HOBGOBLINS: A playable civilization
Hobgoblins are a goblin-like race more interested in craftsmanship than pillaging.
Reminiscent of horned, hairier goblins, these creatures speak a common tongue with them, but seem to have forsaken whatever rumored ties they may have to the goblin pits of yore — and their biological immortality with it.
[More images on the way.]
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PROS AND CONS / PLAYSTYLE DIFFERENCES:
+Hobgoblins are fairly tough, sturdy, and mentally resilient.
+Hobgoblins seem to have forsaken the immortality and other benefits held by their goblin cousins, but some traces remain, as they are resistant to rot, infection and disease.
+Hobgoblins possess a pair of sturdy, crooked horns, and are very willing to use them as natural weapons. Their hooked shape often makes them useful as improvised grappling tools.
+Hobgoblins are efficient, focused workers, and train somewhat more quickly than dwarves.
/ Hobgoblins use the Goblin language. Hobgoblin children are called "pups", and infants are called "kips", just for fun.
/ The Hobgoblin equivalent to dungeon masters and hammerers are called "chiselers" and "breakers", respectively.
/ Hobgoblins have a very large lexicon of symbols and concepts, meaning their names for civilizations, places, artifacts and more will be much more colorful than the usual dwarven name focus on fortresses, stone, and so-on.
/ Hobgoblins do not require alcohol like dwarves, but can still consume it for mood benefits.
/ Hobgoblins are prone to strange moods, similarly to dwarves.
/ Hobgoblins do not gain any underground bonuses from cave adaptation, but neither do they feel its drawbacks.
/ Hobgoblins have access to a greater range of weapons and clothing.
/ Hobgoblins are prone to rage. It’s a topic of debate on whether this is a "lingering curse", proving their ties to typical, historic goblins… or if they just get very annoyed at being interrupted.
-Hobgoblins do not ordinarily start with any belowground crops.
-Hobgoblins, on average, are somewhat lacking in social skills, and may be more prone to arguments.
-Since hobgoblin society is so focused on craftsmanship and skill, their skewed perspective means they often undervalue their work. Their typically low appraisal skills means their goods may be less valuable in trade.
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In short, Hobgoblins should ideally provide a fairly different experience than a standard Dwarven fort. They’re fairly tough and competent on average, but they tend to choose "fight" over "flight". You may end up having an easier time in some cases, but harder in others.
However, to some, that might not be a bad thing. If you want just a slight boost to the start of your gameplay experience, a swingy "all or nothing" feeling in fights, or a leg up against some particularly brutal worldgen mods, it could end up being the perfect civ for you.
Please feel free to tell me how it seems from your own experience. I’d like to keep my eye on fine-tuning them.
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NOTES:
Cover art/thumbnail by me!
Hobgoblin appearance and design originally inspired by the artist "Filibusterfrog", with permission.
Thank you to tsallast’s Nillians and Barely_Creative’s Roclets for their work, inspiring me to learn how to do this. Also useful to dig into the files to learn by comparison!
-Please feel free to offer feedback on how they act with "prone to rage". I’m not really married to that idea yet, but I wanted to see how it’d make them feel any different compared to dwarves and get a feel for their personalities.
-It’d be neat to make more custom spritework for them in the future, like custom clothing, but first, I wanted to release this project at all!
