Archives of Nethys
Source Feybound pg. 68
Gremlins are the fey embodiments of ruin and decay.
In grand philosophical terms, one might view them as minor avatars of entropy—nature's ceaseless assault on all the works of civilization. They are rot, they are erosion, they are disrepair. They are the quirk or ironic fate that unravels a perfectly laid-out plan or the string of petty annoyances behind a tremendously bad day. All that civilization has built came first from dust, and to dust it will return, and the gremlins will be there to usher it along.
Mostly, though, gremlins love to break things, usually in an enthusiastic manner and while wearing a sharp grin. Gremlins are nothing if not servants of the perverse. A common gremlin saying is, “Everything that can go wrong will go wrong if I have anything to say about it.”
If you want to play a character who's a tiny bundle of chaotic energy, then you should play a gremlin.
You Might...
- Take distinct pleasure in watching bad things happen to people, places, or things.
- Be too mischievous for your own good.
- Be constantly climbing onto things to make up for your tiny size.
Others Probably...
- Expect you to be clever with machinery.
- Suspect you whenever anything breaks.
- Find it easy to overlook you.
Physical Description
Gremlins make for a diverse bunch. The most you can say about them is that gremlins are typically very small— roughly 1 to 3 feet tall—and have a basically humanoid body shape. Past that, it all depends on the gremlin's specific type. Mitflits are bright blue, have oddly wide heads, and have huge, floppy ears that stick out to the sides. Pugwampis look like dogs walking on their hind legs, usually some flavor of mutt. A haniver resembles a dried ray, to some extent, and has a fish-like face and a pair of winglike fins along their back. Fuaths have the faces of sea horses and the claws of a lobster. Grimples are upright, patchy-furred opossums. And jinkins are what most people think of when they think of gremlins, a sharp-edged, warty-skinned little creature like a very strange gnome.Left to their own devices, gremlins in the Universe grow at about the same rate as a goblin, hitting adulthood by age 5, but unlike their mortal counterparts, a gremlin can live forever, more or less. Of course, they rarely do, given their chaotic and dangerous lifestyles, but it isn't actually that strange for a gremlin to bedevil a particular community for centuries. The more powerful and self- aware gremlins, when they feel their time growing short, do try to head back to the First World, where they can be reborn after death.
Society
Gremlin society is split in two—there are gremlins who still live in the First World, and then there are gremlins who live in the Universe. They have a certain amount of overlap, but by and large, they're two distinct communities with limited interaction.In the First World, gremlins mostly live far from cities, residing instead in forests, dales, and swamps. They make do with little more than a few rocks and sticks, and they go out of their way to destroy anything more sophisticated that they might come across. That said, these First World gremlins are usually spread thinly around the environment and rarely go after the trappings of civilization that might be defended by someone. In truth, one might almost call them the First World's trash collectors, ensuring that everything returns to nature sooner or later.
The much larger portion of gremlins lives in the Universe, having come over from the First World some countless eons ago. No one is actually sure why. The most popular idea is that, at some point long, long ago, a particular gremlin outdid themself and actually managed to irritate one of the Eldest—which one varies, but most stories suppose that it was Ng, probably because it makes the tale all the funnier. In any case, this Eldest had enough of these little pests and gathered them up from the length and breadth of the First World, opened a doorway to the Universe, and punted the gremlins through. A few gremlins managed to escape the purge, and the current First World gremlins descend from them.
Most, however, found themselves in the Universe and, after a certain amount of confusion and looking around, took to it like a fish to water. Gremlins exist in every corner of Golarion, from the farthest ice floes of the Crown of the World to the steamy jungles of Garund—or rather, to be more precise, they're found everywhere that people are found. Gremlins are decidedly urban pests, and it's rare for a gremlin community to remain out of earshot from humans, dwarves, kholos, or orcs.
Gremlin communities are essentially parasitic. Being fey, gremlins have a somewhat sticky relationship with most mortal needs and, as a result, don't really think about things like industry or trade or building durable institutions. Rather, most gremlin bands are chaotic little mobs, with most of their possessions being scavenged from the same mortal society that they constantly aggravate. Gremlins are masters at repurposing, recycling, and reusing any sort of trash or junk they find, and given enough motivation, they can prove quite good indeed at building some very odd devices. Gremlins are extremely social, and rarely does one see a single gremlin alone. Rather, gremlins move in gangs and mobs. Often these are mixed communities with several types of gremlins living alongside one another. Others, like mitflits or hanivers, are more likely to live in their own little groups for cultural or environmental reasons. Gremlins are also perfectly willing, if not always enthusiastic, to accept other creatures into their gangs. Usually, they let in some other sort of mischievous or malicious fey, like redcaps, but gremlins and goblins get along like a house on fire—which is also the usual result of gremlins and goblins getting along. Gremlin mobs typically maintain relations with other fey communities in the area, particularly with any sprites or house spirits, though gremlins also tend to have poor relations with most other peoples and settlements, for self-evident reasons.
Beliefs
To gremlins, entropy and destruction are both direction and philosophy in one. Given time, everything tends toward ruin, and civilization and all its accoutrements are just temporary in the grand scheme of things. Occasionally, they're very comfortable accoutrements—many a gremlin will sneak some beer from the tavern cellar or wear pieces of tailored clothes stolen from a halfling or gnome. But every gremlin knows that they ought to be working to bring down all of society. In practice, this mostly means that they make periodic nuisances of themselves, as gremlins lack both the courage and commitment to bother with long-term schemes that might prove more effective.Past this ideology, gremlins tend to have few solid beliefs or convictions. Like the majority of fey, religion doesn't quite interest gremlins—it's hard to get terribly worked up about the state of one's soul or permanent accommodations in the afterlife when you can reincarnate in perpetuity. Gremlins do show respect to the Eldest, though it blurs the line between religious faith and a much more practical fealty. The Eldest have a direct impact on the lives of fey, and so showing them respect is simply the sensible thing to do. Most gremlins swear allegiance to the Lantern King, but the Green Mother has her adherents as well.
Popular Edicts bring misfortune to your enemies without them knowing about it, poke your nose into everything, solve problems by breaking things
Popular Anathema bathe, get in the way of someone else's bad luck
Adventurers
Gremlins adventure because they're bored. This is why gremlins do most things, really, but the sort of gremlins who become adventurers feel that the usual gremlin lifestyle lacks... spice. They want something more than just putting buckets on top of doors; often, what they're looking for is a sense of purpose or community. Gremlins usually come from the artisan, artist, bandit, street urchin, and especially tinkerer backgrounds. They make excellent rogues as well as alchemists, investigators, and witches, the latter often in service to some greater fey patron.Names
Gremlin names lean toward sharp sounds and one or two syllables. A good gremlin name, gremlins agree, should sound like the sort of noise that someone makes when a heavy thing falls on them. Indeed, occasionally gremlins will figure out a name by finding a mortal and dropping something heavy on them and then listening to the sorts of sounds they make.Sample Names
Argin, Bedrag, Gratz, Kankrik, Krak, Molv, TwongOther Information
Flying PCs
Certain ancestries, such as sprites, have wings.The presented ancestry rules intend to provide a good combination of story and game balance for most groups. However, some players might have character concepts that don't fit this assumption and might wish to have unbound flight from character creation. The GM can choose to grant the PC a 15-foot fly Speed, replacing any other abilities that involve flying, such as the Evanescent Wings sprite feat. However, GMs who allow this option should be aware that a PC who can constantly fly can trivialize many common low- and mid-level challenges, or might consistently outshine other characters. The GM should consider this option carefully before allowing it and adjust the game accordingly; for instance, ensuring that some enemies in each encounter have ranged options so they can respond to a PC raining spells or arrows from the safety of the sky.Riding PCs
A PC can ride on another PC as long as the second PC is at least two sizes larger than them, such as a Tiny gremlin riding in their Medium elf teammate's backpack. However, this requires a tremendous amount of coordination to ensure the smaller PC doesn't get in the way, or that the two PCs don't jostle each other into losing actions. For most parties, this tactic is less favorable than the smaller PC just using their own mount. If a PC who is at least two sizes smaller rides along with another PC or similar non- minion intelligent creature, roll both their initiative and use the lower of the two results. The two PCs act in either order on the same initiative count. While traveling in this way, the PCs each gain two actions at the start of their turns, instead of three, since the larger PC spends 1 action keeping the smaller one balanced on their back, and the smaller PC spends 1 action maintaining their grip.Tiny PCs
PCs are typically Small or Medium size, but some ancestries, such as most sprites and gremlins, are Tiny instead!A Tiny PC can enter another creature's space, which is important because their melee Strikes typically have no reach, meaning the PC must enter a creature's space to attack it. (Likewise, other creatures can move through and end their movement in a Tiny creature's space.) Like other Tiny creatures, the PC doesn't automatically receive lesser cover from being in a larger creature's space, but circumstances might allow them to Take Cover. A Tiny creature can typically reach objects and parts of the environment in its space without difficulty, though the GM might rule otherwise in certain situations.
A Tiny PC can purchase weapons, armor, and other items for their size with the same statistics as normal gear, except that melee weapons have a reach of 0 for them (or a reach 5 feet shorter than normal if they have the reach trait). Remember to adjust the Bulk of items and the PC's Bulk limit for Tiny size
Gremlin Mechanics
Hit Points
6Size
TinySpeed
20 feetAttribute Boosts
DexterityIntelligence
Free
Attribute Flaw
WisdomLanguages
FeyCommon
Additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier (if it's positive). Choose from Aklo, Gnomish, Goblin, Jotun, Kholo, Sakvroth, and any other languages to which you have access (such as the languages prevalent in your region).
Darkvision
You can see in darkness and dim light just as well as you can see in bright light, though your vision in darkness is in black and white.Shelyn's Corner
×Classic Feel
Classic Feel
Classic Feel
The classic look for the Archives of Nethys.
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Book Feel
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Book Feel
An alternative feel, based on the Rulebooks.
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Round Feel
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Round Feel
A rounded, modern look for the archives.
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Slim Feel
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