Goblin Wolfrider (Basic Lore)

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Goblin Wolfrider (CR 3)

Goblin "Wolf"-Rider
Lawful Evil - Small - Fey (Goblinoid)
Small green humanoids with oversized heads, brimming with sharp teeth, goblins are known for being aggressive, and, above all, a bit crazy.

Goblins can be found nearly anywhere that food can be had, but like caves, ruins and abandoned areas since they prefer not to have to build stuff if they can avoid it. That is not to say that goblins are stupid, merely lazy. In fact, goblins have been known to lay traps so elaborate that they forget how they work and fall prey to them themselves.

Goblins are not welcome in civilized areas, as they behave somewhat like drug-addled children on their best days. However, they have a fondness for elaborate, tricky things such as clocks and wagons, so they are often found around the edges of towns hoping to steal something interesting when no one is looking. Goblins rarely make massive raids against villages, nor are they prone to large-scale warfare. Instead, they count thievery, stealth, traps and ambushes to be the most honorable way to gain status.

Goblins have a love-hate relationship with fire. Goblins adore fire, but no matter how much it is worshiped, it keeps biting them. That doesn't prevent them from trying, of course. Most goblins will take any opportunity to play with fire, and believe fire to be the greatest of all forces in the Universe (it makes food tasty AND can destroy things!).

In addition to fire, Goblins can be quite manic about any number of things, individually, and can take these ephemeral obsessions to such extremes that they will forget to eat or sleep for days in their quest to master their new fancy.

Wolfriders are the craziest goblins among a society which is already widely considered to be quite crazy enough. Even goblins think goblin wolfriders are out of their lumpy minds. First, anything big enough to serve as a mount for a goblin likely wants to eat the goblin. Second, goblins aren't too choosy about what counts as a "wolf", and frequently end up with giant rat things, feral dogs, or anything else that's fast enough to satisfy their urge to ride. And that brings us to the third point: wolfriders are in it for the thrill of going fast, but few goblins who decide to become wolfriders live more than a few days after acquiring their first mount. This is because the mount will spend those first few days trying its best to eat the goblin, and most of the wolfriders fail to drink, eat or sleep during this time. Of course, the few that survive more than a week are actually pretty good at their jobs. At least by goblin standards, anyway.