Goblins, Saints, and the Outcasts of Vathak

As I mull over the nature of goblins and their kin in Vathak, I've also begun to ponder the roles of the Saints. Now this seems tangential to the goblins I said I'd be dealing with over the next few weeks (and it kinda is), but it is their similar limbo-like state that led my train of thoughts to them.

Vathak is a place suitable for telling many tales and one of those is certainly the conflict between the One True God and the Great Old Ones. Unlike most fantasy settings, Vathak is largely monotheistic. The civilized world has taken the One True God (hereafter the OTG) as a sort of patron protector. For some--the native romni and bhriota especially--this is a forced decision. Others come to accept the OTG as a beacon of stability and hope in a chaotic and dangerous world. Other still use the tenets of the OTG to justify their detestable actions in the name of the "greater good." The Old Ones stand as a dangerous counterpoint to the OTG, offering secret truths and bizarre power to those willing or able to claim it. Other deities take minor roles, be they the ancestor spirits of the svirfneblin, the cult of signs of the romni, or the ancient gods of Vathak the bhriota continue to venerate.

Saint Piotr, the Divine Carpenter

The Saints exist in some sort of middle ground. They are not ostensibly servants of the OTG, but few share the same alignment or profile of their benefactor. They are capable of granting divine powers to clerics, as any god could, and even have an entire class of Vathak devoted to their individual roles, the Disciple. Unlike other faiths, they are not exactly heretical under the monotheistic principles of the OTG... but neither are they truly worshipers of the OTG. They're like some bastard child rebelling against the mold while still maintaining just enough orthodoxy to avoid getting into any real trouble (whether or not these disciples even realize it).

Looping this long-ass rant all back together, followers of Saints are caught between two worlds much like I envision the goblins of Vathak might be. On one hand, they are devotees of the OTG and loyal to the Konig's word and decrees. But on the other, they have another figure they venerate and may prefer when those decrees come into conflict with their personal values. Sure, the goblins I wrote about last week are divided between their ancestral barbarism and a newfound need to integrate with "civilization" to survive as a society, but they are similarly outcasts. Wretched, hauntlings, and cambions share similar difficulties in vindari society, and might also strain against the mold in order to find a place for themselves in a world aligned against them.

To that end, Saints and their disciples are the first publicly "acceptable" face of dissent from the OTG and the vindari's imperialistic sprawl across Vathak. That makes them a great set of deities (or demi-deities) for those outcast faces of Vathak to find acceptance. It also makes them a great candidate for the naturally chaotic tendencies of many players, offering a publicly-lawful-but-secretly-dissenting means of rebelling against the fist of authority.

And for players looking to overthrow an oppressive authority, Vathak offers no shortage of interesting antagonists.

Expanding the Races of Vathak

As most GMs will do, I've tweaked Vathak slightly to fit my needs and those of my players. The world is still recognizable as the same Shadows over Vathak that caught my interest in the first place, but it's got a few other little tidbits that I enjoy and my players have (so far, at least) enjoyed.

One of these was adding a few more Vathak-specific languages. Bhriota skin-script has already proven an interesting addition as an entirely nonverbal language and provided a little bit of depth to a group of people who, previously, had struck my players as an entirely one-trick-pony of evil cultish Old-One barbarians. Master linguists in this language flourish in their trade even in Eisin'dorf, where subtle tattoos might be signs of resistance against King or Konig, or simply a marker of a culture finding acceptance in a world that had thought them enemies.

One that hasn't gotten a whole lot of mileage so far, though, are the goblins of Vathak.

 

I give good haircuts, cheap, for you, yeah?

I've bumped them up from essentially a nonfactor in the story of Vathak to another tale of the terrible things that might happen there. In my Vathak, they've survived extinction only to find oppression under the yoke of their supposed kinsmen. They are as pitiable as they are dangerous... but like so many other cultures of Vathak, they simply want a means to survive in a world that seems determined to destroy them (and all of sanity and/or existence, but that's neither here nor there). Some have managed to escape the barbaric slavery they might face to integrate into Vathak society, but often with about as much success as a hauntling or wretched.

To reflect this, I've tweaked goblins' racial traits as following.

Goblin Racial Traits

Ability Score Racial Traits: Vathak's goblins have bridled their typical overeager alacrity and learned how to better navigate society without being killed on sight. They gain +2 Dexterity, and +2 Charisma, but lose –2 Wisdom from years of abuse and cultural isolation.

Type: Goblins are humanoids with the goblinoid subtype.

Small: Goblins are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to their AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty to their CMB and CMD, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.

Quick Feet: Goblins have a base speed of 30 feet.

Senses (1 RP): Vathak goblins fled the Filth Reaches long ago, and lost their natural darkvision. Vathak's goblins have low-light vision.

Black Powder Savant (Static Bonus Feat, Weapon Familiarity—3 RP): Goblins took to firearms like no other natives of Vathak. Goblins are always proficient with simple and martial firearms and treat any weapon with the word “goblin” in its name as a martial weapon.

Goblin Tenacity (Hardy-ish—3 RP): In the face of extinction, goblins have become even more resilient. They gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against disease, poison, death effects, and fear effects.

Outcast (Defensive Training, Medium—2 RP): Goblins were hunted to near extinction by the vindari and subsequently enslaved by bugbear kinsmen. To avoid an untimely demise, they have trained to gain a +2 dodge bonus to AC against humanoids with the goblinoid or human subtypes.

Scrapper (Skill Bonus+--3 RP): Goblins are well adapted to working with inferior materials. They receive a +2 racial bonus on a Craft skill of their choice and this skill is always considered a class skill. In addition, they do not receive a penalty (if one exists) for crafting without appropriate materials (although the resulting crafts may still be of inferior quality, at the GM's discretion).

Languages: Goblins begin play speaking Common and Goblin. Those with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aklo, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Sylvan, and Undercommon.

Approximating some of the RP costs, this puts them slightly above the value of standard races, but fits with other Vathak "other" races with the balancing point of interesting or challenging roleplaying opportunities they might face that humans simply would not. It puts another Small race into the player pool beside the grim svirfneblin and, in the spirit of PF2's revealed goblins, has a bonus to Charisma to represent their natural bounciness (for ill or otherwise).

 

Or, you know, when Charisma fails.

Gobbos here courtesy of the Fattest Goblin.

Their racial traits are pretty different from the standard, representing how Vathak has changed them from your average bestiary entry. They're still small, scrap-hoarding little madmen, but there's a history there. There's a reason they build their weapons from garbage and know how to survive in the worst places the world has to offer. There's a reason they tend to keep to themselves and are distrustful of others. There's a reason that most vindari would look twice at one of these creatures, but might not draw a blade at first sight. Like so many others in Vathak, there is a grim story to be told there--or, if that's not your thing, at least an interesting template to build your heroes upon.

I'm curious what others think of these changes, so let me know! Am I way off base? Is this a terrible redesign? Should goblins just not exist in Vathak? Spoilers: there will be more Vathak gobbo stuff to come as I continue to tweak and develop them, so if you've come to hate on goblins you've come to the wrong place.

But this is all still a work in progress. Maybe goblins would make the perfect addition to your Vathak game as well?

Lines, and When to Cross Them

Landon's post this last week is very much in the same vein as what I've been talking about, and he brings up an important point. While all tabletop RPGs have some manner of social contract going down between the players with what is or is not cool at the table, these are doubly important for horror, especially in Vathak.

And this isn't just because it helps you refine what to target among your players (it does), but because it also tells you what not to target. Certain limitations that individuals have are fears they might be okay with addressing in a fantasy game.

For instance, perhaps you are sending your players into a dusty old manor that once belonged to a noble of Ursatur, but has been sealed since the Plague of Shadows swept through the city. You want to set an uneasy hook and ensure your players know what's what and just how wrong this place is, but where do you begin?

With big-ass spiders, of course!

Well, if you had that Session Zero talk, you might know that one of your players is an arachnophobe. You should also know whether or not they're okay with addressing that in a game. Some people might jump at the opportunity to lash out against their primal fear in a completely safe space, while others are going to be paralyzed with terror.

The former player will probably enjoy that experience, having a touch of horror that not only affects her character (no PC wants to be eaten by a spider) but also has just enough unease that it gets her as a player invested in her character's fear. It goes beyond the conditional penalty slapped onto the statblock and actually pulls the player into the setting. She gets to fight back against that otherwise crippling phobia as the heroic character she might wish to be.

But the second player? That's a line you should never cross.

Effective horror is playful horror. Your character might have the frightened condition and you as a player might feel a little uneasy... but you as a player are never endangered. You should feel something--effective horror does this regardless of the medium it is presented it--but at no point do you personally feel under attack.

And don't get me wrong: Vathak is a terribly uneasy place. Your characters should experience moments of abject terror and there will absolutely be times where you as a player feel some discomfiture. But these never cross the line from endangering the character to endangering the player. Just as the audience of a horror movie might be scared, they are never endangered or elevated to the same level of terror as the subjects on screen. There is a sense of empathy and shared fear--but (barring lines being crossed) it is a safe space to experience these feelings. And, more often than not, there is a heroic conclusion where the dread-evil-horror-slasher-whatever is defeated and the unease dissipates to return the world to normalcy.

And if it was never formally addressed in Session Zero whether or not any particular line was okay to cross?

Air on the side of caution.

If you think you might be going too far, then there's a good chance you are. And, if you are still absolutely compelled to go for it (I mean, who doesn't love giant spiders, right?), then just talk to your players. Hit them up before or after the game and double-check what lines are or are not okay to cross. As any good GM knows, you are never truly the enemy of the players--no matter what the baddies you roll dice for might indicate.

Sinking a Horrific Hook

I talked last week about the idea of unease being the gateway into horror. For Shadows over Vathak, there is no shortage of uneasy elements upon which to play. Whispers of the Plague of Shadows in Ina'oth, or the terrible Spawn of the Old Ones surfacing in southern Vathak and swallowing entire villages can make great backdrops to the horror elements closer to home, but they serve only as window dressing.

The frozen backdrop of northern Grigoria can be a bleak setting suited for setting that hook.

Image courtesy of Rick's masterful art in my own Faces of Vathak: Survivors.

In order to get your players truly embroiled in the horror that their characters are experiencing, you need to find a good way to set that horrific hook. It's about finding that hole in the armor of your player characters and exploiting it in just the right way as to get them invested in something that might not otherwise care about.

Horror is a delicate art that can quickly sweep too far to either side of the balance. Lean too much in the favor of direct problems with hit-points and you get a "horror" romp that is solved with standard murder-hobo antics. Too far into a narrative "everything is spooky!" bent and your players feel powerless or uninterested. After all, what is the point of being fantasy heroes if they cannot use their fantastic powers to solve these problems?

To add an extra level of complication, effective horror requires that you not only know your player characters, but the players behind them. Knowing what things unsettle them without going too far and crossing boundaries they're uncomfortable with only amplifies the balancing act you need to perform as a GM.

 

More images from Rick's Patreon! Why aren't you supporting him yet? 

Setting that hook, then, is about appealing to the players you know in a way that their characters might care about. To return to the frozen wilderness of northern Grigoria, cold and darkness provide excellent tools for setting the scene. But what happens when those start acting unusually? When darkness comes too soon, or the winter winds cut through even early autumn? What about when an NPC the players have interacted with comes staggering back from the forest, aged a half-dozen years and without any of his companions--and, perhaps even more troublingly, without a clear memory of what happened?

Setting that hook is all about building upon the mundane aspects of horror and fear that we all know, then twisting them into that uncanny, uneasy territory where horror dwells. Finding that mundane detail upon which to drive your narrative knife and twist, however, is masterpiece that only you can create. No author knows what makes your players squirm better than you.

Establishing Horror

So anyone that has been paying any amount of attention is probably aware that Vathak is a horror setting. Unfortunately, that doesn't really tell anyone a whole lot of anything. Horror is like most other genres, in that it encompasses dozens of other stories and styles under that single unifying umbrella. And while Vathak is a great place for most of these types of horror, a quick comparison can be made to Pathfinder RPG's Golarion. Although (almost?) every fantasy RPG trope can be found in Golarion, each individual nation generally focuses on one particular style. (The shadowy Ustalav being Golarion's version of horror-land.)

"Horror" adventure set piece exhibit A

In Vathak, the various nations and regions each have a particular brand of horror they're best suited to. Landon has a great discussion on these different elements of horror and the forms they might take over on the official Fat Goblin Games blog.

Instead of retreading that same ground, I wanted to talk a bit about the different levels of horror. Whether you'd exploring the traditions of gothic horror or creeping everyone out with body horror, one cannot simply just straight to the hit points and baddie-smashing. There's nothing horrific about that. It's just another day in murderhoboton, where greatswords solve all problems.

The first element of horror, in my own humble opinion, is establishing a sense of unease. And achieving this also requires some sense of what "normal" is. Technically speaking these are problem two different elements, but they go hand in hand.

For instance, my lycanthropic paladin has returned to his hometown after two decades of separation. The town has changed since then, and certainly not for the better. There's not a whole lot of need to establish normalcy, since he's already shared a bit of backstory about the town. On the road I detail a few more memories--people and places he would have remembered and might still be around.

It is the subversion of the mundane that makes unease so powerful.

What horrors might happen here that would not in Exhibit A?

But once the PCs arrive, something is immediately wrong. A not-so-subtle ominous cloud hangs over the town and murders of crows perch upon dreary homes. Open, unguarded gates lead into the empty streets of the city, where flickering lamplight reveals a trio of heavily armed svirfneblin dragging a laden cart. With a crack of thunder, the birds descend upon the locals and the PCs must rush to intervene (successfully, at that). The cart is occupied by a pair of bodies, the newest of which my paladin recognizes as the local herbalist and healer.

Something is very wrong with this town, and now the PCs are in the thick of it.

A Glimpse of Vathak's Heroes

Heroism in Vathak is a strange thing.

It's a world of gray morality. It's a world constantly at the brink of war and festering in its own corruption. It's a world where every ally one might find is flawed. A paladin of the One True God might smite down an aberration in the same moment he looks upon non-humans he is protecting with unadulterated contempt. Adherents to strange, shadowy cults follow esoteric rituals they cannot truly comprehend in feeble attempts to get a hold of their own lives.

The existential dread of something far, far greater than humanity and civilization and even sanity drives even the most pure of heart to their limits.

 "I can probably fix this."

This is no different for my players, who are perhaps among the most evil non-evil PCs I've ever had the pleasure of running a game for. From the paladin with an increasingly worrying lycanthropy problem to the sometimes-racist gunslinger (whose distrust of non-humans is rooted in childhood trauma--but still pretty awful), to the necromancer who would rather rule over the undead himself than let them be dominated by something worse, and a dhampir who cannot escape the malevolent forces that have a hold on his bloodline.

Flawed heroes are not unique to Vathak, but something about this group has truly endeared me to the setting. They are as broken as the people they try to help. They are not paragons of good that can save the world--if such a grand scheme is even possible. They, like so many others, are simply trying the best they can. Making mistakes along the way.

In that vein, I wanted to tackle the iconic heroes of Vathak's unique classes. So I present my take on the iconic soldier, a variant fighter that masters teamwork feats and cooperative combat to take down dangers three times her size with the aid of her allies. But as is the nature with war, this soldier is no hero. She is relentless and merciless. Retired from the frontline of the war against the Old Ones, she now works for the highest bidder and goes wherever the coin leads her. More often than not, she now employs her mighty longhammer against her own people. Corrupt officials pay heavy fees to direct her against political rivals. Others hire her as extra muscle for their illicit, back-alley dealings. Others still use her to remove troublesome parties without the social fallout. The blood on her hands runs deeper than Vathak's greatest rivers.

Perhaps The Soldier will become an ally in your game. Or maybe a rival trying to beat the PCs to a quick bounty. Or, perhaps, the PCs have made one too many enemies... and now this soldier needs to silence them before they have another chance to play "hero."

 Rick's awesome art of Vathak's soldier poorly cropped by myself.
 Pick up the Player's Guide for more of this stuff!

Vathak's Soldier Iconic CR 7

Female romni soldier 7 XP 3,200

N Medium humanoid (human)

Init +7; Senses Perception +0

DEFENSE

AC 21; touch 14, flat-footed 18 (+7 armor, +1 deflection, +3 Dex)

hp 64 (7d10+21)

Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Melee +2 lord's hammer +15/+10 (1d12+9) or +1 romni crescent sword +12/+7 (1d6+5/19-20) or mwk dagger +12/+7 (1d4+4/19-20)

Ranged mwk flintlock pistol +11 (1d8/x4) or mwk dagger +11 (1d4+4/19-20)

Special Attacks weapon training (hammers +1)

STATISTICS

Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 13

Base Atk +7; CMB +11; CMD 24

Feats Exotic Weapon Proficiency (lord's hammer), Power Attack, Iron Will, Improved Initiative, Combat Reflexes, Stand Still, Vital Strike, Furious Focus^APG

Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +8, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Ride +11, Swim +8; Racial Modifiers +2 Handle Animal, +2 Ride

Languages Common, Sylvan

SQ armor training 2, drilled teamwork, flexible weapon training, infantry training (Power Attack), regiment (infantry), weapon flexibility (typically lord's hammer)

Combat Gear +1 aberration bane bullets (2), potions of bear's endurance (2), potion of cat's grace, potion of cure serious wounds, potion of darkvision, potion of fly; Other Gear +2 lord's hammer, +1 romni crescent sword, mwk daggers (3), mwk flintlock pistol with 10 lead bullets, +1 breastplate, belt of giant strength +2, cloak of resistance +1, ring of protection +1, flintlock tinder lighter, powder horn (10 doses), backpack, bedroll, 91 gp

  

^{APG This feat can be found in Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player's Guide.}

^{(Stuff that looks unfamiliar is probably from Shadows over Vathak: Player's Guide to Vathak. Shouldn't you have this by now?)}

Within the Walls of Eisin'dorf

After a few successful adventures across Vathak, my players wanted a place to take their [ill-gotten] goods and purchase new supplies. They had gained a few levels and were now moderately capable individuals that deserved a proper look at the world beyond the small city they started in. It was time to visit the bustling metropolis of Eisin'dorf!

 Above the streets of Eisin'dorf, courtesy of the Fat Goblin Art Patreon!

As the capital city of Grigoria, the Eisin'dorf I envisioned is one that proudly declares itself the greatest city of Vathak. Whether or not this is true, it is the heart of an empire that stretches an impressive distance and has (so far) held back impossible foes. So I wanted Eisin'dorf to be a place that told that tale from a glance alone. A city that told stories of the broader threats to Vathak that might not be Lovecraftian horrors, but the people themselves.

My players weren't going to stay in the capital long--just long enough to do some business and resupply before heading off to take care of a pressing lycanthropy problem. Which meant I had only a bit to try and establish a few key elements of the city. I drew up a map (I am not good at this) that I thought highlighted some of these elements and drafted a quick side-trek that might involve a few different factions and loyalties around the city. It wasn't much, but it was supposed to introduce them to four different groups that I felt told part of the story of not just Vathak as a whole, but the unique culture the capital cultivates.

This is why I don't get paid to draw stuff.

The Military: The city is highly militarized and extraordinarily fortified. Built in the mountains where no city has any right to stand, it relies heavily upon vindari technical ingenuity. A great dam blocks the flow of a mountain stream, creating a massive lake from which the city can pull its clean water. A pair of massive fortresses oversee the valley before the gates, with rows of bombards looking down upon any that approach. Soldiers are respected, regardless of rank, as they are essential in keeping the city safe from the things that yet lurk in the mountains. As happens to any given too much power, however, the soldiers of Eisin'dorf can be haughty and troublesome. Some push for new offensives, while others play the politico to gain new power for their own regiment or their hometowns across the continent.

The Crown: The Church of the One True God controls a lot of Vathak with a theocratic dominance that actively seeks out and prevents "heresy" in whatever form it might take. But in Eisin'dorf, the Crown remains the primary authority. This is not to say that the OTG is not revered, but things that may not fly in other cities are allowed to persist by the blessing of the king. One might see romni caravans actively discussing the Court of Signs, svirfneblin speaking to ghostly ancestors, and cults of various religious orders meeting in dark alleyways. This means that Eisin'dorf has a problem with cultists and other secret organizations, if only because the king does not approve of unadulterated slaughter of citizens under his direct protection. The Crown scrambles to hold onto its power, not wishing to cede any more of its control to the Church of the OTG--no matter how "faithful" he might be.

The Republic: One of the factions I added to the city that has no bearing in Vathak lore is a small minority of political activists lobbying for some measure of control in the world. Left feeling helpless against a world of evils incomprehensible to them and being instructed left and right by Crown and Konig alike, these average folks have felt like their own willpower has been stripped away. They do not wish to overthrow the king (for such talk would surely end in their execution) but rather to create a system to advise him that takes the will of his people--whatever size or shape they might be--into account. But their organization is not all good, democratic souls. Anarchists and rabble-rousers use the banner of this faction to riot through the streets. With greater numbers of commoners than guards, even in this highly militarized city, it would not take much to overturn the city and throw it into complete chaos. Thieves that act under the guise of "justice for all" mar the public face of these hopeful individualists.

The Cults: This isn't so much one faction as a catch-all for divergent thought and the shapes it might take. These cults need not even be based in religion or the Old Ones. The common factor is their secrecy and their (typically violent) response to the world beyond their walls. For my game, the side-trek took the PCs into the depths of the Eisin'dorf's sewers, to the border where the overworld and the dangerous underworld of the Filth Reaches met. Here an orphaned cambion, abandoned by her noble parentage for her disfigured, corrupted appearance, had begun building a cult of personality around herself. Sharing her corruption with true-blooded vindari, she believed that only embracing Vathak's corruption could bring true security to Eisin'dorf. And with a dozen newly created half-cambions enthralled by her mesmerist powers, she had begun to grow increasingly bold. She would twist others into an image of her "perfect" form--or see them executed. Was she influenced by the Old Ones, or just a mad woman? Are cambions truly the evolution of humanity in a world assaulted by the Old Ones? Or perhaps it was all nothing but a ruse, one that enabled her to sate her own narcissism and hunger for power--reclaiming a title she deserved by birth but was denied by blood?

But that is just one such corruption festering beneath the surface of [my version of] Eisin'dorf. What lurks in the heart of yours?