How Do You Stat a Goblin?

[UbiquitousRat]

I’m returning to PFRPG and getting used to the 2nd edition (played 1st in 1984-87). This is a general question that I’m honing to a specific:

I want to put X creature in my adventure. How can I quickly determine the stats needed for a potential fight?

THUS,

I want to put a band of Goblins in my adventure. Faced with the racial details on p299 of the PFRPG book, how do I determine the stats needed for the inevitable moment when the PCs attack a Goblin?

On the surface, it looks like I am meant to build a Goblin using the racial stats and an OCC, modifying for desired level. That will take an hour or more and so, I assume, cannot be correct.

What am I missing? Can you help?

[kiralon]

Goblin - Rottentooth Snotpicker
14 HP
+2 strike, +3 parry, 2 attacks a round
used soft leather, ar:8 sdc:15
Rusty shortsword falchion 1d8-1

Save yourself time and only write out the bits you need
also write out some equipment lists for them for when they get searched

[UbiquitousRat]

Goblin - Rottentooth Snotpicker
14 HP
+2 strike, +3 parry, 2 attacks a round
used soft leather, ar:8 sdc:15
Rusty shortsword falchion 1d8-1

Save yourself time and only write out the bits you need
also write out some equipment lists for them for when they get searched

That’s great! Thanks! BUT...

How did you get to those values? To use the old metaphor, that’s a great fish but how do I fish for myself?

[kiralon]

Goblins tend to be low end enemies. However goblins do tend to have a high pp (represented by+1 strike, parry and dodge) +1 strike from wp

an orc would be more hp and higher + to damage but lower strike and parry, but I also base it around the stats of the party too.

[The Dark Elf]

To answer your question, yes - you would have to create one by the book like you would a PC. There are no average stats given for races/classes in general. Once your used to the game that takes about 20 minutes for a basic OCC.

I tend to only role up major NPc stats. Otherwise I pick the monsters/NPC baddies stats just by looking at attribute and general OCC skills (do they have hth expert? do they have the ability to select boxing? etc etc). Then I simply work out the combat stats (HP SDC strike parry dodge damage and maybe a few attributes PS PP SPD). Thats about it.
Printing off the page with hand to hands and th epage of physical skills as references really helps!

A good rule Ive often used is dependant on the players levels - but +1 strike parry dodge damage, then few levels later the trash baddies are +2 strike parry dodge damage, then +3 etc etc

Also, I pick an SDC from the race then and handful of those physical skills but I list the HP as a range from max to min (so PE+1D6 min to an additional 1D6xlevel. So PE=10, level 10 would be written on my NPC bad guy sheet as 16-70. This helps me have the challenge rating effected by the battle itself - if they are kicking its ass and I dont want it to be too easy the NPC HP are suddenly closer to the max and vice versa.

Hope that helps.

[Veknironth]

Well, since they're just combat, I'd figure out what their basic combat stats would be based on skills. You don't need to worry about languages and lore skills, just H2H and WP's. Make the guys all the same level for simplicity, unless you want a few higher level leaders. Now, you have your baseline. Use a dice rolling program (there are many online) to roll up the physical stats of PS, PE, PP and if any are exceptional, add those to the stats. Do the same for the HP.

So the first part will take a bit. But once you have it done, you can quickly make up individuals. This can work for any race also.

-Vek
"Or, make them all the same."

[Library Ogre]

I use average stats for everyone not important. So, a goblin, on average, has

IQ 7
ME 10.5
MA 7
PS 10.5
PP 16.5
PE 10.5
PB 7
Spd 10.5

HP: 14 (PE plus 1d6)
SDC: 15.5 (3d6 for being soldiers, +5 because goblin; I could justify more, since soldiers have Bodybuilding by default, but I don't care))

Their only really relevant stat, there, is PP. I'm going to assume they have HTH Basic, and WP in whatever weapon they're using, so they have

Goblin:
HP: 14
SDC: 16 (rounded up, because it means they can all take 30 damage)
Armor: AR: 10 SDC: 20 (assumes soft leather)
+2 strike, +2 Parry, +2 Roll, +1 Dodge (Lazy WPs are +1 to hit and parry at level 1; increase parry to +3 if they have a shield). Damage is 2d4 (Covers a wide variety of weapon types)

[UbiquitousRat]

I use average stats for everyone not important. So, a goblin, on average, has

IQ 7
ME 10.5
MA 7
PS 10.5
PP 16.5
PE 10.5
PB 7
Spd 10.5

HP: 14 (PE plus 1d6)
SDC: 15.5 (3d6 for being soldiers, +5 because goblin; I could justify more, since soldiers have Bodybuilding by default, but I don't care))

Their only really relevant stat, there, is PP. I'm going to assume they have HTH Basic, and WP in whatever weapon they're using, so they have

Goblin:
HP: 14
SDC: 16 (rounded up, because it means they can all take 30 damage)
Armor: AR: 10 SDC: 20 (assumes soft leather)
+2 strike, +2 Parry, +2 Roll, +1 Dodge (Lazy WPs are +1 to hit and parry at level 1; increase parry to +3 if they have a shield). Damage is 2d4 (Covers a wide variety of weapon types)

Thanks, guys! Helpful guidelines that I can easily apply - much appreciated!

[Lukterran]

I personally just make up the stats on the fly. It is much faster and easier.
Give them some average HP and a few bonuses and a weapon and armor and you are done.

Another simple trick is just to go to any adventure section of any of the books or area where someone is already been stated out and use those (tweak to fit your game).

For example from Old Ones:
Race /Hit /S.D.C. /Weapons /Gold /Bonuses
"Goblin /18 /18 /morning star, knives /53 /+2 str/p/d"

[RockJock]

Many books give example/average stats for things like soldiers and guard. For example, Eastern Territories has a whole section about armies, and gives average stats based on humans like this:

"Private: Level: 1-3. Hit Points: 21-30, S.D.C.: 25. Attacks:
4. Typical Bonuses: +2 to parry and dodge, +2 to roll with impact,
+2 to pull punch and +3 to strike with sword."

What Kiralon did was the same basic idea, but weaker for a goblin.

I end up with a page of these type of guys that I can add as I feel like it, maybe with some weapon variations.

[Suicycho]

I use average stats for everyone not important. So, a goblin, on average, has

IQ 7
ME 10.5
MA 7
PS 10.5
PP 16.5
PE 10.5
PB 7
Spd 10.5

HP: 14 (PE plus 1d6)
SDC: 15.5 (3d6 for being soldiers, +5 because goblin; I could justify more, since soldiers have Bodybuilding by default, but I don't care))

Their only really relevant stat, there, is PP. I'm going to assume they have HTH Basic, and WP in whatever weapon they're using, so they have

Goblin:
HP: 14
SDC: 16 (rounded up, because it means they can all take 30 damage)
Armor: AR: 10 SDC: 20 (assumes soft leather)
+2 strike, +2 Parry, +2 Roll, +1 Dodge (Lazy WPs are +1 to hit and parry at level 1; increase parry to +3 if they have a shield). Damage is 2d4 (Covers a wide variety of weapon types)

That’s the way to go. Red shirt adversaries don’t require anymore of a GMs attention.

[Hotrod]

I’m returning to PFRPG and getting used to the 2nd edition (played 1st in 1984-87). This is a general question that I’m honing to a specific:

I want to put X creature in my adventure. How can I quickly determine the stats needed for a potential fight?

THUS,

I want to put a band of Goblins in my adventure. Faced with the racial details on p299 of the PFRPG book, how do I determine the stats needed for the inevitable moment when the PCs attack a Goblin?

On the surface, it looks like I am meant to build a Goblin using the racial stats and an OCC, modifying for desired level. That will take an hour or more and so, I assume, cannot be correct.

What am I missing? Can you help?

Throwaway NPCs are something of a problem in Palladium's games. Some of the books give 2 lines of quick stats for types of low-level NPCs, but most just give a race, OCC, and level, and let the GM work it out. One quick and dirty approach is to sneak a peak at your player characters' sheets and use their bonuses as a standard, so that if you want a easily-defeated NPC, you cut the PC's bonuses and stats in half.

Personally, I'm dissatisfied with the guesswork of these approaches and I don't like the amount of time it takes to roll up an NPC who is just going to be a throwaway character. That's why I started making the NPC generators (link in my sig below) where all a GM has to do is select the type and level, and all the pertinent skills and stats are there. I've been contemplating making some similar ones for Palladium Fantasy.