Goblin [Birthright]

Here every member of goblin kind, from small to hulking, is reckoned a single species despite wide differences in size, strength and looks. What they share is a squat, bowlegged frame, a flat face, pointed ears and a broad mouth packed with sharp teeth. Skin ranges from a grayish green to a drab brown, and when roused their eyes kindle with a malevolent red glow. All of them speak one goblin language, though clan dialects vary a great deal.

Unlike goblins elsewhere, these suffer no penalty in sunlight, though they like gray, cloudy days best, and they see 60 feet with infravision. Rank-and-file goblins usually carry shields and wear leather, upgrading to scale or chain whenever they can lay hands on it. Elites and wolf riders wear scale mail, while the huge goblins often go in splint or banded armor. Favored weapons are axes, maces, morning stars, spears, polearms and short swords. Common goblins mostly fight from the edges as skirmishers, archers or slingers.

A clan steading is a small hill fort shared by a dozen or more extended families, 6d6x10 goblins in all. Females are kept down and handle most household work, which includes watching over slaves and prisoners. Slaves are traded freely between clans, and raids to capture more are frequent.

Roughly 5% of goblins are leaders with character classes, carrying abilities and magic items suited to their class and level. Nine in ten of these are fighters, priests or thieves; wizards are exceedingly rare.

Goblins tame wolves, and a typical steading keeps 2d4 guard wolves for every 50 residents. About a quarter of these are dire wolves, which even ordinary goblins can ride.

Goblins seldom farm but commonly raise livestock. Their main trade goods are leather, dried beef and ore or other mining products. Goblin states are belligerent: they raid neighbors, hire out as mercenaries and demand steep tolls from merchants crossing their lands. Several goblin realms hold territory on the continent, and some are accepted as genuine kingdoms by the humans and demihumans next door. Nobody wants goblin neighbors, but in places the goblins are simply too numerous for any human realm to seriously think about driving them out.