Hobkins
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Hobkins are gremlins who revel in manipulating others into destroying their own equipment.1
Appearance
Hobkins sport large, bat-like ears, glowing round eyes, needle-like teeth and gangly limbs. Regular hobkins have mottled grey skin, while the more powerful hobkins malefactors have swirling dark purple and blue skin, in the pattern of galaxies, as well as silver or red gem-like eyes. A hobkins stands 3 feet tall and weighs 15 pounds; malefactors are slightly larger than their lesser kin.1
Ecology
Hobkins fade into the shadows and lie in wait, watching for the best way to instigate ruin and frustration. When the perfect moment comes, the hobkins startles a victim into dropping a treasure, then blends back into the shadows. After several such interruptions, the hobkins might appear again, out of reach, to further frustrate the riled-up victim, sometimes resulting in them shooting a valuable item.1
Hobkins also employ magic to cause irritating minor diversions to trigger other beings, without showing themselves. For example, they might create noises that make a comm unit appear to be malfunctioning, cause 'low battery' warnings to appear on a full ammunition cartridge, or fool computer users that their keyboards or touchscreens are not working properly, aware of the universal tendency to employ percussive maintenance. Particularly insidious ones might convince virus alerts to appear, fooling hapless technicians into formatting their own computers.1
Hobkins malefactors are adept psychic spellcasters and have a keen interest in the workings and failings of technology, which they utilise to coordinate attacks on warehouses, starships and even whole planets. It is unknown if malefactors are hobkins that have undergone apotheosis or are a different species that share traits with common hobkins.1
Habitat
While lone hobkins are not uncommon, they are usually found in gangs or large infestations under a malefactor's command.1
Society
In order to study gremlins, several think tanks have resorted to a diplomatic approach, setting up sensors and computers where hobkins are known to live and then waiting. When things begin to go haywire, the scientists begin asking the hobkins questions, but this tactic has yielded little success, and in one case, attracted the attention of a malefactor who then caused a meltdown in the facility's nuclear reactor.1
In the Pact Worlds system
The destruction of the freighter Hummingbird in the Diaspora is a legendary hobkins encounter that has become a cautionary tale for starship crews to search for them when faced with unexplained malfunctions. Thirty hobkins under a malefactor's command caused the crew to believe that their ship was suffering from multiple errors and race off to 'fix' these malfunctions. The hobkins then tricked the crew into sabotaging their own ship, ensured that it was locked on a collision course with an asteroid, and then showed themselves within the escape pods, causing the crew to eject them in panic and ensuring the hobkins' survival.1
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 . Alien Archive 3, 45. Paizo Inc., 2019
External links
- Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter (real-world inspiration for the creature)
on PathfinderWiki