The idea came to me while flipping through the races in the back of the 4e MM, but it's not edition-specific. There are, after all, rules for playing goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears in 3e, although it's a bit easier to pull off in 4e since you don't have to muck around with ECLs or LAs at all. Has anyone done something like an all-goblin game (or a game with goblin PCs)? What were your experiences, if so?
In Eberron, it's a bit more interesting IMO than in a standard D&D world, since goblins are an accepted (if lower-caste) part of society, they have their own nation that's recognized by the "human" nations, and they have a pretty rich history in that they used to own the whole freaking main continent. Their culture is also a bit more detailed than you usually see in other worlds. And Lhesh Haruuc's struggle to civilize his subjects reminds me a bit of Peter the Great's attempts to push "backwater" Russia into modern Europe society.
So this crazy idea came to me of a group of goblin adventurers in Darguun, either working towards Haruuc's goal of a goblin nation that is the equal of the great human cultures, or sabotaging it from within, or actively working against it. Or some mix of the three. This is a little intro/primer thing that I wrote up for it:
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The Goblin Campaign
For thousands upon thousands of years, the mighty goblin empire of Dhakaan ruled all of Khorvaire with an iron fist. They valued martial prowess and personal honor above all else, and worshipped not spirits or gods but their own greatness. But otherwordly invasion broke the empire’s back, and so their civilization slid into a slow decline. Strife and civil war shattered the once-indomitable empire.
Time passed. The first human conquerors arrived on Khorvaire’s eastern shores, and found its inhabitants to be weak. Scattered. Unorganized. Goblinkind was enslaved or driven into darkness, and the humans seized the goblins’ land for themselves. As the centuries wore on, the “civilized” folk grew powerful and arrogant. That is, until their final king breathed his final breath, and his children fell to fighting over the throne.
During that great, last war of succession amongst the human nations, the goblin clans were called forth from their hovels and holes and paid to fight and die in battle. And, proud warriors that they were, the goblins were glad to do so; to display their might, their skill, their honor on the battlefield. The “civilized” people were duly impressed. They hired more and more clans, and were shocked by the sheer number of goblins that had been hiding in the darkness, all this time.
But what were the clan warriors fighting for? To see which human would rule the lands that rightfully belonged to goblinkind? To many goblins, it was enough just to be able to fight. Not so for a warlord named Haruuc, though. Haruuc was a clever and mighty hobgoblin, and these questions burned within him. He turned them over and over in his mind, until finally he came to the proper response. And after securing the secret allegiance of the other goblin chiefs and warlords, his answer was ready to be heard by the usurper nations of the humans.
And so some thirty years ago, all the goblin mercenaries near the Cyre – Breland border rose up and slew the “civilized” soldiers that thought the goblins their allies. And they slew the knights, and the peasants, and the lords, and all those of the hated races that had spit on and kicked and enslaved them. And Haruuc declared that land to be Darguun, the new homeland of all goblinkind. Goblins across Khorvaire knew hope that day. They knew that there was glory to be found in the future, and not just in the past. They knew that someday their kind – our kind – would rule Khorvaire again, with strength and with honor.
The Last War is over. The human empire has been broken. Our time has come again. Will you serve the Lhesh Haruuc’s vision of a new goblin empire? Or will you work against his designs to further your own greed and ambition?
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Goblin Background: There are three great tribes in the Darguun region, each of which is comprised of many clans.
Ghaal’dar: The most numerous of the three great tribes and Haruuc’s main supporters, many of the Ghaal’dar served in the Last War as mercenaries. Ghaal’dar clans are typically led by hobgoblins, with bugbears serving as muscle and goblins as laborers, scouts, or as expendable infantry. Generally speaking, Ghaal’dar goblins value strength and cleverness, but the tribe is very diverse.
• Classes: Most classes are commonly found within the Ghaal’dar, except for the studied magic of wizards and artificers (who are very rare).
• Religion: Over the millennia of human subjugation, the outcast goblins have come to worship the outcast deities of the Dark Six. However, Haruuc has introduced to his people the more socially acceptable gods of the Sovereign Host – particularly Dol Dorn (battle), Dol Arrah (honor), and Balinor (beasts, hunting) – and is attempting to convert them.
Marguul: In the Marguul tradition, the strong rule, and that means bugbears. Hobgoblins often serve as advisors or foot soldiers, and goblins occupy their usual niche. The Marguul mostly occupy the Seawall mountains that mark Darguun’s western border. Brutality and sneakiness are highly valued traits in this tribe’s culture.
• Classes: Martial, primal, and strength-based divine classes are very common. Arcane traditions are unknown to the Marguul, aside from the warlock class, which is common.
• Religion: Marguul clans are most likely to worship the Dark Six gods, especially the deities known as the Shadow (dark magic, corruption) and the Mockery (treachery, war).
Dhakaani: Deep beneath the Seawall mountains lie the homes and forts of the secretive Dhakaani clans. The Dhakaani consider themselves the true heirs of the ancient goblin empire, and try to stay true to the old ways. As a result, they hold military might and personal honor as the traits most worthy of respect. Currently the clans are engaged in a struggle for overall leadership, but once that is settled the tribe will surely challenge Haruuc’s vision for Darguun. As with the Ghaal’dar, hobgoblins lead the clans, with bugbears and then goblins beneath them in the pecking order.
• Classes: The Dhakaani do not practice magic, aside from their dirge singers (bards), and do not worship gods (no divine classes). Primal classes, while common in the other tribes, are rarely found amongst these highly cultured goblins.
• Religion: None. The closest they come to religion is a reverence for the great deeds of their ancestors, but the Dhakaani do not actually worship them.
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I see a lot of adventuring potential here. The tribal politics and power struggle is the most obvious, but player might also have to deal with revenge seekers from other nations, upset at the deaths of friends or family in the uprising that created Darguun. The fight between the old ways (the Dhakaani representing the very old ways and the Marguul representing the relatively recent "savage" traditions) and new (Haruuc) also provides an interesting subtext to the internal power plays.
Anyway, I know these kinds of posts generally don't get a lot of attention - what's to discuss, really. But, if you made it this far, thanks for reading.
And if you have any ideas about playing as "savages", playing as goblins, adventuring in Darguun, etc. I'd love to hear them.
In Eberron, it's a bit more interesting IMO than in a standard D&D world, since goblins are an accepted (if lower-caste) part of society, they have their own nation that's recognized by the "human" nations, and they have a pretty rich history in that they used to own the whole freaking main continent. Their culture is also a bit more detailed than you usually see in other worlds. And Lhesh Haruuc's struggle to civilize his subjects reminds me a bit of Peter the Great's attempts to push "backwater" Russia into modern Europe society.
So this crazy idea came to me of a group of goblin adventurers in Darguun, either working towards Haruuc's goal of a goblin nation that is the equal of the great human cultures, or sabotaging it from within, or actively working against it. Or some mix of the three. This is a little intro/primer thing that I wrote up for it:
------------
The Goblin Campaign
For thousands upon thousands of years, the mighty goblin empire of Dhakaan ruled all of Khorvaire with an iron fist. They valued martial prowess and personal honor above all else, and worshipped not spirits or gods but their own greatness. But otherwordly invasion broke the empire’s back, and so their civilization slid into a slow decline. Strife and civil war shattered the once-indomitable empire.
Time passed. The first human conquerors arrived on Khorvaire’s eastern shores, and found its inhabitants to be weak. Scattered. Unorganized. Goblinkind was enslaved or driven into darkness, and the humans seized the goblins’ land for themselves. As the centuries wore on, the “civilized” folk grew powerful and arrogant. That is, until their final king breathed his final breath, and his children fell to fighting over the throne.
During that great, last war of succession amongst the human nations, the goblin clans were called forth from their hovels and holes and paid to fight and die in battle. And, proud warriors that they were, the goblins were glad to do so; to display their might, their skill, their honor on the battlefield. The “civilized” people were duly impressed. They hired more and more clans, and were shocked by the sheer number of goblins that had been hiding in the darkness, all this time.
But what were the clan warriors fighting for? To see which human would rule the lands that rightfully belonged to goblinkind? To many goblins, it was enough just to be able to fight. Not so for a warlord named Haruuc, though. Haruuc was a clever and mighty hobgoblin, and these questions burned within him. He turned them over and over in his mind, until finally he came to the proper response. And after securing the secret allegiance of the other goblin chiefs and warlords, his answer was ready to be heard by the usurper nations of the humans.
And so some thirty years ago, all the goblin mercenaries near the Cyre – Breland border rose up and slew the “civilized” soldiers that thought the goblins their allies. And they slew the knights, and the peasants, and the lords, and all those of the hated races that had spit on and kicked and enslaved them. And Haruuc declared that land to be Darguun, the new homeland of all goblinkind. Goblins across Khorvaire knew hope that day. They knew that there was glory to be found in the future, and not just in the past. They knew that someday their kind – our kind – would rule Khorvaire again, with strength and with honor.
The Last War is over. The human empire has been broken. Our time has come again. Will you serve the Lhesh Haruuc’s vision of a new goblin empire? Or will you work against his designs to further your own greed and ambition?
-----------
Goblin Background: There are three great tribes in the Darguun region, each of which is comprised of many clans.
Ghaal’dar: The most numerous of the three great tribes and Haruuc’s main supporters, many of the Ghaal’dar served in the Last War as mercenaries. Ghaal’dar clans are typically led by hobgoblins, with bugbears serving as muscle and goblins as laborers, scouts, or as expendable infantry. Generally speaking, Ghaal’dar goblins value strength and cleverness, but the tribe is very diverse.
• Classes: Most classes are commonly found within the Ghaal’dar, except for the studied magic of wizards and artificers (who are very rare).
• Religion: Over the millennia of human subjugation, the outcast goblins have come to worship the outcast deities of the Dark Six. However, Haruuc has introduced to his people the more socially acceptable gods of the Sovereign Host – particularly Dol Dorn (battle), Dol Arrah (honor), and Balinor (beasts, hunting) – and is attempting to convert them.
Marguul: In the Marguul tradition, the strong rule, and that means bugbears. Hobgoblins often serve as advisors or foot soldiers, and goblins occupy their usual niche. The Marguul mostly occupy the Seawall mountains that mark Darguun’s western border. Brutality and sneakiness are highly valued traits in this tribe’s culture.
• Classes: Martial, primal, and strength-based divine classes are very common. Arcane traditions are unknown to the Marguul, aside from the warlock class, which is common.
• Religion: Marguul clans are most likely to worship the Dark Six gods, especially the deities known as the Shadow (dark magic, corruption) and the Mockery (treachery, war).
Dhakaani: Deep beneath the Seawall mountains lie the homes and forts of the secretive Dhakaani clans. The Dhakaani consider themselves the true heirs of the ancient goblin empire, and try to stay true to the old ways. As a result, they hold military might and personal honor as the traits most worthy of respect. Currently the clans are engaged in a struggle for overall leadership, but once that is settled the tribe will surely challenge Haruuc’s vision for Darguun. As with the Ghaal’dar, hobgoblins lead the clans, with bugbears and then goblins beneath them in the pecking order.
• Classes: The Dhakaani do not practice magic, aside from their dirge singers (bards), and do not worship gods (no divine classes). Primal classes, while common in the other tribes, are rarely found amongst these highly cultured goblins.
• Religion: None. The closest they come to religion is a reverence for the great deeds of their ancestors, but the Dhakaani do not actually worship them.
--------------
I see a lot of adventuring potential here. The tribal politics and power struggle is the most obvious, but player might also have to deal with revenge seekers from other nations, upset at the deaths of friends or family in the uprising that created Darguun. The fight between the old ways (the Dhakaani representing the very old ways and the Marguul representing the relatively recent "savage" traditions) and new (Haruuc) also provides an interesting subtext to the internal power plays.
Anyway, I know these kinds of posts generally don't get a lot of attention - what's to discuss, really. But, if you made it this far, thanks for reading.
And if you have any ideas about playing as "savages", playing as goblins, adventuring in Darguun, etc. I'd love to hear them.
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