Хобгоблин

Хобгоблин (англ. Hobgoblin) — раса фантастических существ в фэнтези и ролевых играх. Как правило, это более крупная, сильная, умная и организованная разновидность гоблинов.

Хобгоблины в фольклоре и литературе

Hobgoblin is a term typically applied in folktales to describe a friendly but troublesome creature of the Seelie court. The most commonly known hobgoblin is the character Puck in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Puck, however, is only another name given to a much older character named Robin Goodfellow. However, the origins of his name can be controversial.

Hobgoblins seem to be small, hairy little men who—like their close relative, brownies—are often found within human dwellings, doing odd jobs around the house while the family is lost in sleep. Such chores are typically small deeds, like dusting and ironing. Oftentimes, the only compensation necessary in return for these was food. Attempts to give them clothing would often banish them forever, though whether they take offense to such gifts or are simply too proud to work in new clothes differs from teller to teller.

While brownies are more peaceful creatures, hobgoblins are more fond of practical jokes. They also seem to be able to shape-shift, as seen in one of Puck’s monologues in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Robin Goodfellow is perhaps the most mischievous and most infamous of all his kind, but many are less antagonizing. However, like all of the fae folk, hobgoblins are easily annoyed. When teased or misused excessively, brownies become boggarts—creatures whose sole existence is to play tricks and cause trouble for people. They can be mischievous, frightening, and even dangerous, and they are very difficult to get rid of.

The term «hobgoblin» has grown to mean a superficial object that is a source of (often imagined) fear or trouble. Probably the most well-known example of this usage is Ralph Waldo Emerson’s line, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, " from the essay Self-Reliance.

The Lord of the Rings

In The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, hobgoblins are a menacing, larger and stronger form of goblins. Tolkien later remarked in a letter that through further study of folklore he had subsequently learned that «the statement that hobgoblins were 'a larger kind' [of goblins] is the reverse of the original truth».[3] This mistaken reversal in size on Tolkien’s part has generally been followed in other fictional hobgoblins. Tolkien then renamed them as Uruks or Uruk-hai in an attempt to correct his mistake.

Хобгоблины в Dungeons & Dragons

Описание

В Dungeons & Dragons хобгоблины — высокие (средний рост около 6,5 футов — 2 м) и крепко сложенные гуманоиды, выше орков, но ниже багбиров. У них тёмно-оранжевая или красно-оранжевая кожа, цвет волос варьируется от тёмно-коричневого до тёмно-серого, глаза жёлтые или тёмно-карие. Самцы существенно крупнее самок. Хобгоблины предпочитают яркую одежду, их оружие всегда содержится в отличном порядке.

История появления

Хобгоблин — один из самых ранних по времени появления монстров в D&D.

Original Dungeons & Dragons (1974—1976)

Хобгоблины впервые появились в «белой коробке» — Dungeons & Dragons «white box» (1974), где они были описаны как более крупные и бесстрашные гоблины. В приложении Supplement II: Blackmoor (1975) был представлен коалинт (koalinth), или водяной хобгоблин.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

В AD&D 1 хобгоблины появились в первом издании Monster Manual (1977), где описывались как раса законопослушно-злых существ, живущих племенами и встречающихся буквально повсюду. Мифология и привычки хобгоблинов были подробно описаны в статье Роджера Мура «The Humanoids» в журнале Dragon № 63 (июль 1982 г.). В Dragon № 68 (декабрь 1982 г.) был снова описан коалинт.

Basic Dungeons & Dragons (1977—1999)

В Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983) появился собственный вариант хобгоблина. В качестве расы, пригодной для игровых персонажей, хобгоблин был представлен в дополнении The Orcs of Thar (1989). Далее хобгоблины описывались в Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994) и Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999 & 2000).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2 (1989—1999)

Хобгоблин и коалинт впервые в этой редакции D&D появились в Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989) и затем были снова включены в Monstrous Manual (1993).

В сеттинге Dragonlance хобгоблины появились в буклете «World Book of Ansalon», входящем в коробку Tales of the Lance (1992).

В качестве расы, пригодной для игровых персонажей, хобгоблин был представлен в The Complete Book of Humanoids (1993), а затем — в Player’s Option: Skills & Powers (1995).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 (2000—2002)

В третьей редакции D&D хобгоблин появился в Monster Manual (2000).

Races of Faerûn (2003) описывает хобгоблина как расу, пригодную для игровых персонажей сеттинга Forgotten Realms.

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 (2003—2007)

Хобгоблин описан в пересмотренном Monster Manual (2003). В Dragon № 309 (июль 2003) опубликована статья «Ecology of the Hobgoblin», подробно описывающая хобгоблинов как расу игровых персонажей.

Разновидности хобгоблинов были описаны в Unearthed Arcana (2004) (огненный хобгоблин) и Dragon Magic (2006) (обожжённый солнцем хобгоблин (sunscorch hobgoblin)). В Monster Manual IV (2006) описан вараг (varag) — дикая, полузвериная разновидность хобгоблинов, обычно передвигающаяся на четырёх конечностях. В Monster Manual V (2007) описаны хобгоблины с классами: hobgoblin duskblade, hobgoblin spellscourge и hobgoblin warsoul.

Dungeons & Dragons 4 (с 2008)

В четвёртой редакции D&D хобгоблин появился в Monster Manual (2008), в разделе «Гоблин». Здесь описываются hobgoblin grunt, hobgoblin warrior, hobgoblin archer, hobgoblin soldier, hobgoblin warcaster, hobgoblin commander и hobgoblin hand of Bane.

Образ жизни

Hobgoblins exist in perpetual war against all other races, believing that «lesser» species are fit only for battle fodder. In mixed groups, hobgoblin officers often lead units of goblins or orcs, whom they bully and make to feel inferior. Other peoples find them paranoid, insulting, and dismissive, while hobgoblins in turn treat all others as potential threats. Hobgoblin mercenaries may offer their services to powerful and wealthy members of other races, however.

Hobgoblins are adept at uniting fragmented goblin tribes under their command. Powerful creatures such as bugbears, ogres, and trolls may occasionally assume leadership positions in a hobgoblin tribe, but normally act as front line muscle. Barghests who join hobgoblin tribes usually become leaders, integrating seamlessly into their culture. Barghest chieftains often sponsor blackguards among their hobgoblin minions, who are then ready to take over the tribe when the barghest returns to its home plane.

Hobgoblins have an extreme hatred of elves. If given a choice in who to kill, they will always pick elves first.

Hobgoblins, like many humanoid races, systematically strip their territories of resources with no thought for conservation. This forces them to move frequently, often targeting agricultural lands to raid for food. Hobgoblins are omnivores, but prefer meat. Most tribes keep small herds of livestock, but the bulk of their food comes from raiding. They may enslave or capture members of other races more given to agriculture than hobgoblins are. If they trade with other races, a hobgoblin tribe’s chief resources are mercenaries and drums they have crafted.

Hobgoblins breed themselves through a selective eugenics program (as the citizens of the Scarlet Brotherhood also do). They do not have marriages or monogamous relationships, and children are reared communally by the tribal priests.

Hobgoblins prefer to dwell in warm hills, but can survive in almost any terrain. Most hobgoblins dwell in subterranean complexes, though about a fifth dwell in fortified villages on the surface. They fortify their homes with ditches, gates, guard towers, catapults, pit traps, and ballistas.

Типичные физические характеристики

Hobgoblins resemble large, muscled humans, their bodies covered in coarse fur with red-brown or gray skin and red or orange faces. Large males have blue or red noses, and may have beards and male-pattern baldness. Hobgoblin eyes are dark brown or yellowish, and their teeth tend to be yellow. They are lean and tall, averaging six and a half feet in height and weighing around 200 pounds. Their muscles are designed more for agility than brute strength, and they have been described as having almost feline dexterity. They specialize in moving without sound. Hobgoblins can see in the dark up to 60 feet (18 m) away.

Hobgoblins prefer blood-red garments with black-tinted leather. Their weapons are kept highly polished and in good repair. Many hobgoblins sport tattoos, deep scars gouged and burnt into their flesh meant to display their tolerance for pain rather than for art’s sake. Some hobgoblins sport piercings for the same reason, though they always keep their noses unobstructed. Their hair is often braided with jewelry carved from the bones of slain enemies. Any other adornments worn are also meant to call attention to their endurance or battle prowess.

Мировоззрение

Hobgoblins are usually lawful evil. They are well-organized, well-trained, and obey a strict military code. They are driven to survive through continuous military conquest. Each maintains a rigid «personal perimeter» that represents both personal space and that individual’s portion of the tribal land. In order to continue constant vigilance over this perimeter, they seek to purge themselves of emotion and superfluous thoughts. Mercy and compassion are considered weakness and individual freedom meaningless. Hobgoblins are mentally conditioned through years of physical and mental abuse to achieve this state.

Сообщество

Hobgoblin tribes always fight to determine dominance, but once this hierarchical relationship is established they tend to work well together. Some of the more successful tribes include the Rippers, the Leg Breakers, the Skull Smashers, the Flesh Renders, the Marrow Suckers, the Flayers, and the Slow Killers.

Hobgoblin society is divided into four major castes: military, religious, craftsmen, and slaves. Caste assignment is based on a combination of individual affinity and the current needs of the tribe. Once given, a caste assignment doesn’t change unless the individual’s ability to perform it or the tribe’s need for the position changes. The tribe’s leader is almost always a member of the military caste, typically with roguish skills. Spellcasters are usually members of the military caste. Spellscourges are elite warriors who undergo harsh and disfiguring rituals to gain special defenses against magic, while warcasters undergo similar rituals for magical power. Adult hobgoblins are considered the property of their superiors.

Hobgoblins typically get their armaments by repairing weapons and armor taken from their fallen foes. Besides the reclamation of weaponry, they may express themselves creatively through their war drums, or hrun’doums in their tongue, and smaller percussion instruments such as steel drums, kintalas, and p’doums, or «talking drums.» They may use magical drums in battle.

Религия

Maglubiyet, the god of war and rulership, is the chief deity of both goblins and hobgoblins. However, Nomog-Geaya, the deity of war and authority, is considered the patron deity of hobgoblins specifically. The goblinoid god Bargrivyek encourages cooperation between the goblin races.

War itself is almost a religious experience for hobgoblins. Weakness is feared and actively destroyed in their society, and weapons that break in battle are considered ill omens, even if there are plenty of replacements.

Unusual for such a martial race, hobgoblins view death in combat as a sign of weakness rather than glory, although they do honor their dead to some extent. In order to minimize the risk of a dishonorable death in battle, hobgoblin warriors who are no longer fit for combat usually commit ritual suicide in a way similar to the rites of ritual sacrifice to the hobgoblin gods (i.e., those offering themselves to Maglubiyet kill themselves with the blade of an axe).

Язык

Hobgoblins speak the guttural Goblin tongue, which uses the same script as Dwarven, and Common. They may also speak Orcish and, more rarely, the language of carnivorous apes.

Hobgoblins are named at birth by their religious caste. Females have the suffix 'ken appended to their names, while males use the suffix 'kon. This is followed by their mother or father’s name, the name of their tribe, and their tribal position (for example, Guard of the First Perimeter). Hobgoblins in other societies often include their current employment when identifying themselves. An example hobgoblin name might be Maelgynym Ulok’ken of the Slow Killers, Spellscourge.

Хобгоблины в Warhammer Fantasy

Hobgoblins in the fictional Warhammer Fantasy are a large type of Goblin.

They are found living on the Eastern Steppes of the Warhammer world where they are ruled over by the Khans, all of whom answer to the Hobgobla-khan, the greatest of the hobgoblin warlords.

They are considered so untrustworthy and underhanded by the other Orcs and goblin races that they refuse to have dealings with them. However, they are employed by the Chaos Dwarfs as their slave drivers organizing other goblin slaves. The reason for the close relationship with the Chaos Dwarf dates back to the Black Orc revolt when the Hobgoblins initially marched with their larger cousins but soon betrayed them to the Chaos Dwarves and so gained their trust.

Originally Hobgoblins in the Warhammer Universe were inspired by the Mongol empire — the hobgoblin miniatures produced by Citadel therefore had a decidedly «eastern» theme much like the Nippon miniatures that Citadel produced at the same time. Though the theme is quite Mongol, the Hobgoblins do not seem to wage war on Cathay or the other Eatern states as the Mongol Empire did.

It is also interesting to note that the first incarnation (ie the Mongol inspired one) had hobgoblins with a brown/orangish coloured skin tone whilst the second incarnation (referred to above) changed the skin tone to the more common green hues employed for all gobliniod races in Warhammer.

Хобгоблины в других игровых системах

Хобгоблины широко распространены в бестиариях различных игровых систем и миров.

В Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage хобгоблины — массивные громилы, населяющие горы Эррормона (Errormon). Их предводитель — Китарак (Kitarak), который должен быть убит в определённый момент игры.

В Mage: the Ascension хобгоблином называется физическое воплощение галлюцинации, переживаемой аватаром мага.

В Exalted хобгоблины — наёмники «дивного народа».

В Flintloque хобгоблины — раса, пришедшая из земли Таффси (Taffsea) и сражающаяся за Великий Альянс против орков Альбиона.

В Changeling: the Lost хобгоблины — странные существа, живущие внутри преграды, отделяющей Аркадию от мира смертных.

В MMORPG RuneScape хобгоблины — результат гибридизации орков и гоблинов, описываемые как «безобразные, вонючие существа».

Литература

• Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974)
• Arneson, Dave. Blackmoor (TSR, 1975)
• Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977)
• Moore, Roger E. «The Humanoids.» Dragon #63 (TSR, 1982)
• Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by J. Eric Holmes. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1977)
• Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by Tom Moldvay. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1981)
• Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by Frank Mentzer. Dungeons & Dragons Set 1: Basic Rules (TSR, 1983)
• Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Watry. Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991)
• Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume One (TSR, 1989)
• Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993)
• Johnson, Harold, John Terra, J. Robert King, Wolfgang Baur, Colin McComb, Jean Rabe, Norm Ritchie, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, Jeff Grubb, Doug Niles, and Michael Williams. Tales of the Lance (TSR, 1992)
• Slavicsek, Bill. The Complete Book of Humanoids (TSR, 1993)
• Niles, Douglas and Dale Donovan. Player’s Option: Skills & Powers (TSR, 1995)
• Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
• Reynolds, Sean K., Forbeck, Matt, Jacobs, James, Boyd, Erik L. Races of Faerûn (Wizards of the Coast, 2003)
• Edwards, Terry. «Paragons of War: The Ecology of the Hobgoblin.» Dragon #309 (Paizo Publishing, 2003)
• Collins, Andy, Jesse Decker, David Noonan, and Rich Redman. Unearthed Arcana (Wizards of the Coast, 2004)
• Kestral, Gwendolyn. Monster Manual IV. (Wizards of the Coast, 2006)
• Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2008)