious in these battles, the goblins are left with questions and many injuries. But the paths forward to these other tribes - and, hopefully, answers! - are now open...
The Fleetfeet will worry and fret, and will require six successes on skill checks to convince them and help them. Crits count as two. Checks could be Diplomacy to win them over, Crafting to improve their weapons and armor, or whatever creative and zany plans my players come up with.
The Jamjaws will be more straightforward. Their mascot appears to stand with Gothgram - it seemed frightened of his people and that meant the Jamjaws should bend the knee. But they are willing to change allegiances if their mascot (a boar!) can be similarly cowed by them and their so-called Big Bumble. It's trial by mascot (with Big Bumble's champion!) and they will have to fight an angry boar in a small arena.
Winning over the tribes will give them the support they need. It also means they'll get allies in the form of the tribes' own champions. Each character will get an ally, which they can command using the minion rules and what I'm basically calling the Direct action. Peebip will be accompanied by a Goblin Champion, while Lob will get the pleasure of directing a Goblin Dog. KaboomBoom will attract the attention of a Goblin Pyro, and a Warcaster will form a choir with Barble.
No one quite knows where Gothgram is, though. But they know where to find the more willing conscripts! This sends the party on a journey to use some of my new maps. ;) There's a very cool goblin-themed wooden bridge map that will be a fun transition fight and map or two I can use for fighting towards the combined forces of the Burning Bloods and the Shankbiters, led by an (enslaved) Hobgoblin Archer! From them, they will learn where Gothgram is and what he is, where I will use a very lovely invaded manor map I now have to represent an outlying homestead that Gothgram took over and is camping his indoctrinated goblins at. I hope to have some exciting and dangerous encounters here, to make it worth giving my characters allies! I'm thinking a Barghest with two of his +1 buff corpse consumption things already done + his honor guard.
I'm not sure all my encounter balance and tactical use of maps is done perfectly, but we're having fun so far. When we're finished, I want to have accomplished a few goals, and I think we're on the right track: I want to grow the Bumblebrashers again after their losses before Hellknight Hill, I want to increase relations between Bumblebrashers and "civilized" people, I want to contrast "new" goblins with their still very much active and violent "old" culture kin, I want to cement the B-Team as heroes in their own right, and I want to tell a story that feels connected to the regular adventure path but fleshes out a facet of it that's mostly unexplored. Hopefully it works out. :)
| Fumarole |
So, I'll admit, I became a patron to two different and very lovely mapmakers. Hey, I needed maps!
Which mapmakers, if you don't mind me asking? My personal favorite is Dynamic Dungeons.