Goblin Settlements

I had a comment on the previous post about goblins asking about lairs. I've been a little vague on that, referring to them a few times as an underground race but also mentioning that they do some farming and keep some livestock.

A small portion of goblins living in Lesser Poland on marginal land near the Vistula have settled into agrarian lifestyles. They are not the focus of this post. Instead, we focus on the goblins who live along the Carpathians who are semi-nomadic and utilize raiding for a portion of their subsistence. I mean come on, why would the PCs be mucking around with farming goblins? Sheesh...

Goblins settle in out of the way places, in rough terrain where they can hide themselves but still range out and raid when necessary. They will settle below ground in natural caves, abandoned mines, and any other subterranean locale. Goblins rarely work the ground where they settle since they often move their tribes. In addition, they will settle above ground in crevices, escarpments, canyons, and other sheltered areas and erect tenting. Either way, they choose areas that are easy to hide their tribes in, command a view of the surrounding area, and have multiple avenues to escape.

Their economy revolves around periodic raids. Goblins are decent metalworkers, able to break down tools to fashion arrow heads, darts, spears, and other weapons. Otherwise, most goblin tools are made from animal products such as sinew, bone, and hides. Goblins also prize other manufactured and refined products to fit specific needs, especially salt and sugar to preserve food.

Goblins raid along a seasonal pattern. Throughout good weather months, they collect a menagerie of livestock. They focus on animals that are easy to keep, such as pigs, goats, and chickens. Goats and chickens also provide a steady and easy source of food. Larger livestock, such as cattle or horses, are typically worked for a bit, then slaughtered for food and materials. Goblins do not feed and keep animals through the winter, instead, they conduct large slaughters in the late fall and then dry and preserve as much food as they can to last the winter. Once the next spring bring favorable weather, they raid again to replenish their livestock.

Goblin tribes pick up and move as a response to raids, both to search for fresh targets and as a response to retaliatory raids.

Kobolds in Pagan Communities

Kobolds are helpful, somewhat mischievous house spirits that protect the homes of pagan believers. For Christian people who still cling to old pagan rituals and beliefs, kobolds tend to be mostly unseen, helping with household tasks or cleaning after the home is asleep. However, for those people who resisted Christianity, especially at the price of blood, and retained their pagan beliefs, kobolds play a much more direct role. In this case, kobolds manifest directly to their believers and help them not only maintain their livelihood but to also ward off foes.

Kobolds in the Early Modern Period

Kobolds are house spirits, small sprites that protect the homes and dwellings of pagan believers. They can take on many forms with some of their favorite being child-like figures or small animals and may also take the form of mundane objects. Most kobolds are relatively harmless and help to protect those who treat them well while playing tricks on those who do not.

Only believers will have the chance to interact with kobolds, otherwise the sprites do not directly reveal themselves but may make their presence known in other ways. Belief in kobolds has survived Christianity in some circles and is most strong in communities that still hold onto pagan practices. In particular, dwarfs and goblins have a strong connection with kobolds.

While most kobolds are flighty sprites, many are aware that fewer mortals display belief in these spirits. These kobolds are much more active within pagan communities and will show a rare focus in utilizing their powers to fiercely protect the way of life for those who believe.

Goblins in the Early Modern Period

Goblins are a dying race. Having coalesced into a people in the deep forests of Europe, they were neighbors of the burgeoning elven society. Yet, it was not the elves who diminished their numbers and forced the forest dwellers underground. Elves considered goblins more as a younger cousin, a mischievous neighbor who, from time to time, needed a sound beating to remember his place. The goblin race didn't start its steady decline until it met humans.

Even from the times when humans inhabited Germania and Gaul in sets of tribes, men made war with goblins. While men and elves would eventually integrate, men and goblins were at constant odds. The dominance of Roman legions and culture did little to change this dynamic. While many 'barbarian' tribes were integrated into Roman society and its military, goblins remained on the fringe and always at odds. The eventual degradation of the Roman Empire was not enough to stem the slow tide of the goblin's decline. It was instead replaced by the zeal of conversion to Christianity which fell hard upon the pagan goblins. Conversions by the sword were typical; goblins would not give up their superstitious religious ways. Crusades through the Baltic regions finally succeeded in routing goblins out of their ancestral forests for good and forcing them to dwell underground to scratch out a living.

Today, goblins have long since lost their place among the great wilderness and are consigned to fringe areas outside of the Empire. Clinging to existence underground, various goblin tribes subsist on a combination of scavenging, limited agriculture, husbandry, and raiding. What few small congregations of goblins remain are typically found in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth hiding among the decentralized country side regions and enjoying a small measure of tolerance. Small pockets are also found under the mountain ranges ringing Europe proper.

Orcs in the Early Modern Period

Hundreds of years ago, Orcs swept into the eastern fringes of Europe. The great Orc Khans invaded the lands of the Rus' and pushed deeper into the kingdoms of Poland and Hungary, eventually painting a path of destruction all the way to Dalmatia and the coast of the Adriatic. This was a dark time for the enlightened people of Europe who fought the Orcish Khans and their Golden Horde.

Eventually, the righteous prevailed in pushing the Golden Horde back and ending the Orcish influence on the eastern reaches of Europe. However, the legacy of the Golden Horde did not perish so easily. The remnants of the Golden Horde broke into a number of Khantes who still hold sway to this day. While the host of Orcs have been pushed back towards their ancestral home and into Mongolia, their taint remains in the form of the Crimean Khanate and in the bloodlines of Half-Orcs today.

Orcs are mostly absent from present day Europe as the Golden Horde collapsed. Their legacy lives on in the Crimean Khanate. As a protectorate of the Ottoman Empire, Half-Orcs continue to raid Russian and Polish lands. Outside of Crimea, Half-Orcs do not hold any major dominions and are instead interspersed within the populations of the old Golden Horde conquests.

Fantasy Races in the Early Modern Period

-C over at Hack & Slash has a good post of his take on race as class. Essentially, he goes a more mythic or fairy tale route in that non-humans are not just "humans in a funny hat," but are rather something completely not human. He uses the example of Dwarves being carved from earth, Elves are fey beings, etc. For this reason, non-human races should be a class:

... [E]lves are spirits and sprites, playing in eternal youth, living in the moment, powerful in magic and unconcerned about the future.... They are not HUMAN+... One elf lost in the world of the men, where actions have consequences and existence is weighty, does what the elf does - fights well with light weapons, and uses magic and stealth in the natural realm.

I think he has a perfectly valid take on the subject. I'd like to take that thread and run in a different direction.

Elven Game Lore

I've established Elves in the EMP campaign as a mostly nomadic people. If we take a lesson from Farm, Forge, and Steam to heart, we learn that "population dense agriculture trump[s] population diffuse nomadism (hunter-gatherer/herding). Always." So we create a little contradiction here, how have Elves remained a nomadic people through antiquity to the early modern period while sharing the continent with humans?

Questions...

and as usual, not enough answers. I'm still stuck on how I want to treat Half-Elves and Half-Orcs, and if/how I want to tweak Gnomes to differentiate them from Dwarves, mechanically speaking. So here's a quick brainstorming session with no resolution.

1) Change nothing. Leave the mechanics the same and integrate bi-racial characters into the lore.

2) Throw out half races all together.

3) Doing a little thievery from 3e, have Gnomes be able to cast a cantrip per day and remove their magic saving throw bonus. I am on the fence about this for a few reasons. Originality for one. More importantly, what does a race of people who are all (or nearly all) capable of casting a cantrip per day look like? What if each of us could perform some minor feat of magic every day? I sure as hell wouldn't have to go to Goodyear if my damn tire runs flat. Regardless, it does give 'flexibility' to a Gnome. Meaning, it easily explains them as a 'tinkering' race that can use magic in their crafts and other pursuits.

4) Re-imagine. Change any or all of the races in question into a new trope. Think fey "lawn gnomes," changelings, some sort of lycanthrope (Human by day, Orc/Elf by night or some other cycle), maybe mimic OD&D's Elf race/class and have a Half-Elf/Orc choose to "be" a Human/Elf/Orc per day or adventuring session. Basically, a total overhaul.

So what option is best? My ultimate goal is to help differentiate these races. Gnomes and Dwarves have very similar mechanics, Half-Elves are watered down versions of Elves, and the same with Half-Orcs. So is a chance necessary to introduce meaningful choices, or is it a moot point?

Bi-racial Characters

It is odd to think of Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, etc, as bi-racial. It is such a loaded term in our PC real world, but no one bats an eye at it when playing RPGs. Either way, that is not the main topic for this post.

I was getting ready to do a write up for Half-Elves and Half-Orcs when I realized that they both suck. What is a Half-Elf really? It is a lame concept both mechanically and stylistically. Mechanically, you get a watered down version of Elf bonuses with a slightly wider selection of classes. In the EMP campaign, they are further reduced to just sucky Elves since there are no class/race/level restrictions.

As far as style goes, the popular conception is that "they seldom fit into either society." So I guess this is the emo generation version of a role playing character despite its assumed accuracy according to what some bi-racial people probably face in their lifetimes. Regardless, it ultimately feels like fodder for campy dramatics, grandstanding, and look-at-me RPing.

Half-Orcs are actually significantly better than the hippy light Half-Elf, but they still fall down in both categories. Mechanically, they work almost the same as Elves and Half-Elves with infravision and enhanced detection rolls while only missing paralysis resistance. Their ability modifiers do differentiate them while at the same time shoehorning them into fighter roles (bonus to STR and CON, malus to CHA). So you get a "combat" version of an Elf or Half-Elf.

For style, they do get points for at least being a crossbreed with an evil humanoid. It is much easier to create something unique by smashing together two dissimilar things rather than two similar races. It takes some effort, but they can be more than just "ugly humans" or brutish warriors. Granted, you can say the same thing for Half-Elves (or any race/stereotype/trope), yet, Half-Orcs at least have a better perceived conflict between a human and orcish ancestry.

So I am left with a few decisions here. As far as mechanics go, I can leave them be and just have the roles stay the same or I can work to create a meaningful choice here. As far as style and game lore, I can work with both but the Half-Elves especially would need a solid re-imagining. Or I could just tank both races all together and get much closer to the  roots of the game.

EDIT: Looking back at the rest of the races, Gnomes and Dwarves kind of fall into this sameness trap. The major difference is their class selection, again gone with this EMP campaign. Perhaps I will have to revisit these races and help differnetiate the Gnome, perhaps by taking their ability to be Illusionists from the standard rule set and converting that into something for the EMP rule set. 

EMP: Section 1 Characters - Halfling

Gnome

Requirements, Ability Modifiers, and Ability Min/Max are all by the book.

Racial Characteristics are the same as the LL version, with the following changes:

* Halflings may disappear in the wilderness and Hide in Shadows on a 5-in-6 chance with suitable outdoor cover. Halflings receive a +1 to Hide in Shadows when underground. There are no further modifications to Skills.

* Halflings receive no modification to initiative rolls (initiative will be covered in a future section).

* Halflings recieve +1 to attack with missile weapons

* Halflings gain a 2 point advantage to Armor Class when facing creatures greater than human sized. [We can incorporate the hit point rule to define these creatures as anything with a HD type greater than a D8.] [The decisions about ascending or descending armor class has not been made yet, so the wording on the AC bonus remains vague. But the absolute value is set].

* Halflings may only speak their native tongue unless they have exceptional intelligence or are taught another language.

* Halflings receive +2 to DEX saves, +4 to CON saves, and +4 against any magical effect (not cumulative with the prior two saves).

Game Lore

Halfling civilization took form in Iberia and they are believed to be the first creatures living there even before Human migration. These diminutive people quickly spread out from their homelands and established themselves as wanderers, explorers, traders, and travelers. Filled with a sense of wanderlust, they feel equally at home enjoying good times in their hillside homes or enjoying all that the world offers.

Halflings have been pervasive in Human history. Halfling traders brought first brought grain from Egypt into Rome, were a economic and cultural link between the Moslem and Christian worlds, traveled the Silk Road with Marco Polo, sailed with Columbus to the New World, and are keen on penetrating the interior of Africa. Their influence is so far and wide that the Halfling language is practically the lingua franca for traders, explorers, and diplomats far from home.

Halflings are found in nearly any profession that offers them the opportunity for good riches or a good adventure. Despite being small in stature, they have been known to show great strength and ingenuity when underestimated.

EMP: Section 1 Characters - Gnome

Gnome

Requirements, Ability Modifiers, and Ability Min/Max are all by the book.

Racial Characteristics are the same as the LL version, with the following changes:

* Gnomes retain their enhanced detection abilities as per LL rules, but there are no modifiers to Skills.

* Gnomes may only speak their native tongue unless they have exceptional intelligence or are taught another language.

* Gnomes receive +2 to DEX saves, +4 to CON saves, and +2 against any magical effect (not cumulative with the prior two saves).

Game Lore

Gnomes are a cousin species to Dwarves and share some of their characteristics but are still a unique people. Where Dwarves would ply their arts for practical purposes, Gnomes would tends towards the fantastic. Their homelands exist in the Alps and Pyrenees along with the hills and lowlands that connect them. Living in these mountainous regions and spending much of their time underground, Gnomes developed a different relationship with ancient Human civilizations.

Gnomes enjoyed relative peace and quiet with their neighbors in Hispania, Gaul, and Cisalpine Gaul through much of the Republic years of Rome. They were accused, at various times, of supporting both 'sides' through history, such as Hannibal over the Alps and Julius Caesar in Gaul. Regardless, Gnomes traded extensively with their Human neighbors but were able to resist Romanization and Christianization by virtue of their mountainous homelands.

Some people, and many Gnomes, say that these stout people were the true Renaissance men who brought about Europe's rebirth instead of the artisans of northern Italy. In modern times, Gnomes share dominion of the Alps with the Swiss, helping to reform the Swiss Confederacy's army and technology, and are associated with the Basque peoples of the Pyrenees, much to the chagrin of both Spain and France.  Gnome adventurers and tinkerers are found throughout Europe and are appreciated for their talents with less prejudice than many people have of the Dwarven race.

EMP: Section 1 Characters - Elf

Elves

Requirements, Ability Modifiers, and Ability Min/Max are all by the book.

Racial Characteristics are the same as the LL version, with the following changes:

* Elves receive their +1 to Hear Noise and can detect secret doors on 1-2 on a D6, but there are no other modifiers for skills.

* Elves may only speak the Elven language unless they have exceptional intelligence or are taught another language.

Game Lore

The Elves as a people developed as hunter gatherers, ranging out into the forested fringes of Europe from Ireland through northern Germany to the steppes of Russia. There are even rumors of Elves who migrated beyond the great Asian land mass and into the jungles of the Orient and Far East. Rumors from the New World even place Elf-like beings across the Atlantic as well.

Elves developed their civilization and society in relative proximity to early, pre-Roman humans, with a mixed history of competition, cooperation, and warfare that characterizes the typical clash of civilizations. The Romans viewed the Elves as 'barbarians' just as much as native humans in the ever expanding frontiers of the Empire. The Elves varied in their response to the Romans, with integration, extinction, and migration all being common.

Over time, Elven people began to more closely resemble their human neighbors, even to go so far as to cross-breed in enough numbers that Half-Elves were recognized as a race unto itself. However, a backlash was in the making.

The Dark Ages was just as trying for Elves as it was for humans, with the upheaval of Muslim conquests, the Migration Period, and the changes in society since the decline of the Roman Empire. With the Black Plague and recurring famines of the 14th century, Elven society took a dramatic step.

Blaming the seemingly irreversible tide of civilization, Elves sought to retreat from the strife and suffering that seemed common in a period of ever more frequent peasant revolts, the Hundred Years' War, and recurring epidemics and famine. This retreat was literal, with the majority of Elves picking up and moving farther away from cities and feudal lords and back into the wilderness of their ancestors.

Today, Elves have struggled to re-integrate into a semi-nomadic, hunter-gatherer society. A heavy reliance on Druidism and nature magic has helped them adjust, but it remains to be seen how this experiment will ultimately impact the race as a whole.

Elves who take up the life of an adventurer will find many opportunities to exploit their keen senses, talent for martial arts and magic use, as well as their connection with nature.

EMP: Section 1 Characters - Dwarf

Dwarf 

Requirements, Ability Modifiers, and Ability Min/Max are all by the book.

Overall, I am not going to change races much from their fantasy norms and established LL rule set. The only flavor changes will be to incorporate and locate them with the pseudo historical Early Modern Period.

Racial Characteristics are the same as the LL version, with the following changes:

*Dwarves retain their "2 in 6 (1-2 on 1d6) chance of detecting traps, false walls, hidden construction, or noticing if passages are sloped." This ability is only applicable in dungeons, castles, and other buildings and constructions. There are no other adjustment to skills.

*Dwarves may only speak the Dwarven language unless they have exceptional intelligence or are taught another language.

*There are only going to be 3 saving throws, based on Constitution, Dexterity, and Wisdom. [I am throwing around names for them in my head, for now I will just refer to them as CON DEX and WIS saves.] Dwarves receive +2 to DEX saves, +4 to CON saves, and +4 against any magical effect (not cumulative with the prior two saves).

Game Lore

In ancient times, Dwarves lived around most of the Mediterranean world outside of the early Human empires in Egypt and Mesopotamia. With the rise of Etruscan, Carthaginian, and Grecian tribes, some Dwarves integrated with the emerging human civilizations and others migrated through northern Europe and into Eurasia and over the Ural Mountains.

Those who stayed enjoyed good relations with their human neighbors, engaging in commerce and trade. Many early engineering feats accomplished at this time were with the help of Dwarven knowledge. As the Human Mediterranean peoples grew and clashed, Dwarves were eventually pushed out and away. The final blow came with the end of the Roman Republic and the dominance of the Roman Empire and its eventual acceptance of the Christian faith, over 1000 years ago.

Dwarven people are a tough and adaptable folk and find pride in making their homes in inhospitable lands to call their own. Most major Dwarven settlements today are found in the Atlas Mountains and escarpments of North Africa, the cold northern mountain climes of Scandinavia, the Caucasus region around the Black Sea, and the Ural and trans-Ural areas. While old enmities have died down, most Dwarves are still apt to live in their close knit, isolated communities.

The adventurous types are found scattered across Europe, Asia, and Africa, plying their respective trades. While a gruff and surly people in general, their skills are appreciated by many.

EMP: Section 1 Characters - Races

Character Races

Racial requirements for stats remains by the book, except there will be no difference for male and female characters. The requirements have to be met both BEFORE and AFTER stats have been modified for race.

All character races have every class available to them with no level limits. 

That is a pretty radical departure from LL and 1st edition. Ultimately, I want players to have lots of options. I'm not overly concerned with the 'balance' achieved with level limits nor the fantasy styling that says Dwarves don't cast spells or only Gnomes and Humans can be Illusionists. I will give something back to Humans since they now share the formerly unique quality to be any class and achieve any level.

'Balance' is arbitrary and over-rated. What exactly are we balancing? One of D&D's core features is that every class offers a significantly different play experience. Balance is one of those concepts that is mostly useless for D&D. You can't run any kind of statistical analysis or use objective criteria in a game that is open to player and DM interpretation and collaboration. Ok, my Fighter variant is unbeatable in situation A, but a well run game should have nearly infinite situations. The obvious cases, like a class that has D20 for HD, casts spells, and can fly at will, are just that, obvious.

Realistically, if someone can pull off amazing rolls and be an Assassin/Paladin, all the more power to them. According to their abilities, that type of character would be 'better' than a plain Fighter. Yet, a sandbox game is, ultimately, more based on player skill rather than character skill. Let the Assassin/Paladin be stronger than a Fighter; the players are pulling the strings and the game world reacts to the player's decisions, not the character's stats.

Perhaps not every person is mature enough to see this. Maybe they have played in games where the play is mostly tactical and consists of miniatures and fights in hard coded rules and situations. Well, then they are not really playing D&D, at least, not the type on which I would want to base a campaign.

As for style goes, that is an easy one. Each game world has its own style. If the DM chooses to mimic Tolkien fantasy or any established D&D setting, so be it. I'm creating my own style here, just as every DM should. Once you are in the realm of fantasy and fiction, the rules are all malleable. Sure, you sacrifice some of the familiarity and commonly held conceptions that transcend gaming tables, but you gain variety.