When do baby goblins become evil?

[Vraille Darkfang]

Opinions wanted.

So in my Wed game the party has slaughtered the enitre combatant male population of a goblin community (or else they ran in terror).

Now the party's got to deal with a bunch of young to young adult goblins. Assuming they don't just kill them outright...

When do you think goblins become evil? After all their alignment isnt ALWAYS evil (Frequently or Often, IIRC). They don't have the evil subtype. So assuming the PC"s suddenly become foster parents of 50-60 goblins of infant to adolescent age, when do the goblins learn their evil ways. Pre-puberty, by the time they walk, when?

Just looking for ideas.

Vraille Darkfang

 

[jgbrowning]

They become evil right before the Paladin kills them all.

joe "tongue in cheek" b.

 

[Schmoe]

They're born evil, like the twisted spawn of Maguai. They will crawl from their cribs at night, climb up your covers, and chew off your face. Cooing and burbling all the while.

Edit: changed "Mowgli" to "Maguai". Rudyard Kipling must be rolling in his grave.

 

[demiurge1138]

Evil in humanoids is definitely cultural. If they're brought up properly, they won't become evil. If neglected, or if raised in a savage, every-goblin-for-himself environment like they normally would, they'd become evil naturally in order to survive. The little gobbers may have instinctual larcenous tendancies, but if given good homes, they shouldn't all turn evil.

Demiurge out.

 

[Crothian]

Not that this is ever talked about in the game, but it seems to imply that creatuires are of their own alignment from birth on.

 

[Hurtfultater]

Welcome to the exciting world of objective D&D style morality. If I were in your shoes, I'd make goblins typically turn evil around puberty, when immersed in goblin culture. You can always saddle your PCs with the goblin kids, playing up their cute, helpless, innocent natures. You can ignore the ramifications of killing creatures identified as evil, you can play in a horribly twisted campaign where it's possible to have good genocide, or you can split the differance and try to dance around the uglier bits while not shoving everything backstage.

Are your PCs well heeled? Do they have a stable home base? I don't remember how fast goblins mature, and it depends on how much time you're having progress, but your PCs could end up leading their very own goblin clan (mostly with class levels, if they're smart).

EDIT: This isn't to imply that the existance of evil cultures doesn't itself have some creepy ramifications, but at least those can be ignored more easily.

 

[Eolin]

At birth. See, they've got origional sin.

See, once upon a time goblins and humans lived together in peace. The one day a sneaky little goblin thief was caught being a little thief. He had stolen an apple. To cover it up, he murdered the human that caught him.

Well, the gods themselves found out. Like you can do when you know-all and see-all. And they cursed the goblins to always and forever be hunted and killed by man for the evil actions.

So, evil baby goblins need to atone. And the best atonement is death. sweet, painful death.

Note: if this is to religiousy, I'm sorries! Ask and I'll change it.

 

[Hurtfultater]

At birth. See, they've got origional sin.

See, once upon a time goblins and humans lived together in peace. The one day a sneaky little goblin thief was caught being a little thief. He had stolen an apple. To cover it up, he murdered the human that caught him.

Well, the gods themselves found out. Like you can do when you know-all and see-all. And they cursed the goblins to always and forever be hunted and killed by man for the evil actions.

So, evil baby goblins need to atone. And the best atonement is death. sweet, painful death.

Note: if this is to religiousy, I'm sorries! Ask and I'll change it.

You are funny and I want to have your babies.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

IMHO:

Goblins are born with an inherent bent towards Evil, because their gods are nigh-universally Evil. Similarly, Elves are born with an inherent bent towards Chaos and Good, because they are the scions of largely Chaotic and Good gods.

Not all of them express this natural bent, however - they are, after all, only "usually neutral evil." In the overwhelming majority of cases, however, it will hold true - and those that aren't NE will usually be CE or LE.

It is possible for this to be worked against and trained against, but left to their own devices, goblin children tend to be naturally cruel and malicious.

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

If your DM turns them into just ugly human babies you can always take ranks in Profession (Nursemaid). Could be quite a fun campaign watching all the babies grow up to be farmers and lawyers.