Naga I'm bored and I'm conceptifying so I thought I might post this information. I know there were a few requests way back for more information on goblins. Here's info on goblinoids to help you with your gobliny needs.

Goblinoid Goblinoids are a group of humanoid races that include four different subraces in Faerun:goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, and the relatively new Dekanter goblins. These creatures are close enough in outlook and society to discuss as a group. They are closely related by ties of language and culture.

Goblins are the smallest group. They stand only about four feet tall and weigh roughly 60 pounds. Like all goblinoids, they have flat faces, broad noses, pointed ears, wide mouths and sharp fangs. Their arms hang down almost to their knees. GOblin hides range in color from yellow through orange to red, and members of the same tribe usually share similar coloring. Goblins wear dark leather clothing, which is usually heavily soiled due to their lack of concern with hygiene.

Hobgoblins are much larger, usually reaching 6 1/2 feet in height and weighing up to 275 pounds. Their hairy hides come in dark shades ranging from reddish-brown to gray. Their eyes are yellowish or dark brown, and their teeth are yellow and strong. They like to wear bright clothing, usually with black leather. They keep their weapons clean, even if they don't take so much care with themselves.

The largest of the goblinoids, bugbears stand about 7 feet tall and often top 300 pounds. Their hides are usually yellowish, ranging from brownish to mustard yellow. Their coarse hair runs from brown to brick red. Their eyes are green-white with crimson pupils, and their ears are more wedge-shaped than those of their smaller kin.

Dekanter goblins were created from regular goblins by the alhoon (illithid lich) known as the Beast Lord in the mines of Dekanter. They are larger than the race from which they sprang, ranging in height from 4 to 5 feet. Their tough hides are orange-red, and they have manes of wiry black hair that tumble down past their shoulders. Their heads are squat atop thick, powerful necks, and they have a sharp, rhinolike horn at the tip of their elongated snouts.

Whatever the subrace, goblinoids are universally bullies. They pick on smaller creatures whenever they can, and when faced with a superior force they turn tail and run. Because of their smaller size goblins prefer to strike from behind using every fighting trick they know to gain an edge. While tactically canny, the larger hobgoblins and bugbears usually prefer a more direct approach, often driving weaker troops before them into any perceived danger.

Dekanter goblins in contrast, are aggressive and fearless. They never met a foe they didn't want to impale on their horns. They are cunning enough not to charge directly into battle against a clearly superior foe, but they rarely run away from a fight.

Goblinoids are all short-lived. Most meet a violent end long before they reach old age. They are pressed into service as adults at just 10 years of age. They rarely live to be older than 40, although some few lucky or wily individuals have been known to make it to 60 years of age.

Goblinoids have the same life expectancy and age categories of half-orcs.

Outlook Life in goblinoid community is cheap. There are always a dozen people behind you, trying to trip you up, ready to take over your place as soon as you fall. Goblinoid leaders rule through aggressive ruthlessness, bullying any who get in their way and killing those who are foolhardy enough to challenge them. Goblinoids are constantly trying to get ahead of each other, mostly by backstabbing those infront of them.

Of course, goblins lack the strength and ferocity to lord it over hobgoblins. Similarly, hobgoblins are usually at the mercy of bugbears. The differences in size between the races are too great to overcome. A group of smaller goblinoids can sometimes band together to overpower a larger cousin, but they often end up betraying each other to the bigger creature. Even should they succeed in their efforts, the smaller creatures regularly fall to squabbling amongst each other as to who is now in charge, and another of the larger goblinoids often arrives on the scene to put an end to the argument by killing those who might lay claim to such leadership.

Dekanter goblins on the other hand, live only to serve their mines, mostly because of the alhoon's cunning in his command of them. Originally, these creatures only guarded the Beast Lord's domain. Today however, they have begun ranging far and wide, perhaps signalling that the alhoon has larger schemes to execute.

Most goblinoids take up lives as adventurers simply to get away from their clans. Some do this solely for reasons of survival, sure they would be killed if they were to remain. Others believe that if they can find real power in the wider world, they can return to their homeland and take over.

Goblinoid Characters Living by their wits rather than their muscles, goblins favour the rogue class. The more combat-oriented individuals sometimes multiclass as fighter/rogues. Goblin tribes also feature the occasional cleric, who stands aside from the standard pecking order.

Hobgoblins depend on their physical impressiveness to cow both friend and foe, so they favourt he fighter class. The more cunning ones multiclass fighter/rogues.

Bugbears favour rogue class, because treachery figures at least as much into their success as their power in battle. Many bugbears multiclass as fighter/rogues, and a rare few serve their clan as clerics.

Dekanter goblins are basically killing machines so they favor the barbarian class. They value strength and ferocity in battle too much to take up less militant pursuits.

Goblinoid Society Goblinoid society is a difficult one in which to grow up. Simply surviving to adulthood takes a combination of luck, careful planning, and ruthless aggression. The golden rule among goblins is to do unto others before they do unto you.

Goblin children establish a pecking order much like that of their parents. The older and larger ones pick on the smaller ones, honing the bullying skills which will serve them well later as adults. In goblinoid communities, there are as many children around as there are adults. The reasons for this are many, but they boil down to two unavoidable facts. First, most goblinoids don't survive their harsh childhoods. Second, many adults die violent deaths before they advance too far in goblinoid society.

Males have almost all the power in goblinoid society.They support their clan by constantly raiding other communities and stealing their treasure, food, and drink. when supplies are short, goblinoids have been known to slaughter and eat members of other races, even even including smaller goblinoids.

Females are expected to stay home and raise as many young goblins as possible. They are not permitted to join the clan's warriors in their hunts or in battle. For this reason, many goblinoid adventurers are females who left their clans looking for better opportunities from life.

There is no sense of privacy in most goblinoid clans. Most clans live in large, communal area, often a cave only the leaders of the clan have the privilege of keeping their own quarters. These leaders like to limit such privacy in fear those they cannot see might use the opportunity to plot betrayal. This goes on all the time anyhow, but it's more difficult to accomplish in the common chambers, since many goblinoids are only too happy to sell out any mutineers in exchange for winning their leader's favor.

It's rare for a goblinoid to reach ripe old age. At the first sign of weakness, older goblinoids are constantly challenged by their younger kin, one right after another. Eventually the youth and persistence wins out over age and treachery.

Outside their home territories, most goblinoids try to replicate the conditions under which they were raised. They look for weaker people to bully them into joining up with a nascent clan. Even goblinoids who have renounced their native clans and become adventurers often fall back into old habits, given chance.

Language and Literacy Most goblins speak only Goblin. Smarter ones often speak Common as well, as do those who become adventurers. Hobgoblins and bugbears speak both goblin and common - they have more need to, as they are often in charge of bossing around other creatures and need to be able to speak to the creatures they enslave. Dekanter goblins speak Goblin and Undercommon, since they spend most of their lives in the depths of the Dekanter mines.

Goblinoids of all sorts are illiterate, except for those who have player character classes other than barbarian.

Goblinoid Deities Goblinoids worship a number of evil deities. These gods are often exhort their followers overbreed as much as possible and then attempt to overrun their foes with superior numbers. This is one reason why life is considered so cheap in goblinoid clans. Goblins, hobgoblins and even Dekanter goblins worship Maglubiyet, god of goblinkind. They are inspired by the legendary tales of his strength and treachery winning over all. The god of bugbears, Hruggek, coaches his followers in the art of the ambush and furious fighting.

Animals and Pets Goblinoids don't keep pet's. TO them, such creatures are for slaughtering and eating. They often steal livestock from their neighbors and may keep goats, sheep, or cattle for a short time., but they are in a habit of eating their loot at the first opportunity.

Goblins have a special relationship with worgs, and often ride worgs into battle. The evil wolves are goblins' allies, not their servants.

Racial Stats NWN Style (Not 100% Guaranteed) Goblin

-2 Str +2 Dex -2 Cha Small Stature Darkvision +4 Move Silent (stacks with small stature I believe) Favored Class: Rogue ECL: 0

Bugbear

+4 Str +2 Dex +2 Con -2 Cha Darkvision +3 AC Free Feat: Simple Weapon Proficiency +4 Move Silent Favored Class: Rogue ECL: 4

Hobgoblin

+2 Dex +2 Con Darkvision +4 Move Silently Favored Class: Fighter ECL: 1

Dekanter Goblins

+6 Str +2 dex +4 con +2 int +2 wisdom -2 cha Darkvision +4 AC Cold Resistance 5/- Free Feat: Simple Weapon Proficiency Favored Class: Barbarian ECL: 6

Stay tuned for more from Naga if I continue to have too much time on my hands and no character to play!