![[Goblin.webp|400]] Goblins are small goblinoids found throughout Faerûn, related to hobgoblins and bugbears but forming a distinct people of their own. They are highly adaptable and can survive in environments ranging from forests and hills to caves, ruins, and the settlements of other peoples. Although goblins have a widespread reputation for raiding, ambushes, and hostility toward outsiders, this reputation primarily reflects the behaviour of traditional and feral goblin societies rather than every member of the species. The distant ancestors of goblins were connected to the Feywild, as were the ancestors of hobgoblins and bugbears. Their history was dramatically changed by Maglubiyet, the Mighty One, who conquered the goblinoids, destroyed or subjugated many of their gods, and established himself as the dominant power within the goblinoid pantheon. His influence shaped much of the violent and hierarchical culture traditionally associated with goblins. --- ### Feral and Civilised Goblins In the modern world, goblins are commonly divided into two broad cultural groups: **Feral Goblins** and **Civilised Goblins**. These terms describe how goblins live rather than different kinds of goblin. There is no physical or biological distinction between them, and a goblin can leave one way of life for the other. **Feral Goblins** live largely outside the settlements and laws of other peoples. They most closely resemble the goblin tribes traditionally encountered throughout Faerûn, forming isolated communities in caves, forests, ruins, hills, and other wilderness regions. Many survive through hunting, scavenging, theft, and raiding, and their societies are frequently controlled by whoever possesses enough strength, cunning, influence, or fear to maintain authority. Traditional goblinoid religion, particularly the worship of Maglubiyet and Khurgorbaeyag, remains common among such communities. Feral goblins are responsible for much of the hostile reputation attached to goblinkind. Their use of ambushes, traps, raids, and attacks upon travellers has caused many communities to regard any unfamiliar goblin with suspicion. Nevertheless, the term feral describes a way of life rather than an alignment. Individual tribes vary, and membership of a feral community does not make every goblin within it identical. **Civilised Goblins** are goblins who live among the common folk of Faerûn. They can be found within towns, cities, villages, and other established communities, living alongside humans, dwarves, elves, halflings, and the numerous other peoples of the Realms. They work, trade, maintain homes, form relationships, and otherwise participate in the societies in which they have settled. Civilised goblins can still seem somewhat odd to their neighbours. Goblin habits, mannerisms, humour, interests, and customs do not necessarily disappear simply because a goblin lives in a human town or dwarven city. These differences occasionally cause misunderstandings, and the reputation created by feral goblin tribes can result in suspicion from those unfamiliar with civilised goblins. Despite this, goblins and their neighbours generally find ways to make life together work. Civilised goblins are not required to abandon their goblin identity. Integration does not make them less goblin; it simply means that they no longer live according to the isolated and frequently hostile traditions associated with feral goblin society. --- ### Goblin Society There is no single form of goblin society shared by every goblin. Civilised goblins generally adopt at least some of the laws, occupations, customs, and social structures of the communities in which they live, while feral goblin society tends to retain the hierarchical organisation traditionally associated with goblinkind. Feral goblins commonly organise themselves into tribes, clans, gangs, or similar groups. Leadership usually belongs to an individual capable of maintaining control through some combination of strength, cunning, intimidation, alliances, or access to valuable resources. A chieftain therefore does not necessarily need to be the strongest warrior in a tribe, although a leader who cannot defend their position may quickly lose it. Traditional goblin society can be harsh. Powerful goblins bully and dominate weaker members, while sufficiently powerful outsiders can impose themselves upon entire tribes. Hobgoblins, bugbears and other creatures sometimes dominate goblin communities or incorporate goblins into larger forces. Goblin settlements vary considerably. Feral tribes frequently occupy caves, abandoned mines, ruins, forests, and defensible wilderness locations. They are intelligent tool users capable of maintaining settlements, weapons, traps, fortifications, and whatever other equipment their circumstances allow. --- ### Warfare and Tactics Goblins are particularly associated with ambush warfare. Rather than confronting a stronger opponent directly, they prefer to attack when circumstances favour them, using concealment, traps, ranged weapons, superior numbers, and knowledge of the surrounding terrain. Traditional goblin combat relies heavily upon mobility. Goblins strike from advantageous positions and withdraw when an enemy gains the upper hand rather than remaining in an unfavourable fight. Their aptitude for quickly hiding or escaping from opponents has long made even relatively weak goblin groups dangerous when encountered on terrain they have prepared. Feral goblins make particularly extensive use of these tactics when raiding settlements or attacking travellers. Goblins serving within larger goblinoid armies can instead be employed as scouts, skirmishers and other supporting troops, with hobgoblins providing much of the organisation and military discipline. Civilised goblins are no more inherently required to become warriors than members of any other people. Those who do pursue martial professions can nevertheless make effective use of the agility and tactical instincts traditionally associated with goblinkind. --- ### Religion and Beliefs #### Maglubiyet Maglubiyet, the Mighty One, is the dominant god of the traditional goblinoid pantheon. He is a god of war and conquest whose influence extends across goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears. His position was achieved through conquest: many of the older goblinoid gods were destroyed, while those who survived were forced beneath his authority. Among traditional goblin societies, Maglubiyet is feared as much as he is worshipped. Goblins know that death can bring continued service within his endless armies, and unlike many hobgoblins, they generally do not regard this fate as desirable. Maglubiyet's influence remains strongest among feral communities that preserve traditional goblinoid religion. Civilised goblins may continue to worship him, but living outside traditional goblin society also provides opportunities to encounter and adopt the numerous other faiths practised throughout Faerûn. #### Khurgorbaeyag Khurgorbaeyag, the Overseer, is one of the surviving gods specifically associated with goblins. He serves beneath Maglubiyet and is associated with slavery, oppression, and the maintenance of strict social hierarchy. His teachings reinforce many of the harsher characteristics traditionally found within goblin society. Khurgorbaeyag serves Maglubiyet out of fear rather than genuine loyalty and has traditionally desired greater power for himself. His continued position beneath the Mighty One reflects the same principle of domination that characterises much of the traditional goblinoid pantheon. #### Other Goblinoid Gods The wider goblinoid pantheon contains deities more strongly associated with hobgoblins and bugbears. Nomog-Geaya is particularly associated with hobgoblins, while Hruggek and Grankhul are prominent among bugbears. Bargrivyek is associated with cooperation and territory and has connections to both goblins and hobgoblins. Not every goblin worships a goblinoid deity. Individual goblins can reject Maglubiyet and the traditional pantheon entirely, particularly among civilised populations where goblins regularly encounter the religions of other peoples. --- ### Shamans and Magic ![[GoblinTribe.webp|400]] Goblin shamans and priests traditionally provide religious leadership within goblin communities. Those devoted to Maglubiyet, Khurgorbaeyag, or another deity can wield divine magic and serve as intermediaries between their communities and the powers they worship. Magic among goblins is not limited to shamanism. Goblins possess the same capacity to pursue magical professions as other intelligent peoples and can become wizards, clerics, warlocks, druids, sorcerers, or other spellcasters when they have access to the appropriate training or source of power. The ancient connection between goblinoids and the Feywild does not mean that ordinary goblins automatically possess illusion or charm magic. Their fey ancestry is part of their distant history rather than a universal school of goblin magic. One unusual supernatural phenomenon associated specifically with goblins is the **nilbog**. Nilbogs are connected to the lingering power of an ancient goblin trickster deity destroyed by Maglubiyet. A nilbog spirit can possess a goblin, transforming its behaviour and granting it unusual supernatural abilities. Nilbogs are exceptional and should not be confused with ordinary goblin spellcasters. --- ### Culture Goblin culture varies considerably between communities. The lives of feral goblins are shaped heavily by the requirements of survival and by the traditions of their individual tribes, while civilised goblins can combine goblin customs with those of the wider communities in which they live. Goblins are intelligent and adaptable. They can learn trades, practise crafts, use tools, maintain equipment, participate in commerce, and pursue specialised professions when given the opportunity. Their frequent use of scavenged equipment among feral tribes reflects their circumstances rather than an inability to manufacture or understand objects themselves. Civilised goblins have developed particularly varied lives because there is no single society into which they have integrated. A goblin raised in a human settlement may develop differently from one living among dwarves, elves, halflings, or a cosmopolitan population. Despite this integration, goblins often preserve habits and customs of their own, contributing to the slightly unusual reputation they retain even among communities where their presence is accepted. There is no universal goblin tradition of jewellery, music, dancing, storytelling, or artistic expression shared by every tribe across Faerûn. Individual goblin communities can possess such traditions, but their exact forms depend upon the community. --- ### Interactions with Other Peoples The relationship between goblins and other peoples is complicated by the continuing existence of feral goblin tribes. Raids, theft, territorial disputes, and attacks upon travellers have given goblins a poor reputation throughout much of Faerûn, and encounters with hostile tribes reinforce the belief that goblins are inherently dangerous. Civilised goblins demonstrate that this reputation does not describe every goblin. Where goblins have become established within mixed communities, they participate in everyday society alongside their neighbours. Some suspicion and prejudice remain, particularly among people whose only previous experience of goblins involved raids or violence, but peaceful coexistence is entirely possible. Individual goblins can consequently be found in virtually any occupation their circumstances permit. Their ancestry does not determine their profession, morality, loyalties, or personality. --- ### Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears ![[HobGoblin.webp|400]] #### Hobgoblins Hobgoblins are a distinct goblinoid people rather than a larger variety of goblin. Traditional hobgoblin societies are considerably more militarised than those of goblins and place great importance upon discipline, hierarchy, martial ability, and organised warfare. Hobgoblins frequently organise other goblinoids into larger military forces. Goblins incorporated into these forces may serve as scouts, skirmishers, archers, or other supporting troops while hobgoblins provide much of the central command and discipline. Traditional hobgoblin attitudes toward Maglubiyet also differ from those of goblins. Where goblins generally fear being conscripted into Maglubiyet's armies after death, hobgoblin warriors can regard such service as an honour. ![[Bugbear.webp|400]] #### Bugbears Bugbears are another distinct goblinoid people. They are considerably larger and stronger than goblins but retain a remarkable capacity for stealth. Their combination of physical strength and an ability to approach enemies unnoticed makes them particularly dangerous ambushers. Traditional bugbear society is less regimented than hobgoblin society. Bugbears may gather beneath powerful chiefs or join larger goblinoid forces, but they do not naturally possess the same extensive military organisation traditionally associated with hobgoblins. Hruggek is the principal traditional god of bugbears, while Grankhul is another important member of their pantheon. Both ultimately exist within the wider goblinoid religious order dominated by Maglubiyet. --- ### Fey Origins The distant history of goblins extends beyond the Material Plane. Goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears possess ancient connections to the Feywild and were associated with the Queen of Air and Darkness before the domination of Maglubiyet. Maglubiyet's conquest transformed goblinoid history. He destroyed or subjugated their gods and brought the goblinoid peoples beneath his influence, establishing the religious order that would dominate many of their societies for generations. For most modern goblins, particularly those born and raised within Faerûn, this ancient connection does not determine their everyday culture. It remains part of their ancestry and history rather than requiring modern goblins to live as fey creatures or practise fey traditions. --- ### Language and Communication Goblins possess their own language, **Goblin**, which is shared across the goblinoid peoples. Under the traditional language system, Goblin is written using the Dwarvish script. Many goblins also speak Common, particularly those who regularly interact with other peoples. Civilised goblins living among the common folk generally use whatever languages are necessary for everyday life in their communities. Goblins do not inherently speak Common in broken sentences or possess an incomplete understanding of it. Fluency depends upon the individual goblin's upbringing and experience. A civilised goblin raised speaking Common can be every bit as fluent as a human raised speaking it. Individual goblin communities may also develop signals, passwords, gestures, whistles, trail markings, or other methods of communication. Such systems are particularly useful among scouts and raiders, but they are local practices rather than a single secret language shared by all goblins. --- ### Goblins in Faerûn Goblins can be found throughout Faerûn, and their circumstances vary enormously. Some remain within isolated feral tribes, some serve hobgoblin hosts or other powerful creatures, and others have abandoned those societies entirely. The increasing presence of civilised goblins among the common folk has created another path for goblinkind. These goblins live alongside the other peoples of Faerûn without ceasing to be goblins themselves. They may occasionally be strange neighbours, and centuries of conflict mean that acceptance is not always immediate, but coexistence has proven possible. The distinction between feral and civilised goblins is ultimately one of **culture and circumstance rather than blood**. Both share the same ancestry and ancient history. What separates them is the society in which they have chosen, or been given the opportunity, to live.