Sub-Goblins are an interesting species. Many people tend to think that they are simply a weak, simple people that was an accident of nature, however, they only think that because they’ve never had time to actually meet them. Any encounter with sub-goblins on the Prime Material Plane of existence results in the sub-goblin’s death.

This actually seems to be the most baffling and astounding thing about them. But before I get into that, I want to express some of their other interesting characteristics. I suppose first off, they are healers of a masterful ability. Once, one of their own had been in a battle with a terrible creature of their plane and had lost his right arm, had most of the fur on his back burned off, was totally disfigured in the face, and had broken five of his seven vertebrae, two of these five which were actually totally shattered. In under two hours, he was up on his feet, moving about as if nothing had happened; he looked completely normal, too. I’ve never seen healers work so fast or so well. Anyone else would have been dead.

Of course, it also helps to point out their own natural curative qualities. This same sub-goblin shouldn’t have been able to move much less live for more than about five minutes. However, he managed to drag himself back over two miles to the tribal area by his remaining arm, a feat which took him nearly a whole day. Anyone else would have died before even trying.

But curative and healing qualities aren’t their only high points. They are masters of magic, being the highest keepers of the ancient art known as sorcery. What we consider ninth level magic is what their children learn at age eight, with ease! In fact, there are very few sub-goblins that are not proficient with formal magic by the time they reach adulthood. The more powerful ones can even cast formal magic the way the rest of magic is cast, simply through a verbal, so long as the proper components are at hand.

Their magical prowess does make them much less likely to do fighter type stuff, though they do possess amazing defensive abilities. The skill we know as dodge, they learn as they’re learning to walk and can use it in nearly any situation they like. They have the power to escape from nearly any physical entrapment, and many lesser magical ones. At times, they can move with amazingly adept and nimble speed that I’ve never even seen the best of elves do!

Sub-goblins also come in different forms. The most common is the Oomox, the normal yellow-furred ones. They are the basic form of Sub-goblins that you’ll find. The next most common is the Vorcha, a Sub-goblins of the same size and shape as the Oomox, but with a teal blue fur coat. These Sub-goblins have the ability to resist nearly any form of toxin and can survive underwater for two days on end. They are usually found around water holes and in moist environments. The next most common is the Talshiar, similar to the other two, but with a rich red fur instead of yellow or blue. They are usually found in hot climates and can resist fire attacks for extended periods of time. Then, there is the Remel Sub-goblin, a white furred creature, of just slightly larger size than the other three. They are rare to be seen as they come about by random chance. Periodically, an Oomox couple will bear a child with white fur, known as the Remel. The timeframe for this to happen is usually about once every century. It seems that the Remel is impervious to nearly all forms of magical attack. I personally have only encountered one Remel in my lifetime and that was simply seeing him from a distance for a brief moment. He was the leader of a nearby tribe to the one I stayed with and was quite busy and not important to our reason for being there.

Now, it is possible for these different types of Sub-goblins to mate with each other. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, interesting things can happen. If an Oomox mates with a Vorcha, an green colored Sub-goblin will appear. This creature is referred to as a Vormox and is very close to nature. They are usually found in wooded areas, loving to stick to the trees and have the ability to speak with animals and meld into nature at wish. The mating of an Oomox and a Talshiar produces an orange coated Sub-goblin called a Talmox. This creature usually stays within tribes of Talshiar as they also thrive on heat and can resist strong heat environments for long periods of time. A Vorcha and a Talshiar mating produces a purple coated Sub-goblin called the Talcha. This particular creature has a life expectancy of only ten years, as opposed to the normal lifespan of 85 for a Sub-goblin. They have an ability to resist nearly any type of element based attack, but ironically do not do well when surrounded predominately by a particular element. The only disadvantage of Vormox, Talmox, and Talcha is that they can only mate with others of their own kind. It is physically impossible to mix them further. A Remel can mate with any of the three basic kinds and it’s genes act as if they were Oomox, since they basically are a special form of Oomox.

Now comes the interesting point. As mentioned before, Sub-goblins do not usually last long when found on our Plane of Existence. That is because they are not from this plane. They come from a very unknown plane, but those that do know of it simply call it the Plane of Weakness. There is no other name known. On this plane, the Sub-goblins may live as I have described them, in relative peace, and with no threat to life just because of excitment. However, they often will travel to the Prime Material Plane and when they do, their stamina is so lowered that if they are excited in any way at all, it overloads their system and they are instantly killed. Even if they are revived, having this done too much will make them vaporize out of existence. It’s also interesting to note that anyone going to their plane from ours really suffers no differences. They are not stronger or weaker.

The only exceptions to their weakness are as follows. First, they have found a way to bring a small pocket of their reality with them, keeping it trapped in a Circle of Protection or Power. So long as the circle is up and they do not leave it, they are safe. The second way is if they travel in very large groups. It appears that the more of them that are together, the safer they are. They seem to each emanate a small radiance of energy similar to their own plane’s energy field which is amplified the more that are there. If there are enough, they manage to exist as if they were on their own plane. The problem is, to have enough of them together requires a veritable army of Sub-goblins. Some Sub-goblins believe there to be a third way to survive, something they can do through magic that will allow them to journey around alone and still survive as normal, but it has yet to be discovered. Until then, they are hesitant to send their people out much and especially into populated areas because of the dangers involved.