#lubberkin

“Brownie Pirates” © Emperors Choice Games, by Mark Allen

[Commissioned by @crazytrain48​. The Arduin take on “brownies” runs far afield of their folkloric origins as house spirits. In fact, these little guys strike me as being a lot like kender ten years early--they’re larcenous brats that are charming to the characters and obnoxious for the players. Only unlike kender, these are written with the realization that they’re little shits. The original could charm by gaze as well as by touch, but I prefer the comic potential of one person being completely enamored with the nasty goblin while everyone else is baffled.

My replacement name comes from British fairy lore. “Lubber” is an old-fashioned word for a lazy person, and a lubberkin was a house spirit that preferred to sit by the fire rather than do any actual work. This struck me as appropriate for these little bandits. I also gave them the traditional folklore ability to disguise worthless junk as riches, in honor of all those fairy stories where someone makes off with fairy gold and gets nothing but a handful of leaves for their trouble. Trade! Trade!]

Lubberkin CR 3 CN Fey This tiny creature is fuzzy and vaguely man-shaped, with pointed ears, a pug nose and a mouthful of sharp teeth. It is dressed in mismatched, ostentatious fashion, and carries a little sword at its belt.

Lubberkin are like gremlins, in that they are fey beings that seemingly exist to mock a pursuit of civilization. Lubberkin are fey of trade and commerce, which they subvert endlessly through lies, illusions and charm. A creature touched by a lubberkin, whether through a handshake, hug or passing furtive contact, becomes utterly enraptured with the fuzzy little monster, seeing it as adorable and worthy of showering with praise and gifts. They delight in trade, but their trades are rarely even ones, and they can pass off lumps of mud and leaves as baubles of silver and gold. If they cannot get some treasure they desire despite their best efforts, they will try to steal it.

Lubberkin are less interested in violence than they are in acquisitions, but they will fight if they’re cornered or if their burglaries go wrong. They are surprisingly strong for their size, and most of them carry long curved blades. They are better at magic that physical violence, however, and usually try to knock foes out quickly with color spray or simply disappear with invisibility. They can teleport short distances, and use this to escape with their lives from losing encounters.

Lubberkin are attracted to places where people are, favoring trade hubs, major highways and ports. Some operate alone, whereas others cluster together in mockery of caravans, ships’ crews and other commercial operations. Most of these lubberkin try to cheat each other as readily as they do humanoids, and non-lethal fighting among them is common. Lubberkin love children and halflings, although some appear to be unable to tell the difference. They strongly dislike dour, no-nonsense types such as dwarves. They like the flavor of sour fruits, and may be enticed to aid an adventurer with nothing more than a good glass of lemonade.

A lubberkin stands between 1 ½ and 2 ½ feet tall. They like to show off their wealth with fine clothes and gems, and are especially fond of fancy shoes and slippers.

In English folklore, the lubberkin is a house spirit, similar to the hob. Generally depicted as a tall, hairy man, the lubberkin will perform household chores in exchange for a saucer of milk and a place in front of the fire. The lubberkin has been associated with the legendary fey figure Puck, and is sometimes said to be the son of a witch and the Devil.

A similar creature, or perhaps a variant on the lubberkin, is the abbey lubber, a minor demon who haunts the wine cellars and kitchens of abbeys, tempting monks into ill behaviour such as lust and drunkenness.

Image source.

Monster master list.