Gobbers
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The Gobbers have truly surprised most scholars and researchers into racial development. Gobbers have gone from being the butt of the jokes of other races to being a leader in the discovery of new technology and steamcraft. This growing psychological divide has created a rift between the so-called Civilized Gobbers, who have emerged in only the last sixty years, and their more barbaric and dangerous cousins.
These barbaric gobbers, known as the Burgrin Clans, are tall, savage and vicious beings that inhabit the mountains, forests and remote areas of the world. Much of the distrust that civilized Gobbers deal with is due to these savage brutes that still menace roads, trap travelers and work with and serve under even more powerful gobberoid. By contrast, the Civilized Gobbers do much to attempt to gain welcome in the numerous cities of the world. They are tolerated, so long as they obey the local laws and behave themselves--which is often easier said than done.
Physical Description
Gobbers are slight and wiry, The typical gobber is usually no more then three feet in height. Their skin tone ranges from green to brown and they have three fingers, opposable thumbs, and possess a certain bandy-legged quickness. They tend to favor leather clothing, often stained with oils, soot and well worn and used. In something of a contrast, they possess a love for garish ear decorations, and their tastes range from greasy brass cogs to silver baubles. Khazad sometimes jokingly suggest that this is to make up for many of their races' inability to grow a beard, though some gobbers manage it anyhow. Most of them, however, possess mere scraggles, which seems to offend some of them who follow Reos most closely (after all, all the other crafter races have them!).
Interestingly, gobbers favor warts as something of a mark of beauty. A gobber gains some warts as he or she ages, and surviving can be seen as a mark of pride.
They are typically encountered as parts of trading envoys, or pirate raids. Gobber personalities can thus range from cultured to crude but with the mighty power of commerce and invention remaining the center of most of their lives.
Society and Lands
There are few concrete Gobber Lands that exist in the world. Instead the Gobbers are scattered throughout all of the civilized lands, though they are more welcome in some places over others. For machine-minded Gobbers, the heart of their civilization has developed out of the port town of Clank along the south western most tips of Khazad Duin and touching against the Turbulent Seas.
A sister city to 'The Point' it became home of these self-styled Civilized Gobbers as they broke off from their barbaric cousins and established trade princes and mercantile domains all throughout Arcania. No rhyme or reason seems to exist in Clank, which is dedicated to only one true gobber god: Commerce.
Warehouses that are run-down and infested can be found next to stately stone homes and wares of every type; imaginable and some beyond the imagination are on display in exclusive boutiques. All hours of day and night, noise rises up from gobber-run barrooms, casinos, fight clubs and more. The Gobber Mercantile Consortium soon seized control over this land and their trade princes perceived power as far and away as Tashran and the Golden Coast of Veyshan. Gobber tinker shops and junk piles can be found in nearly every civilized city. In Alexandria an entire sector of the cities south western quarters is dominated by several active gobber families and merchants and has come to be known as Gobberton.
Exiles
True beings of risk and creation, some gobbers frighten even their fellows. These gobbers may be exiled for the safety of their kind. Often times this is not a true exile--merely an encouraged relocation. Such was the case with the original creator of the dragonspitter and thunderbelcher. These brilliant, yet wrecked minds, are both threat and curse to the race. They represent the brilliance at times, that the race can achieve, yet also their greatest excess. Sometimes Exiles are guarded without their knowing, by concerned community members. Other times well, "accidents happen."
Other Races
Gobbers get along well enough with other members of the group of races that fall under the category of "monstrous." As shrewd merchants, inventors and businessmen, it's not unusual for a Gobber to hire an orc or hobgobber or others for the purpose of protection during their travels and sales. As the hobgobbers move forward into the world, gobber merchants have been quick to step into the role of selling them armor and weaponry.
Gobbers have emerged from being the mistreated members of the gobberoids to being gobberoids that the others often come to for additional firepower, organization and advice: such as a gobber can offer at least. Those who underestimate the worth and value of the new breed of Tinker Gobbers are usually taught the errors of their ways after trying to take advantage of them.
Alignment and Religion
Indeed, while both gnomes and dwarves have a knack for technological invention, the reckless abandon with which the Gobber community thrusts itself into invention tends to have far wider-reaching effects and often more sinister application. Gobbers are almost always chaotic beings with a tendency towards neutrality. They have little interest in broad ethical concerns, especially when it relates to commerce and the nature of their dealings encourages change and adaptation over stability. Most Gobbers are not very religious. It's rare to encounter one with more then a cursory knowledge of the gods. For the most part, the Gobbers are very earthly-minded, though they do have a version of the afterlife that they believe in. They're not totally sacrilegious, as they know all to well the looming threat of the wrath of the gods should they go to far or offend too many priests.
Adventurers
Though there are still very many evil gobbers in the world, the change of society and the advance of technology has enabled them to find a niche that has pulled them out from under the shadow of bigger gobberoids species. Now the Bugbears and the Hobgobbers come to them for their aid and tinker-shops and are willing to pay good money for their services. Gobber adventurers are often Rogues or Artificers. Both classes play to the natural talents of the gobbers very well. Gobber fighters are very tenacious and tend to fight at range with crossbows. Gobber rangers often set forth as guides to their fellows to help them through the wilds in their hunt for ancient Kulthian ruins and places to adequately scavenge their needed equipment and goods. A few of the latter are known for their mounted combat, a trait considered by some to be part of their "barbaric" heritage but still useful in places and a reminder of what they used to be (although modern versions tend to employ guns and crossbows).
Gobbers in the Pathfinder Campaign
Gobbers are among the races that have been the least altered by the recent events and upheavals. If anything, business is booming and the race is being called upon by their fellows to bring their talents to bear in a world that is full of conflict and surprises at every turn. Gobbers relish in the current status quo, seeing it as an outlet for their creative ingenuity and an opportunity for them to make an enormous profit.
Gobber Racial Traits
Gobbers mature at roughly 8 years, and live to be roughly 65 years...if they do not explode before then. Though gobbers mature early, the race is wary of letting these young adults out too soon, supposedly for the sake of the world at large. Younger gobbers are quite volatile, and a legend of the race has it that the god Reos suggested this to them, lest they accidentally kaboom the world and all of the lovely profit therein.
The below numbers below assume an "average" person. That is, they probably have a strength and constitution within the 9-11 range. Higher physical stats will make these numbers go up. In other words, a character with 18 strength will weigh much more than one with 9.
| Gobber Average Height and Weight | ||||
| Name | Base Height | Base Weight | Modifier | Weight Multiplier |
| Gobber, male | 3ft 0in | 35 lbs | +2d4 | x1 lbs |
| Gobber, female | 2ft 10in | 30 lbs | +2d4 | x1 lbs |
| Gobber Starting Age | |||
| Adulthood | Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer | Bard, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger | Cleric, Druid, Monk, Wizard |
| 17 years | +1d4 | +1d6 | +2d6 |
- Classification: humanoid (gobberoid)
- +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Strength: Gobbers are quite clever and nimble but not particularly strong.
- Small: Gobbers are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a -1 penalty to their Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.
- Fast Speed: Gobbers are fast for their size and have a base speed of 30 feet.
- Darkvision: Gobbers can see in the dark for up to 60'
- Worg Rider: Despite their recent history among technology, gobbers hail from a barbaric past where they often served as calvary. They receive a +4 skill bonus on Ride checks for any gobber-appropriate mount such as worgs or wolves.
- Always Ready: Gobbers are particularly handy and sometimes dangerous, no matter what they happen to have in hand at the time. Gobbers begin play with the Catch Off Guard feat.
- Marksmen: Many Gobbers are comfortable from near birth with the handling of firearms. They are automatically proficient with all firearms.
- Keen Senses: Gobbers receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
- Weapon Familiarity: Gobbers treat any weapon with the word "Gobber" in its name as a martial weapon.
- Languages: Gobbers begin play speaking Common and Gobber-Talk. Gobbers with high Intelligence scores can choose from: Abyssal, Khazdul, Low Common, Yrch-Speak
Character Options
Gobber Racial Feats
The below are racial feats for this race. All races receive a bonus racial feat at 6th level (when you level, send in a +request to staff). House feats and feat summaries may be found on the Feats page. You must meet the pre-reqs for any racial feat you select.
- Go Unnoticed, Well-Prepared, Gobber Accuracy, Combat Distraction, Burn! Burn! Burn!, Fire Hand, Fire Tamer, Gobber Gunslinger, Gunpowder Rune, Unhinged Rage, Twitchy
Optional DM Rules
Ea's magic responds to its people. Wizards, sorcerers, the uncovering of Aspects are not the only ways in which magic manifests.
The following are options for any storyteller, for use in PrPs, scenes, backgrounds, and small stories. If some of these rituals come across as "didn't we always have--!??" that is part of why these are being offered: to illustrate just how active magic is in Ea. Also, just because there are no given mechanics for them does not mean they shouldn't exist.
These rituals and options are beyond the scope of any one PC working on their own.
They are meant to be used as story devices, and tend to require a story element, such as a visit to the sylvanori elders. In addition, they require the presence of more than one person from that community--they are NOT means to add to individual PCs' power levels. Finally, all rituals work according to story. Sometimes rituals sometimes work perfectly, and other times do so to varying degrees (that's just saying they are story-dependent, and not a means of power).
You are welcome to build on these ideas, or expand on them.
Ritual Magic
Gobwrench: In groups, gobbers may focus their energies and cause malfunctions in artifice and machinery. They may do this even from a distance, so long as they are able to view the device.
Many artifice guilds have informal rules against larger gatherings of gobbers, for this reason. The term "gobwrench" is used by gobbers to describe this phenomenon and as a curse by non-gobber artificers.
Sacred Objects: A piece or pieces from a failed invention can sometimes hold value or significance, especially if the final invention is of some significance. These pieces are termed "Firsts." It's said they hold inspiration and luck of a sort. Certain of these are highly sought after--such as a piece from an early airship prototype, or dragonspitter.
Character Page Badges
Want to show off your Gobber pride on your Character Page? Use the following wikicode! (More badges here!)
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{{Badge}}
{{Badge-Icon|Gob01.jpg}}
{{Badge-Content}}
{{Badge-Title|Gobber PC Badge}}
{{Badge-Entry|Escape}}Your daring escape from Clockwork Pointe.
{{Badge-Entry|Role}}Your role among the gobbers. How you see yourself.
{{Badge-Entry|Faith}}Your Faith
{{Badge-Entry|Warts}}How many you have, and how handsome.
{{Badge-End}}