river goblin

Lurking in murky marshes and rivers, river goblins are unrelated to actual goblins despite their colloquial name. Among their own kind, they call themselves “kappa,” and aside from their pointy goblinoid ears, they are more akin to quortles. But where quortles are generally small and friendly, river goblins are wiry-strong and sometimes outright ornery, accused by common folk of mischief and menace. One of the most recognizable features of the river goblin is the bowl-shaped indent on its head, known as its brainpan, which holds the river goblin's brain juice.

Names: Ketya, Shokjee, Sopping Sam, Wataga

abilities

Wrestling Moves

On a 9+ Hit, the target becomes ENTANGLED in a wrestling hold, suffering 1d6 ONGOING DREAD. Only one target may be ENTANGLED at time.

Meat Shield

If a river goblin has someone ENTANGLED, Attacks against the river goblin suffer Disadvantage. On a Critical Miss, the attacker Hits the ENTANGLED target instead.

Shell Slam

Once every 2 rounds, may attack 1d4 Close targets who are not ENTANGLED.

vulnerabilities

If the brain juice ever spills from a river goblin's brainpan outside of water, they suffer a form of short term memory loss, immediately forgetting what they were doing, and reintroducing themselves. For this reason, it's common to find river goblins wearing kettle hats to protect themselves from such inconvenience and embarrassment.

social

River goblins have a bad reputation for being misanthropic wretches, but this is only sometimes the case. Many river goblins relish the chance to interact with normal folk, but often come across as overeager or creepy. Gifts of fish or other dead animals, unwanted horseplay, and aggressively awkward staring are all things to expect from a friendly river goblin. But if these interactions aren't handled gracefully, the river goblin may become offended, and a friendly encounter can quickly turn hostile. Disgruntled river goblins are not something to take lightly, as they are liable to drag their victims into fetid ponds to wrestle and drown them underwater.

combat

River goblins are naturally gifted wrestlers, always trying to get their foes into holds. Even with their arms full with a grappled enemy, they are adept at taking on multiple foes by bouncing around and slamming with their shells. They normally go after anyone that offended them or the buffest looking opponent. If they are intent to kill, they pull their victims into the water.

defeat

River goblins range from truly wretched to merely misunderstood, but just about all of them are sore losers. And if their brain juice is threatened, they do nearly anything to prevent it from spilling out.

victory

A river goblin who doesn't want to slay its enemies or steal loot may take the Defeated back to its stinky lair, forcing them to become its friend. In these situations, river goblins oscillate between being exceptionally clingy and bullying.

crafting

Smart Water (Alchemy•) Components: Brain Juice + STUPEFYING POWDER•. Effect: Grants +1 Knowhow for 2 sessions.