Goblin grimy magiks and evolutions
A new sneak peek from our next full game, Goblindom, with a couple of spells and at least a dozen of typos.
It's hot. Honestly, writing these few lines feels like an exercise in body control on par with the most refined yogi techniques. Raising an eyebrow tends to trigger a wave of sweat that’s hard to describe to anyone who, right now, isn’t under an Italian sun with a high of 35 degrees at noon.
But let’s get to the point. Goblindom exists, and we’re so close to release that it’s getting hard to hold back the frustration of not just putting it out there already and calling it done.
But they say patience is the virtue of the strong, so you’ll have to make do with part of the official cover, finally in color, and a few juicy excerpts from the manual. Just to prove it’s real, basically.
In this issue, a sample of the magic spheres that shamans can recklessly control, a few spells from that sphere, and, just for fun, one of the Role evolutions available to goblins who manage to die a bit later than average.
The Thingamagik
Each Shaman can instinctively delve into the depths of what Goblins know as the Thingamagik, the raw force of Magic. Yet playing with a fundamental force of nature, even one contorted through the mentality of a Goblin, is no joke, and the field of expertise of all Shamans is limited to a single aspect of it, known as a Sphere. In yet another mystery, all Shamans that bind themselves to a specific Elemental Sphere always know the 3 same Thingamagiks, before learning any other.
THE MAGISTICK!
Let’s face it, Goblins aren’t particularly great at focusing on… well, anything, and that’s a terrible thing when it comes to Magic, so Shamans have long learned to channel their mighty powers by keeping them stuck and prepared inside a particular object commonly named the “Magistick”. A Magistick, generally speaking, is an object of some significance for the Shaman and something that symbolizes their ties with the Thingamagik, such as a staff, the rock with which they killed their first Goblin, or a potato with a silly shape that made them laugh. Whether they are an actual stick or not, it’s a Magistick. This object is then subjected to a super secret ritual, so secret that no living Shaman actually knows it and they improvise it each time, imbuing the item with a portion of the Shaman’s power.
Sphere of Grimness
The Sphere of Grimness is tightly connected to what humans would categorize as the element of darkness. This force, among all, seems to share a particular affinity and even affection toward goblins, perhaps because they’re so used to sharing the same dark, damp lairs in the ground. Where the shroud of the Grimness blinds the detestable humans, the Goblins see clearly. Where the light betrays the presence of a Goblin to all predators, the hidden huts of mud guarantee that there will only be a little bit of venomous snakes, spiders, and other abominations to threaten them. And yet, this welcoming attitude hides from the most superficial Goblins the deepest meaning of the Grimness, in the blindness it imposes upon the light-seers, in its ability to lie and hide, and in generating fear and madness where there is no danger. Shamans of the Grimness fully embrace these characteristics of the Sphere, wielding the power to create terrifying lies and making things appear as they are not. In this lying, manipulative aspect, the Grimness is the Sphere most similar to Goblinkind.
Themes: Blindness, Absence, Lies, Comfort.
THINGAMAGIKS
Spout of Darkness - Rank 2 - Duration: Instantaneous
The Shaman collects an adequate projectile from their surroundings and shrouds it in the energies of the Grimness before launching it at a target, causing damage in case of success. Additionally, the projectile explodes in a cloud of pure darkness, blinding the target for a moment and aiding in moving unseen.
BOO! - Rank 4 - Instantaneous
Wearing strangely looking masks, shaking wildly and repeating unnerving sounds of two or fewer syllables, the Shaman suddenly conjures an overwhelming wave of Grimness, causing enough panic in an enemy to rob them of might and courage. If the targeted Creature still tries to fight, the next Challenge to attack them will Scale Up as fear leaves them vulnerable, but if instead the targeted Creature attempts to flee, any Challenge against them will Scale down as the terror grants them maddened speed. Repeating this spell on the same enemy quickly yields diminishing returns, causing the Rank of this Thingamagik to increase by 1 for each previous casting against the same target and requiring the Shaman’s player to describe new decorations, movements, and sounds each time, to keep things new.
Invisibility - Rank 3 - Duration: Concentration
Altering their image, the Shaman hides themselves away from the senses of other creatures, becoming invisible. For as long as the Shaman maintains Concentration on this spell, the Shaman disappears, and may use this spell as if it were a Keyword to increase their Rank by 1 in a Challenge to sneak or attack an enemy. However, “disappears from sight” means from the Shaman’s sight too, and as such, cannot wield new items, not remembering exactly where they are, aside from causing a Difficulty for any Challenge requiring exact, delicate manipulation, or movements such as picking a lock or tightrope walking.
Evolutions
For a Goblin, concepts such as muscle memory have a whole other meaning, and it’s not only their skill that grows with experience. When a Goblin reaches the 3rd, and later 5th Level, they gain access to what is known as Evolution, a sort of personal illumination of sorts through which the Goblin discovers new ways to approach danger and, generally, being accompanied by miniscule physical changes, by far not as drastic as the Evolutions of other Creatures.
The most common Evolutions a Goblin will go through can happen as soon as they reach Level 3. These Evolutions are tied to their initial Role, representing a better knowledge of the PC’s own abilities and preferences. Each of the three starting Roles has 2 Evolutions.
Fighter
Bully
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but not if I break yours first!”
The Bully has simply understood that, to cause more damage to an enemy, you must hit them harder. Bullies specialize in causing damage, regardless of what weapon they use. After all, no one can hurt you if you’re only surrounded by dead bodies.
Bonus Proficiency: Hitting +1
Innate Quality
At all costs!
A bully lives (and usually dies) to hurt dangerous enemies and boast about it, without bothering to think too much about what happens after.
Trigger: Free, right before rolling for an attack, as long as you’re wielding a weapon.
Effect: The result of the Challenge that triggered this effect Scales Up, but the weapon used is destroyed in the Challenge.
Did you enjoy the preview? We hope so, especially because there are over 140 pages of this stuff, and it would be a shame otherwise.
Fingers crossed we’ll be able to give you a release date soon. When? Heh heh heh.
No, we’re not laughing because we know something you don’t. We’re laughing because we’re neurotic.
See you next week with some fun news for the non-greenskins in our audience.