The Haunt: A Halloween One-Shot

You stand in near darkness. Before you are a set of steps that lead to the high archways that govern the entryway into the mansion proper. A large set of dark oak double doors sit patiently closed awaiting your advance. You notice small crystal blue eyes peering at you from behind a dark window beside the doorway. [The Haunt – 4]

Happy Halloween!

My greeting might be a bit early, but there's method to my madness: I believe it’s time to begin to consider what you might do, if not actually begin prepping, for the upcoming Eve before it’s too late. If you’re going to, that is.

Even so far back as the ‘80s, at the dawn of my gaming life, I’d always had the hankering for a session or two at this time of year where undead and created creatures took centre stage, and all manner of things bumped in the night. It’s the perfect excuse for a one-shot, don’t you think? Something quick and clean and won’t escape the bounds of the weekend nearest the eve in question.

What might scratch that itch? Something from Call of Cthulhu? That would work. Most assuredly! But what if you and your group don’t play CoC? There’s Ravenloft, whether the iconic AD&D I6, or any module from AD&D’s 2^nd edition Ravenloft setting. But none of those, if any, are short enough for what we want, though. We’re thinking one-shots here, not lengthy adventures or campaigns. I imagine a quick search of DMs Guild or DriveThuRPG will dig up a horde of short appropriate adventures, each as creepy as the next. But which one should you choose? That depends. What edition do you play? Does that matter? It might. It might not. Most adventures there will be written for 5^th edition. That’s no surprise. 5e is the edition of the day, at present, the one most players and DMs are familiar with.

So, with that edition in mind, if I may be so bold, might I draw your attention to “The Haunt,” from P.B. Publishing? (P.B. Publishing is Phil Beckwith, by the way. He wrote it, he laid it out, and he also contributed to the interior illustrations.) Have you heard about it? You might have. It’s not new. It was published in 2017, and has since spawned two sequels, to date. I’m being so bold because it’s garnered good reviews. As it should. It truly is creepy. And fun. And it’s still “in print” (as I write this). All three are. Better yet, the entire trilogy can be had, either individually, or as a combined “Special Hardcover Edition,” if that suits your fancy. Does its edition matter? Not a jot. This one will be rather easy to convert to the edition of your choice.

What’s it about? I can’t say, not without spoilers. And I will not, for that reason. I expect that Mr. Phil Beckwith would like you to purchase this fruit of his labour, if you haven’t already. What I can say about it is that it’s a challenging adventure. And it’s about a haunted house. Kind of.

As you approach the mansion you notice that the blackness of the stone is unnatural and almost tainted. The air grows thick, and what little light that the night gives somehow becomes duller and duller the closer that you get to the evil dwelling. [The Haunt – 4]

Of course it gives off an evil vibe. What would be the point of the adventure, otherwise?

There are a number of Hooks to get you started, some more applicable to its story than others. These are the best of the five given:

• The PCs have been approached by an elderly wizard who offers them a handsome reward for rescuing his apprentice who has entered but not returned from Montarthas Manor. This was two tenday ago.
• The PCs have heard rumor of a powerful necromantic jewel which lies in the heart of the manor. They hear it is worth a fortune to the right people.
• People have been going missing when traveling in the areas around the manor. The local town’s mayor has offered some freelance adventuring work to anyone who is brave enough to enter and investigate the manor.

I might note that it was written with The Forgotten Realms in mind, but only insofar as there are references to its calendar; however, as the entirety of the adventure is enacted within a mansion, it’s about as generic as you can get. I mean that: There is no mention of what the surrounding countryside looks like, let alone the approach, other than there need be a ruined city or town nearby. There is the cover picture to speak of; you could describe the exterior just so, but seeing that mention of that dark and dreary forest depicted doesn't make it into the text of the adventure, you are not obligated to that. That said, nothing screams Halloween like a cabin in the woods....

Be forewarned: This adventure is not for a hack-and-slash group. The author even says as much.

This adventure is essentially a dungeon crawl, set in a haunted mansion. However the aim is not to just have the players move from room to room, killing creatures, and disarming traps. This adventure will have a focus for story and flavor. [The Haunt – 3]

There is combat. It’s written for D&D, after all, and I’ve yet to encounter an adventure module that did not have a melee or two. But they’re infrequent. There’s a lot of “flavour,” and puzzles to be sorted.

I will say that here is a prevailing menace, a very good one, that hunts the PCs. I don't believe that's much of a spoiler. Such things are standard trope in horror films and literature these days. It does help stitch the story together. And there is a story woven into it, BTW.

In ages past, there once stood a small city in these parts. The city, being subject to constant orc attacks, maintained a sufficiently defensive militia to ward away such attacks as they occurred. This militia stood for centuries, and many commanding officers came and went throughout the years. General Oscar Montarthas, known for being fair, firm and stern towards his men, was the last to command this post. [The Haunt – 3]

There’s more to the Background, obviously; quite a bit more, but… spoilers….

Let’s just say that things did not turn out for the best for Montarthas.

Nor will it for you, if you’re not careful.

The Art:

Cover art from Pexles.com

Bloody hand, by Michael Wolmarans, from The Haunt, 2017

Sources:

The Haunt, 2017

9075 I6 Ravenloft, 1983

Orcs

To feel the thunder of orcish war drums outside the gate and to hear a chorus of voices growling, "Gruumsh!" is the nightmare of every civilized place in the world. For no matter how thick its walls, skilled its archers, or brave its knights, few settlements have ever withstood a full-scale onslaught of orcs.

Volo’s Guide to Monsters – 82

The Orc

Are orcs the default go-to racial monster of D&D? They were. (Or should I say, they are far more prevalent in the classic modules I've read than any other "low-level" monster.) I wonder if they still are? They are viewed by some as noble, warrior race, somewhat Klingon in their life view, in which combat and honour are paramount.

Or have they?

Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks. MM5e – 244

Were they always so?

Where do orcs come from, anyway? Mythology? Fiction?

Both, actually. Most of our early monsters do. Most were lifted directly from literature and myth, although some were actual beasts. Horses and wild boars are real, obviously; there’s no doubt about that. So are dinosaurs, although we likely know a lot more about them now than we did when the Monster Manual was published in that Neolithic age, 1978. Manticore, griffins, and chimera are without doubt mythological. So too cockatrice and lamiae. Banshees and mummies and vampires are the by-products of our fear of death and the unknown, and the heebie-jeebies brought on by twilight and the dead of night.

Which brings us to orcs, or goblins and fairies, more specifically. The ones populating the Monster Manuals aren’t really like those creatures of myth told in fairy tales, are they? Why? Because they’re not; they’re adapted, stat-ed; and because those creatures of folklore were rather fluid; never, ever, really concrete in folklore, either, were they? Goblins and kobolds were a panoply of beings, interchangeable with fairies, elves, brownies and gnomes. That’s all well and good in fairy tales, but we needed baddies to fight, didn’t we?

Enter our kobolds. Enter our goblins. And enter our orcs.

But what is an orc, exactly?

The Encyclopedia Britannica tells us that an Orc [is] a mythical creature (such as a sea monster, a giant, or an ogre) of horrid form or aspect.

What? A sea monster? Yes, a sea monster.

The word orc in English has two distinct sources. Orc in reference to a vaguely cetacean sea monster is borrowed from one or more Romance words, such as the French orque or the Italian orca, all ultimately descended from the Latin orca, which probably denoted a small cetacean such as the killer whale. In Ludovico Ariosto’s epic Orlando furioso, the heroine Angelica is set out as a victim for a man-eating orca, in a literary recasting of the Andromeda myth.

That, is most certainly not the origins of our orc. This one is more familiar:

A different word orc, alluding to a demon or ogre, appears in Old English glosses of about AD 800 and in the compound word orcnēas (“monsters”) in the poem Beowulf. As with the Italian orco (“ogre”) and the word ogre itself, it ultimately derives from the Latin Orcus, a god of the underworld. The Old English creatures were most likely the inspiration for the orcs that appear in J.R.R. Tolkiens' The Lord of the Rings.

Orc | mythological creature | Britannica

Orcs make their first appearance as ogres, reimagined as Grendel in Beowulf.

I suppose that makes orcs creatures of fiction and not myth, since Beowulf is an epic saga and not actual folklore, but their roots are there. I am surprised by that? Yeah. I am.

But the proof is in the original Old English text of the poem. Not in modern English translations.

Beowulf and Grendel

Wæs se grimma gæst Grendel haten,

mære mearcstapa, se þe moras heold,

fen ond fæsten; fifelcynnes eard

wonsæli wer weardode hwile,

siþðan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde

in Caines cynne. þone cwealm gewræc

ece drihten, þæs þe he Abel slog;

ne gefeah he þære fæhðe, ac he hine feor forwræc,

metod for þy mane, mancynne fram. 

þanon untydras ealle onwocon,

eotenas ond ylfe ond orcneas,

swylce gigantas, þa wið gode wunnon

lange þrage; he him ðæs lean forgeald.

Grendel this monster grim was called,

march-riever mighty, in moorland living,

in fen and fastness; fief of the giants

the hapless wight a while had kept

since the Creator his exile doomed.

On kin of Cain was the killing avenged

by sovran God for slaughtered Abel.

Ill fared his feud, and far was he driven,

for the slaughter’s sake, from sight of men.

Of Cain awoke all that woeful breed,

Etins and elves and evil-spirits

as well as the giants that warred with God

weary while: but their wage was paid them!

Beowulf (Old English version) by Anonymous | Poetry Foundation

Beowulf (modern English translation) by Anonymous | Poetry Foundation

The translation above doesn’t use the word “monsters,” it uses “evil-spirits,” but one imagines those were one and the same, in oral tradition. It’s interesting how elves and ogres age bundled together. But elves were malicious, mischievous beings once upon a time.

Tolkien changed all that, separating one from the other for all time. It is because of him and his little tales that we have a very different understanding of what elves and ogres are today. And orcs, for that matter. And it is in Tolkien where we are first, truly, introduced to the term we know and “love” today.

Orcs are twice mentioned in Tolkien’s Hobbit, but only in passing—goblins are to be found there.

"A bit low for goblins, at least for the big ones," thought Bilbo, not knowing that even the big ones, the orcs of the mountains, go along at a great speed stooping low with their hands almost on the ground.

Before you could get round Mirkwood in the North you would be right among the slopes of the Grey Mountains, and they are simply stiff with goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs of the worst description.

The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien

They are first specifically referred to in The Lord of the Rings:

That name the hobbits only knew in legends of the dark past, like a shadow in the background of their memories; but it was ominous and disquieting. It seemed that the evil power in Mirkwood had been driven out by the White Council only to reappear in greater strength in the old strongholds of Mordor. The Dark Tower had been rebuilt, it was said. From there the power was spreading far and wide, and away far east and south there were wars and growing fear. Orcs were multiplying again in the mountains. Trolls were abroad, no longer dull-witted, but cunning and armed with dreadful weapons. And there were murmured hints of creatures more terrible than all these, but they had no name.

The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien

Where did they come from?

They were created in the First Age:

Thus did Melkor breed the hideous race of the Orcs

But of those unhappy ones who were ensnared by Melkor little is known of a certainty. For who of the living has descended into the pits of Utumno, or has explored the darkness of the counsels of Melkor? Yet this is held true by the wise of Eressëa, that all those of the Quendi who came into the hands of Melkor, ere Utumno was broken, were put there in prison, and by slow arts of cruelty were corrupted and enslaved; and thus did Melkor breed the hideous race of the Orcs in envy and mockery of the Elves, of whom they were afterwards the bitterest foes. For the Orcs had life and multiplied after the manner of the Children of Ilúvatar; and naught that had life of its own, nor the semblance of life, could ever Melkor make since his rebellion in the Ainulindalë before the Beginning: so say the wise. And deep in their dark hearts the Orcs loathed the Master whom they served in fear, the maker only of their misery. This it may be was the vilest deed of Melkor, and the most hateful to Ilúvatar.

The Silmarillion – JRR Tolkien

We get our first description of an orc in Lord of the Rings:

But even as they retreated, and before Pippin and Merry had reached the stair outside, a huge orc-chieftain, almost man-high, clad in black mail from head to foot, leaped into the chamber; behind him his followers clustered in the doorway. His broad flat face was swart, his eyes were like coals, and his tongue was red; he wielded a great spear. With a thrust of his huge hide shield he turned Boromir's sword and bore him backwards, throwing him to the ground. Diving under Aragorn's blow with the speed of a striking snake he charged into the Company and thrust with his spear straight at Frodo. The blow caught him on the right side, and Frodo was hurled against the wall and pinned. Sam, with a cry, hacked at the spear-shaft, and it broke. But even as the orc flung down the truncheon and swept out his scimitar, Andúril came down upon his helm. There was a flash like flame and the helm burst asunder. The orc fell with cloven head. His followers fled howling, as Boromir and Aragorn sprang at them.

The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien

That’s good, isn’t it? Very evocative.

Are the orcs of D&D similar?

Orc 1e

Orcs appear particularly disgusting because their coloration - brown or brownish green with a bluish sheen - highlights their pinkish snouts and ears. Their bristly hair is dark brown or black, sometimes with tan patches. [MM1e – 76]

In general, they resemble primitive humans with grey-green skin covered with coarse hair. Orcs have a slightly stooped posture, a low jutting forehead, and a snout instead of a nose, though comparisons between this facial feature and those of pigs is exaggerated and unfair. Orcs have well-developed canine teeth for eating meat and short pointed ears that resemble those of a wolf. Orcish snouts have a slightly pink tinge. Their eyes are human, with a reddish tint that sometimes makes them appear to glow red when they reflect dim light sources in near darkness. [MC2e]

Tolkien’s prose is far better, but his was fiction, and not exposition. They’re ugly, in either case. And, so is their choice of dress.

Even their armor tends to be unattractive – dirty and often a bit rusty. Orcs favor unpleasant colors in general. Their garments are in tribal colors, as are shield devices or trim. Typical colors are blood red, rust red, mustard yellow, yellow green, moss green, greenish purple, and blackish brown.  [MM1e – 76]

Regardless what they look like, orcs are dangerous in Tolkien’s works. They are in D&D, too, despite being categized low HD in the first Monster Manual:

FREQUENCY: Common

NO. APPEARING: 30-300

MOVE: 9"

HIT DICE: 1 [that would be 1-8 hp, compare that to a human’s 1-6 hp]

INTELLIGENCE: Average (low)

ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil

SIZE: M (6'+ tall) [somewhat larger than a human]

MM1e

Orc 2e

Big, strong, and surly; that about sums them up. But as far as low HD monsters go, they’re definitely stronger than kobolds and goblins, not to mention humans; yet they’re still pretty low on the totem pole of monster hierarchy.

Kobolds, goblins, orcs, etc. are all powerless to affect elementals because they have neither magical property nor four or more hit dice. [MM1e]

That said, I wouldn’t want to pick a fight with one.

The best way to humiliate an orc is to defeat it in single combat. An orc’s friends will gather quickly for revenge, and in large numbers, so don’t hang around after striking the final blow. [Into the Unknown 4e – 9]

They generally travel in large groups, it would seem. That would make them tribal.

Orc 2e

Orcs are a species of aggressive mammalian carnivores that band together in tribes and survive by hunting and raiding. [Monstrous Compendium2e]

Orcs band together into loose tribal associations. The strongest individual in a tribe leads as a despotic chieftain. Individual bands within a tribe might wander far from their native lands, but they still recognize orcs from the same tribe as kin. [MM4e – 205]

Orc tribes are mostly patriarchal, flaunting such vivid or grotesque titles as Many-Arrows, Screaming Eye, and Elf Ripper. Occasionally, a powerful war chief unites scattered orc tribes into a single rampaging horde, which runs roughshod over other orc tribes and humanoid settlements from a position of overwhelming strength. [MM5e – 244]

Fit only to bear children?

Known arc tribes include the following: Vile Rune, Bloody Head, Death Moon, Broken Bone, Evil Eye, leprous Hand, Rotting Eye, Dripping Blade. If orcs from one of those tribes are encountered in an area, it is likely that all other orcs nearby will also be from this tribe. [MM 1e – 76]

What do we know about their tribal nature?

Orcs are patriarchal: women are fit only to bear children. [MC2e]

Females are prized possessions at best and chattel at worst. Males pride themselves on the number of females they own and male children they sire [….] [MM3e – 147]

Orcs have marriage customs, but orc males are not noted for their faithfulness. [MC2e]

And, oh yeah, they’re evil.

Orcs have a reputation for cruelty that is deserved, but humans are just as capable of evil as orcs. [MC2e]

Although not as monstrous as we imagine them.

Orcs are carnivores, but prefer game meats or livestock to demihumans and humanoids. [MC2e]

Cannibals can be of all races, as we well know.

Orc 3e

But, we cannot deny that they are evil as a rule, and always have been.

ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil [MM1e – 76] [MM2e - 241]

Hereafter, there is an inexplicable shift in their alignment from Lawful to Chaotic, seeing that they are still described as being tribal; but I suppose game designers wished to stress an “only the strong survive” mentality.

Monstrous races, such as kobolds or orcs, are more likely to cast out one of their own because of a petty or violent disagreement, with the outcast the loser. Into the Unknown 4e – 9

Alignment: Usually chaotic evil [MM3e – 146]

Alignment: Chaotic evil [MM4e – 203,204] [MM5e – 246]

Why are they evil?

Grummsh

Because they’re born to it. Grummsh has decreed them to be so.

Bloodthirsty marauders and cannibals, orcs venerate Gruumsh and thereby delight in slaughter and destruction. [MM4e – 205]

Orcs worship many deities […]; the chief deity is usually a giant one-eyed orc. Orcish religion is extremely hateful towards other species and urges violence and warfare. Orc shamans have been noted for their ambition, and many tribes have suffered because of political infighting between warriors and priests. [MC2e]

Gruumsh [is] the mightiest of the orc deities and their creator. The orcs believe that in ancient days, the gods gathered to divide the world among their followers. When Gruumsh claimed the mountains, he learned they had been taken by the dwarves. He laid claim to the forests, but those had been settled by the elves. Each place that Gruumsh wanted had already been claimed. The other gods laughed at Gruumsh, but he responded with a furious bellow. Grasping his mighty spear, he laid waste to the mountains, set the forests aflame, and carved great furrows in the fields. Such was the role of the orcs, he proclaimed, to take and destroy all that the other races would deny them. To this day, the orcs wage an endless war on humans, elves, dwarves, and other folk. MM5e – 244

Orcs often demonstrate their faith in Gruumsh by gouging out one of their eyes and offering it as a sacrifice to their one-eyed god. [MM4e – 205]

That seems a needlessly harsh custom, even as religions go; but they’ve a reason:

Corellon Larethian

According to myth, Corellon shot out Gruumsh’s eye with an arrow. For this reason, orcs hold a special hatred for elves and eladrin. [MM4e – 205]

They cannot help but be reminded by the mere sight of their shamans, the Eyes of Grummsh, that all other species, and especially elves, are their enemy.

Within what passes for orc society, there are orcs that fill special roles. Eyes of Gruumsh are orcs with a special connection to their fierce god. They offer sacrifices, read omens, and advise the tribe’s chieftain of Gruumsh’s will. Orc bloodragers are tribal champions feared for their strength and ferocity, and they also make excellent subchiefs or bodyguards. Orcs often fight alongside ogres, and they can be coerced or bullied into serving any dark overlord or wicked monster powerful enough to command their obedience. [MM4e – 23]

Orcs don't revere their gods as much as they fear them; every tribe has superstitions about how to avert their wrath or bring their favor. This deep-seated uncertainty and fear comes forth in the form of savagery and relentlessness, as orcs ravage and kill to appease the gods in order to avoid their terrible retribution. [Volo’s Guide to Monsters – 82]

The Gods:

Gruumsh, He who Watches

Ilneval, The War Maker, is the god who plans the attacks and devises the strategies that allow the forces of Gruumsh to dominate the battle and fill their war wagons with plunder and severed heads.

Bahgtru, The Leg Breaker, is the deity who epitomizes the physical might and ruthlessness that orcs use to overwhelm their foes.

Luthic, The Cave Mother, is the force that keeps the explosive rage of Gruumsh from bursting the orcs apart.

Yurtrus, The White Hand, [is the necromantic god of death,] consumed by rot and covered in oozing pustules, utterly repulsive except for his hands, which are pure white and free of any blemish.

Shargaas, The Night Lord, is a god of darkness and the unknown.

[Unearthed Arcana – 118-121]

[Volo’s Guide to Monsters – 82-85]

If there is one thing the orcs have learned, it is that the gods do not suffer the weak to live.

Ores believe their gods to be invincible. They see the principles that define them and their deities at work every day in the world around them—nature rewards the strong and mercilessly eliminates the weak and the infirm. [Volo5e – 82]

Nature rewards the strong.

Orcs value territory above all else; battle experience, wealth, and number of offspring are other major sources of pride. [MC2e]

Lots of offspring is very important to them. Life is short. And not just because they war on jest about ever species they come in contact with:

Orcs have an average lifespan of 40 years. [MC2e]

To that end, the males are especially aggressive, because only the strong will ever have an opportunity to mate.

[Males] were their battle scars proudly and ritually scar themselves to mark significant achievements and turning points in their lives. [MM3e – 147]

In order to replenish the casualties of their endless warring, orcs breed prodigiously (and they aren't choosy about what they breed with, which is why such creatures as half-orcs and ogrillons are found in the world). Females that are about to give birth are relieved of their other roles and taken to the lair's whelping pens, where they are tended to by Luthic's followers. [Volo5e – 85]

Luthic

Luthic, the orc goddess of fertility and wife of Gruumsh, demands that orcs procreate often and indiscriminately so that orc hordes swell generation after generation. The orcs' drive to reproduce runs stronger than any other humanoid race, and they readily crossbreed with other races. When an orc procreates with a non-orc humanoid of similar size and stature (such as a human or a dwarf), the resulting child is either an orc or a half-orc. When an orc produces young with an ogre, the child is a half-ogre of intimidating strength and brutish features called an ogrillon. MM5e - 244

Half-Orcs: As orcs will breed with anything, there are any number of unsavory mongrels with orcish blood, particularly orc-goblins, orc-hobgoblins, and orc-humans. Orcs cannot cross-breed with elves. Half-orcs tend to favor the orcish strain heavily, so such sorts are basically orcs although they can sometimes (10%) pass themselves off as true creatures of their other stock (goblins, hobgoblins, humans, etc.). [MM1e – 76]

Orogs: Elite orcs, or orogs, are a race of great orcs, possibly mixed with orcish blood. […] They are highly disciplined warriors and have their own standards and banners which they display prominently [….] Orogs can be found at the vanguard of large orc armies, but are rarely on patrol. [MC2e]

All others are lucky to survive, if they can.

The children that can't endure the rigors of a life of combat are culled from the main body of the tribe, taken into the depths of the lair, and left for the followers of Yurtrus or Shargaas to accept or reject. [Volo5e]

This includes other orc tribes, as well.

Orc tribes are fiercely competitive, and when they meet it is 75% likely that they will fight each other unless a strong leader (such as a wizard, evil priest, evil lord) with sufficient force behind him is on hand to control the orcs. Being bullies, the stronger will always intimidate and dominate the weaker. (If goblins are near, for example, and the orcs are strong enough, they will happily bully them.) [MM1e – 76]

It goes without saying for all other species are not afforded those same rights.

They believe other species are inferior to them and that bullying and slavery is part of the natural order. They will cooperate with other species but are not dependable: as slaves, they will rebel against all but the most powerful masters; as allies they are quick to take offence and break agreements.  [MC2e]

Orcs gather in tribes that exert their dominance and satisfy their bloodlust by plundering villages, devouring or driving off roaming herds, and slaying any humanoids that stand against them. After savaging a settlement, orcs pick it clean of wealth and items usable in their own lands. They set the remains of villages and camps ablaze, then retreat whence they came, their bloodlust satisfied. [MM5e – 244]

The weaponry of orcs is shown typically below:

sword & flail 5%

sword & spear 10%

axe & spear 10%

axe & pole arm 10%

axe & crossbow 10%

axe & bow 10%

sword & battleaxe 5%

spear 10%

axe 10%

polearm 20%

MM1e

Orcs 4e

They plague the civilized races of the world and also fight among themselves for scraps of food and treasure. They love close combat and plunge furiously into the thick of battle, giving no thought to retreat or surrender. [MM4e – 23]

Orcs employ sniping and ambush tactics in the wild. They do not obey the “rules of war” unless such is in their best interests; for example, they will shoot at those who attempt to parlay with them under a white flag unless the orc leader feels it is advantageous to hear what the enemy has to say. They abuse human rules of engagement and chivalry to their best advantage. [MC2e]

This should come as no surprise.

Although this might:

Orcs believe that battle is the greatest challenge, but some leaders are pragmatic enough to recognize the value of peace, which they exact as high price. If great patience and care is used, orc tribes can be effective trading partners and military allies. [MC2e]

Why do they carry on so?

Orcs believe that in order to survive they must expand their territory, and so they are constantly involved in war against many enemies: humans, elves, dwarves, goblins, and other orc tribes. [MC2e]

The territory that orc war parties cover can extend for many miles around the lair, and any encampment or settlement of elves, dwarves, or humans in that area is at risk. If orcs come upon a target that is too large to assault directly, they will lurk along supply routes, taking out their frustration on caravans and travelers. Left unchecked, a tribe can subsist on this sort of prey and booty for quite some time. [Volo5e – 85]

Orc 5e

Their lust for slaughter demands that orcs dwell always within striking distance of new targets. As such, they seldom settle permanently, instead converting ruins, cavern complexes, and defeated foes' villages into fortified camps and strongholds. Orcs build only for defense, making no innovation or improvement to their lairs beyond mounting the severed body parts of their victims on spiked stockade walls or pikes jutting up from moats arid trenches.

When an existing territory is depleted of food, an orc tribe divides into roving bands that scout for choice hunting grounds. When each party returns, it brings back trophies and news of targets ripe for attack, the richest of which is chosen. The tribe then sets out en masse to carve a bloody path to its new territory.

On rare occasions, a tribe's leader chooses to hold onto a particularly defensible lair for decades. The orcs of such a tribe must range far across the countryside to sate their appetites. [MM5e – 244]

It is for this reason that orcs will be one of the first evils faced by humans, along with goblins. Both prey on humans.

An orc lair may be a cave, a series of wooden huts, a fort, or even a large city built above or below ground. [MM3e – 147]

Orcs favor hills and mountains, places pocked by caverns easily turned into defensible lairs. [MM4e – 205]

Orc lairs are underground 75% of the time, in an above ground village 25% of the time. [MM 1e – 76]

Orcs dwell in places where sunlight is dim or non-existent, for they hate the light. In full daylight they must deduct 1 from their dice rolls to hit opponents, but they see well even in total darkness (infravision). [MM1e – 76]

Orcs don’t build settlements of their own, instead improving existing shelters with crude fortifications.

They prefer to settle in natural caves or structures abandoned by other, more skillful races. Orcs can manage simple ironwork and stonework, but they are lazy and grasping, preferring to take by force the tools, weapons, and goods other folk make. [MM4e – 205]

Orcs are accomplished tunnelers and miners. They note new or unusual constructions underground 35% of the time and spot sloping passages 25% of the time. [MM1e – 76]

If the lair is underground, there is a 50% chance that there will be from 2-5 ogres living with the orcs. If the lair is above ground it will be a rude village of wooden huts protected by a ditch, rampart, and log palisade. The village will have from 1-4 watch towers and single gate. There will be 1 catapult and 1 ballista for each 100 male orcs (round to the nearest hundred). [MM1e – 76]

Most of the orcs that stay behind when the warriors go on their raids are weaker than their tribe mates or otherwise not suited for a life of battle. Worshipers of Luthic fall into this category, as do some of those that revere Yurtrus or Shargaas. But even these orcs are trained in combat, and all of them are expected to act like warriors if the lair is attacked or threatened. Their numbers are augmented by any orogs in the tribe, which are primarily responsible for making sure that the lair is protected from intruders. [Volo5e – 85]

When orcs attack a settlement of humans or halflings, they will kill anyone who presents a threat, but they are more interested in grabbing plunder and food rather than in wanton slaughter. The elderly, children, and any who seem weak or meek enough might escape death. If they leave the population more or less intact, the orcs leave themselves the option of returning to raid the community over and over. [Volo5e – 86]

There are those halflings who’ve survived their ordeal at the hands of the orcs, who’ve escaped to tell their tale and warn their kin. It is from these that halflings have learned the dialects of those orcs that have preyed upon them.

Halflings speak their own language, their alignment tongue, and the common speech. In addition they speak the language of gnomes, goblins, and orcs. [MM1e – 50]

Allies?

That is a very good question. Do they have any allies, to speak of?

No.

But they do have use of other species, on occasion.

Some are bullied:

Kobolds, for instance.

In addition to the tongues of lawful evil and kobolds, these monsters can usually (75%) speak goblin and orcish. [MM1e – 57]

And goblins.

The languages spoken by goblins are: their own, lawful evil, kobold, orcish, and hobgoblin. [MM1e – 47]

Others are not.

All boars can be found in small groups called sounders. Domesticated dire boars can be found among all sorts of humanoids. [MM1e – 35]

Where there are boars, there’s always the possibility that one or two might by lycanthropes.

Wereboars live in small family groups in remote forest areas, building ramshackle huts or dwelling in caves. They are suspicious of strangers but sometimes ally themselves with orcs.  [MM5e – 207]

Ogres can frequently be found amongst them.

Aggressive, strong, and dull-witted, ogres are the quintessential big, dumb brutes. Many creatures (particularly orcs) take advantage of ogres and convince the monsters to work for them. [MM4e – 198]

Whenever possible, ogres gang up with other monsters to bully or prey on creatures weaker than themselves. They associate freely with goblinoids, orcs, and trolls, and practically worship giants. [MM5e – 238]

Ogrillon

When an ogre mates with a human, hobgoblin, bugbear, or orc, the result is always a half-ogre.

The half-ogre offspring of an ogre and an orc is also called an ogrillon. […] An adult half-ogre or ogrillon stands 8 feet tall and weighs 450 pounds on average. [MM5e – 238]

Ogres speak their own language as well as that of chaotic evil, orcs, trolls, and stone giants. [MM1e – 57]

Ettins, too, if less frequently, and only in mountainous regions.

Whatever the truth of the ettins' origin, orcs treat them as distant cousins, and orc tribes often entice ettins to serve as guards, scouts, and marauders. An ettin isn't particularly loyal to its orc handlers, but the orcs can win it over with the promise of food and loot. [MM5e – 132]

It is evident from their appearance that ettins are closely related to orcs. Their animal skin dress is typically moth eaten and filthy. Ettins use spiked clubs and similar weapons. [MM1e – 40]

In ancient dialects of Common, the word "ettin" translates as "ugly giant." Legends tell of orcs that once stumbled upon a temple to Demogorgon, the magic of which transformed them into giant mockeries of the twin-headed Prince of Demons. Driven to near madness, these creatures scattered into the wilderness to become the first ettins.  [MM5e – 132]

Sometimes, it is the orcs who are bullied, abused, used.

Hobgoblin 1e

They are always leery of hobgoblins.

[Hobgoblins] will bully nearby orcs or goblins given the opportunity, and hobgoblin leaders are sometimes used in bodies of goblins or orcish troops to keep them in order and drive them into bottle. [MM1e – 52]

Legions often supplement their ranks with less reliable and more expendable troops, including goblins, bugbears, orcs, evil humans, ogres, and giants. [MM5e – 185]

Most hobgoblins speak goblin, orcish, and the rudimentary tongue of carnivorous apes in addition to their racial and alignment languages. 20% of hobgoblins can speak the common tongue as well. [MM1e – 53]

Even more so of gnolls.

Gnoll 1e

The gnolls' frenzied bloodlust makes them an enemy to all, and when they lack a common foe, they fight among themselves. Even the most savage orcs avoid allying with gnolls. [MM5e – 162]

Gnolls will generally be on friendly terms with orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, ogres, and even trolls - providing the weaker types are not very much weaker in numbers and the gnolls are relatively equal in strength to the stronger monsters. [MM1e – 46]

Gnolls are strong, but they dislike work and are not good miners. They have infravision. They speak their racial tongue, chaotic evil, troll, and often (60%) orcish and/or hobgoblin. [MM1e – 46]

Trolls 1e

Even more rarely with trolls.

Born with horrific appetites, trolls eat anything they can catch and devour. They have no society to speak of, but they do serve as mercenaries to orcs, ogres, ettins, hags, and giants. As payment, trolls demand food and treasure. Trolls are difficult to control, however, doing as they please even when working with more powerful creatures. [MM5e – 291]

They also understand that to some creatures, they are little more than slaves.

Green dragons accept the servitude of sentient creatures such as goblinoids, ettercaps, ettins, kobolds, orcs, and yuan-ti. [MM5e – 95]

Enemies:

It is said that orcs have no natural enemies, but they work hard to make up for this lack. [MC2e]

Enemies very a very long time, indeed

Dwarves and orcs have been enemies very a very long time, indeed.

Dwarves fought giants and orcs in ancient times. [Into the Unknown 4e – 9]

Due to their great hatred of goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins, all dwarves gain a bonus of + 1 on their dice rolls to hit these opponents. [MM1e – 35]

Be that as it may, orcs have a certain respect for the savagery dwarves war with them. And let’s face facts, dwarves make the very best lairs, don’t they?

Orcs treat dwarves somewhat differently from other foes, because they covet the homes that dwarves fashion for themselves. If a tribe succeeds in fighting its way into a dwarfhold, the orcs will butcher any dwarf that stands against them, but it's really all about the property—they would be just as happy if all the dwarves ran away. [Volo5e – 86]

Dwarves speak their own tongue and those of gnomes, goblins, kobolds, and orcs. It is 75% likely that dwarves will also speak the common language. [MM1e – 36]

“Whole nests of the things would gorge themselves in the killing caverns of the orc wars. The beasts were so intent on shoveling the dead into their mouths that you could slip right past them, if you could stand the stink.”  —Korag, dwarf outcast

Into the Unknown 4e – 92

Eternal Enemies

But if the orcs have a racial enemy, it is the elves.

It is almost as if they have been fighting one another since the beginning of time.

The war between Corellon Larethian and Gruumsh continued throughout the ages in world after world. The battles of this war soiled each place that they touched and produced betrayals and atrocities that authored line after line in The Book of Sorrows of the elves and The Tales of Greed of the dwarves. [OJ11]

[Corellon] wept for yet another world that would be soiled by this eternal conflict. However, to give the world to the Unclean (the orcs and humanoid allies of the orcs) was anathema. His elves needed allies and the orcs needed more enemies. [OJ11]

Thus, their hated runs deep. And eternal.

Orcs are cruel and hate living things in general, but they particularly hate elves and will always attack them in preference to other creatures. [MM1e – 76]

The have a historic enmity against elves and dwarves; many tribes will kill these demihumans on sight. [MC2e]

When orcs fight elves, all of that changes. The enmity between the two races cuts to the core, and no orc will leave an elf alive. Orcs become so frenzied in combat against elves that they forget all about taking loot and valuables back to the tribe—the only trophies of any worth are the heads of their enemies. [Volo5e – 86]

Why?

Orcs hold a particular hatred for elves. The elven god Corellon Larethian half-blinded Gruumsh with a well-placed arrow to the orc god's eye. Since then, the orcs have taken particular joy in slaughtering elves. Turning his injury into a baleful gift, Gruumsh grants divine might to any champion who willingly plucks out one of its eyes in his honor. [MM5e - 244]

[Orcs] take slaves for work, food, and entertainment (torture, etc.) but not elves whom they kill immediately. [MM1e – 76]

It is no wonder that elves speak orcish, seeing that they have fought one another for so long.

Elves are able to speak the tongue of goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, and gnolls, in addition to common, alignment, elvish, halflingish, and gnomish. [MM1e – 39]

All this said, orcs are not without intellect. They are not mindless brutes, even if most of them are brutes. They have customs, they have culture, and they, some of them, have the propensity to speak they languages of those they butt up against.

Orcs speak Orcish, a language derived from older human and elvish languages. There is no common orcish, so the language has many dialects which vary from tribe to tribe. Orcs have also learned to speak the common tongues, but are not comfortable with them. Some orcs have a limited vocabulary in goblin, hobgoblin, and ogre dialects. [MC2e]

Civilized? Integrated?

I need mention that not all orcs are cut from the same cloth.

Some are civilized.

Some are integrated.

And some are valued citizens in the lands they reside.

Zeif is home to many orcs. Roughly a tenth of the population is likely orcish in some way or another. Orcs in Zeif are descendants of the first mercenaries which fought for the Baklunish Empire against the Suel Imperium, more than a millennium ago. [Living Greyhawk – Players Guide to Zeif – 6]

Most orcs in Zeif work as miners, labourers, or scavengers, and none hold political office, or any other position of power, save the military.

The only real opportunities of Orcs in Zeif lies in the Uruzary Corps, a brotherhood of military heavy infantry which act as the Sultan’s personal guard and task force. [Zeif – 7]

Half-orcs are tolerated in Ekbir, but suffer prejudice. Some half-orcs make successful careers in the military, however, Ekbiriens are well aware of the danger pure stock humanoids constitute in the regions of Udgru, Yechas or Yatils.

Humanoids are repellant to most Baklunians, as a rule; nevertheless, some of these have been convert to Exalted Faith. [Ekbir Gazetteer]

Reviled

But as a rule, orcs in Greyhawk are reviled.

Evil orcs, or euroz, are all too common across the Flanaess. Undisciplined, bestial, and savage, orcs have severe tribal rivalries and do not cooperate unless controlled by a very strong leader. Major tribes include the Vile Rune, the Bloody Head, the Death Moon, the Broken Bone, the Evil Eye, the Leprous Hand, the Rotting Eye, and the Dripping Blade. Orcs are frequently encountered as mercenaries in the Empire of Iuz, Pomarj, Bone March, and across North Kingdom. Orc-ogre crossbreeds are particularly dangerous and are known in several areas.

Half-orcs (the children of orcs and humans) are usually born under unhappy circumstances in border areas between orc and human cultures. Dark of mood and nature, many half-orcs achieve renown despite their rejection by their parents' folk and many others. In this regard, they are similar to the much rarer half-ogres. [LGG – 11]

You decide. Are orcs slaves to Grummsh and His nature.

Or are they driven to it through their brutal, violent culture?

However, one might be wary in one’s presence; for orcs, and especially half-orcs, may be far more clever than you imagine:

Not all orc weaklings are taken by those who serve Yurtuus and Shargaas. Some are sent forth into the cities dominated by humans, on dark missions. Beware them.

—Elminster

Volo’s Guide to Monsters – 84

One must always give credit where credit is due. This piece is made possible primarily by the Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard Lakofka among them, and the new old guards, Carl Sargant, James Ward, Roger E. Moore. And Erik Mona, Gary Holian, Sean Reynolds, Frederick Weining. The list is interminable.

The Art:

Orc-Head by maxgrecke

Beowulf-vs-Grendel by thefool432

Orc by mr--jack

Orcs, from Monster Manual 1e, 1977,1978

Orc, by Jim Holloway, from Monstrous Compendium 2e, 1989

Orc, by Les Dorscheid, from Monstrous Manual 2e, 1995

HEX-Orc-female-Rogue by rafater

Orc, from Monster Manual 3e, 2000

Gruumsh by jeffdee, from Deities and Demigods, 1980

Corellon Larethian, by D.A. Trampier, from Deities and Demigods, 1980

Luthic, by Kerim Beyit, from The Plane Above, 2010

Orcs, by Ralph Horsley, from Monster Manual 4e, 2008

Orc Chief detail, from Monster Manual 5e, 2014

Orc in shaft, from Into the Unknown 4e, 2012

Boars, by Jim Nelson, from Monster Manual 4e, 2008

Ogrillon, by Albie Fiore, from Fiend Folio, 1981

Hobgoblin, from Monster Manual 1e, 1977,1978

Gnoll, by David C. Sutherland III, from Monster Manual 1e, 1977,1978

Trolls, by David C. Sutherland III, from Monster Manual 1e, 1977,1978

Orc-VS-Dwarf by yopparattanosaru

Elf-Vs-Orcs-Copy by garrotefrancell

Orc, smoking, with cat by Brenoch Adams

Orc by pierrick

Sources:

1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

2009 Monster Manual, 1e, 1978, 1979

2013 Deities and Demigods 1e, 1980

2102 Monstrous Compendium, Volume 1, 2e, 1989

2128 DMGR4 Monster Mythology, 1992

2135 PHBR10 The Complete Book of Humanoids, 1993

2140 Monstrous Manual, 1993

11552 Monster Manual, 3e, 2000

11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000

Deities and Demigods 3e, 2002

Monster Manual, 4e, 2008

Into the Unknown, 4e, 2012

Monster Manual, 5e, 2014

Volo’s Guide to Monsters, 2016

Dragon Magazine 342

Goblins

 

“The yells and yammering, croaking, gibbering and jabbering, howls and growls and curses, shrieking and shrinking that followed were beyond description. Several hundred wildcats and wolves being roasted slowly alive together would not have compared with it.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again 

How ter fight Goblins? Hah, hah! You take yer blade to the little blighters, that’s wot! Wot else?

—Hronk, the Half-orc [Dragon#275]

 

Goblin

Are you bored with goblins?

I can imagine why: They are a psychopathic nuisance bent on self-destructive frontal assaults, as though storming the trenches of the Somme. They obviously have a blatant disregard for the lives of their comrades, their children, and their selves. I can see why they are boring.

But they are not, are they? They are cunning little beasties, all too aware of their relative frailty, when compared with their brethren, the hobgoblins and bugbears. They would be cautious. They would lure you into traps, kill zones and crossfires.

You too should be cautious, should you meet them.

What are they, exactly? Fey? Trolls? Or something a little more Tolkienesque? 

What is a Goblin?

A Goblin (alt. spellings: gobbelin, gobblin, goblyn, gobling, gobelin) is a mischievous, and usually very unpleasant, vengeful, and greedy creature whose primary purpose is to cause trouble to humankind; this is the most common type according to European folklore. There is a smaller population of Goblins, however, that possess a kinder, or more neutral temperament. Regardless of the type, though, all Goblins are rumored to hold various kinds of special abilities, often magical in nature. Some Goblins possess more fairy-like powers, similar to those of a witch or warlock; other types of Goblin have more demonic abilities, only using their magic to do harm.

Many people associate the Goblin with trolls, as they have an undesirable appearance and aren’t the most benevolent creatures. However, unlike trolls who are said to reside under bridges and in forests, the Goblin typically makes a home for itself in the mountains, just waiting for an opportunity (usually deep into the night) to snatch highly valued items such as gold and jewelry.

What Does a Goblin Look Like?

The Stereotypical Goblin

The appearance of a Goblin varies quite dramatically depending on its country of origin, although most types of Goblin are known for having quite unruly hair and green-colored skin. What many people don’t know is that there are actually 10 different types of Goblin; these types are often referred to as “sub-races” and each sub-race will typically have a distinct appearance and set of abilities. When most people think of a Goblin, what they’re imagining is usually the type known as a Trow or a Kobold. Trows have the ability to morph into human-like form; however, they are usually small in stature with an “ugly” appearance. Kobolds are more the stereotypical Goblin, with an appearance similar to the house-elf known as “Dobby” in the Harry Potter series.

Some of the more malevolent types tend to be known as hobgoblins. Hobgoblins are known for their dark, shaggy hair and are most closely related to the mythical creatures known as brownies; they don’t mean to cause harm and are widely known for their practical jokes. Hobgoblins also tend to have better relationships with humans. The “Knocker” is quite similar to the hobgoblin in both temperament and appearance; it makes its home in a mine and often befriends human mine workers so long as they stay on its good side. The Phooka is also similar to the hobgoblin in attitude, yet takes the form of a dark black horse. Another black, yet very small, sub-race of goblin is the Bogey; the Bogey is extremely difficult to kill due to its size.

The friendliest Goblin is known as the Hogboon; some say that it doesn’t even look (or act) like a Goblin at all! The Tengu is another sub-race which sometimes mimics the appearance of a dog-like Chinese demon, but more often takes the form of a bird. Tengus are respected by Buddhists as guardian spirits despite their demonic nature. The Kallikantzaro derives from Greek mythology and possesses a very long and lean appearance. Lastly, we have the Kol’ksu: a type of Goblin different from most others as it resides in the sea and resembles a mermaid. Unlike a mermaid, however, Kol’ksus are very dangerous and unkind.

The Origin of Goblins

Goblins originated in the 14th century and are most prevalent in northwestern Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and the United States. The name “Goblin” is said to derive from the Old French spelling “gobelin”. However, it is also rumored to have German, Greek, and Latin roots with an overall negative connotation (“gobelinus” was the name of a devil or demon haunting the country of Normandy). Goblins were first popularized in tales from the Middle Ages.

Related Creatures

Many mythical creatures resemble the appearance and nature of a Goblin. Just some of these creatures are elves, fairies, gremlins, ogres, trolls, and gnomes. Gnomes are similar to Goblins in a variety of ways, most noticeably in their appearance: small and stout, with pointy ears, and often a long matted beard. Many people know gnomes as the little ceramic statues that sit quietly in their garden – that is, until they mysteriously disappear. Gnomes, like Goblins, are known to be fond of playing tricks, and actually are rumored to reside in dwellings underground, similar to many types of Goblins.

Fairies are similar to Goblins, primarily with respect to their magical and mythical nature; fairies have special abilities, as do Goblins. Many people know Gremlins as the naughty, mischievous little creatures from the classic 1980s film written by Chris Columbus. Gremlins have a tendency to cause harm just for fun, specifically through dismantling machinery. Goblins are similar to Gremlins in that they’re also known for destroying things due to the pure fun of it. Elves, like Goblins, are often practical jokers and possess a similar appearance, most notably on account of their pointy ears. Ogres and trolls have many similarities to one another, but also have many of the same attributes as a Goblin: all are hideous, unkind, and like to cause trouble.

Goblin - Monstrous Creature from European Folklore | Mythology.net

Mythology tells us that the terms goblin and kobold were largely interchangeable. So were a lot of other key and mythic “monsters,” for that matter. That would explain the reference to their possible kinship in the 1e Monster Manual.

It is possible that goblins are distantly related to kobolds. [MM1e]

Goblin 1e

Both are evil, although kobolds are a little brighter.

Intelligence: Average (low)

ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil

[MM1e]

Goblins do not live as long as kobolds, however. Kobolds have the potential to live about 150 years. Goblins, on the other hand…not so much.

Goblins reach the age of 50 years or so. [MM1e]

But goblins are a little tougher than kobolds; and they are far more prevalent. Sometimes they are even hiding underfoot…literally!

Goblins breed quickly and can live most anywhere, from caves to ruins to a city’s sewers. [MM4e]

They use no form of sanitation, and their lairs have a foul stench. Goblins seem to be somewhat resistant to the diseases that breed in such filth. [MM2e]

Both are creatures of the underdark, though.

[Goblins] enjoy dwelling in dismal surroundings, although they tend to inhabit coves and similar underground places in preference to any habitation above ground. They too hate full daylight and attack at a -1 when in sunlight. Goblins have normal infravision (60' range). [MM1e]

Kobolds are more particular, even if they too prefer it dark.

Kobolds are usually found in dank, dark places such as dismal overgrown forests or subterranean settings. [MM1e]

Mind you, kobolds have large broods, too. They lay large clutches of eggs: 30-300 eggs. [MM1e]

Goblins do not lay eggs, so far as we know. None have ever been found in their lairs, anyway. 

The kinship was short-lived, even if it was only mere conjecture. Since then, kobolds have become increasingly draconic, and the goblins…goblinoid.

Goblin 2e

Goblins have flat faces, broad noses, pointed ears, and small, sharp fangs. Their foreheads slope back, and their eyes are usually dull and glazed. They always walk upright, but their arms hang down almost to their knees. Their skin colors range from yellow through any shade of orange to a deep red. Usually a single tribe has members all of about the same color skin. […] [MM2e]

Their eyes are reddish to lemon yellow. They dress in dark leather gear, and their garments tend towards dull, soiled-looking colors (brown drab, dirty gray, stained maroon). [MM1e]

Its eyes have the same color variance; its hair is always dark. Big, pointed ears stick out from the sides of the head, and prominent sharp teeth sometimes jut from the mouth. Males have coarse body hair and might grow facial hair. [MM4e]

So, what exactly is a goblin?

Goblinoids. Goblins belong to a family of creatures called goblinoids. Their larger cousins, hobgoblins and bugbears, like to bully goblins into submission. Goblins are lazy and undisciplined, making them poor servants, laborers, and guards. [MM5e]

IN COMMON PARLANCE, “GOBLIN” refers to a specific sort of small, ill-tempered humanoid, but the word also refers to related beings of various sizes, such as bugbears and hobgoblins. [MM4e]

Hobgoblins are more civilized, if we can say such a thing. They are martial, that’s for certain. Bugbears are more feral. Goblins, as we know them, occupy the space between.

GOBLINS ARE WICKED, TREACHEROUS CREATURES that love plunder and cruelty. They’re not very big or strong, but they’re dangerous when they gang up. [MM4e]

Goblin 3e

Goblins are small, black-hearted, selfish humanoids that lair in caves, abandoned mines, despoiled dungeons, and other dismal settings. Individually weak, goblins gather in large—sometimes overwhelming—numbers. They crave power and regularly abuse whatever authority they obtain.

Goblins are small humanoids that may consider little more than a nuisance. However, if they are unchecked, their great numbers, rapid reproduction, and evil dispositions enable them to overrun and despoil civilized areas. [MM3e]

These small, evil humanoids would be merely pests, if not for their great numbers. [MM2e] 

Except for that first mention in the AD&D Monster Manual, any possible kinship between kobolds and goblins has ever been raised again. But they are similar, in many regards. They are both small, both weak by comparison to other monsters; and undeniably evil. And both are tribal.

Goblins have a tribal society, the strongest ruling the rest, allowing fealty to the goblin king. [MM1e]

Goblins form tribes, each ruled by a chieftain. The chieftain is usually the strongest member of the tribe, though some chieftains rely on guile more than martial strength. [MM4e]

A goblin boss might command a single lair, while a goblin king or queen (who is nothing more than a glorified goblin boss) rules hundreds of goblins, spread out among multiple lairs to ensure the tribe's survival. Goblin bosses are easily ousted, and many goblin tribes are taken over by hobgoblin warlords or bugbear chiefs. [MM5e]

They are quick to rally when they have a tough leader to bully them into order, but they don’t follow blindly. When serious danger arises, goblins prefer to slink away through one of the warren’s numerous exits and plan a counterattack. [Into the Unknown 4e]

A goblin tribe has an exact pecking order; each member knows who is above him and who is below him. They fight amongst themselves constantly to move up this social ladder. [MM2e]

Top to bottom, the rungs of the ladder are as such:

Goblin 4e

Lashers. The closest thing a goblin tribe has to nobility is the caste of lashers-families of goblins trained in the ways of battle, and also possessed of key skills such as strategy, trap-building, beast taming, mining, smelting, forging, and religion. [Volo5e]

Lashers can be Blackblades, and Hexers. [MM4e] (Pure supposition.)

Hunters. The families of goblins that are skilled in the use of weapons but not privy to any other special knowledge have the second highest status in the tribe. Hunters are often the best wolf riders and know the most about the territory farthest from the tribe's lair. [Volo5e]

Hunters can be Cutters, Warriors, Sharpshooters, and Skullcleavers. [MM4e] (Pure supposition.)

Gatherers. Families in the second lowest caste are responsible for getting food from the surrounding area, taking what's naturally available or stealing whatever they can. [Volo5e]

Pariahs. Some goblin families are the lowest of the low, composed of the most dimwitted, least educated, and weakest goblins. They get the worst jobs: mucking out animal pens, cleaning up after other goblins, and doing any hard labor such as digging mines. If the goblin tribe has slaves to do some of this work, the pariah families enjoy the opportunity to supervise and dominate such creatures, which have no status at all. [Volo5e] 

Goblin 5e

One would think that goblins and kobolds would be on friendly terms, but they are not. They hate one another, and war endlessly, each eager to not be the lowest of the low. Of course, the kobolds already know that they are not; the blood of dragons course through their veins, after all. Goblins know better; they know the kobolds are just toadies, and would have been driven to extinction long ago, if it were not for their overseers.

Perhaps kobolds are so cruel because they are easy prey for larger humanoids and hungry monsters. They have many enemies, and even the dwarves have had to admit that the numerous kobold-goblin wars have kept the number of goblins down to a safe level. [MM2e]

[Kobolds] can usually (75%) speak goblin and orcish. [MM1e] 

Does anyone like goblins? No. But other evil races find them useful, on occasion.

If you want soldiers or thugs, hire hobgoblins. If you want someone clubbed to death in their sleep, hire bugbears. If you want mean little fools, hire goblins.

—Stalmin Klim, Slave Lord [MM5e] 

Hobgoblins feel superior to goblins or orcs and may act as leaders for them. In such cases, the “lesser races” are used as battle fodder. [MM2e]

[Hobgoblins] will bully nearby orcs or goblins given the opportunity, and hobgoblin leaders are sometimes used in bodies of goblins or orcish troops to keep them in order and drive them into battle. [MM1e]

Being bullied by bigger, stronger creatures has taught goblins to exploit what few advantages they have:  sheer numbers and malicious ingenuity. The concept of a fair fight is meaningless in their society. They favor ambushes, overwhelming odds, dirty tricks, and any other advantage they can devise.

Goblins have a poor grasp of strategy, and are cowardly by nature, tending to flee the field if a battle turns against them. With proper supervision, though, they can implement reasonably complex plans, and in such circumstances their numbers can be a deadly advantage. [MM3e]

Cunning in battle and cruel in victory, goblins are fawning and servile in defeat, just as in their own society lower castes must scrape before those of greater status and as goblin tribes bow before other goblinoids. [Volo5e]

This subjection is why goblins speak what languages they do.

The languages spoken by goblins are: their own, lawful evil, kobold, orcish, and hobgoblin. [MM1e]

I would guess that hobgoblin and goblin would be virtually identical.

Goblin speech is harsh, and pitched higher than that of humans. In addition to their own language, some goblins can speak in the kobold, orc, and hobgoblin tongues. [MM2e]

And that subjection is why other humanoids speak goblin.

Most hobgoblins speak goblin, orcish, and the rudimentary tongue of carnivorous apes in addition to their racial and alignment languages. [MM1e]

The majority of orcs speak goblin, hobgoblin, and ogre in addition to the languages of orcs and lawful evil. [MM1e]

If goblins are near, for example, and the orcs are strong enough, they will happily bully them. [MM1e]

It is with these two that goblins are most commonly found under the heel of.

Of course, where there are goblins, there will likely be bugbears, too.

Bugbear 4e

Bugbears are giant, hairy cousins of goblins who frequent the same areas as their smaller relatives. [MM2e]

Bugbears live in loose bands, and are typically found in the same areas as are goblins. [MM1e]

There is a 20% chance that 2-12 bugbears will be in a goblin lair. [MM1e]

This is not to say that this arrangement is always in the goblins’ favour.

They are sometimes found commanding goblins and hobgoblins, whom they bully mercilessly. [MM3e]

The species survives primarily by hunting. They have no compunction about eating anything they can kill, including humans, goblins, and any monsters smaller than themselves. They are also fond of wine and strong ale, often drinking to excess. [MM2e]

Goblins are always on their toes when bugbears are present, for the weak or stupid quickly end up in the stewpot. [MM2e]

One would think that with such treatment, they’d keep their distance from all other humanoids. But it’s a dangerous world, so they make do, and make deals on occasion.

The ogre has grown wealthy by serving as a mercenary — generally on the side of the goblins (and their occasional allies, the hobgoblins), although he has been bought off by the orcs and gnolls from time to time. He will rush to aid the goblins when they toss him the sack of coins [….] [B2]

Ettins collect treasure only because it can buy them the services of goblins or orcs. [MM2e]

Ettins do not have a true language of their own. Instead, they speak a mish-mash of orc, goblin, giant dialects, and the alignment tongue of chaotic evil creatures. [MM2e] 

[Gnolls] dislike goblins, kobolds, giants, humans, demihumans and any type of manual labor. [MM2e] 

In fact, most races hate them. And because all races hate them, they hate all other races, in kind. And treat them hellishly when given the opportunity; to pay them back for millennia of grievances.

An Uneasy Place in a Dangerous World...

Goblins occupy an uneasy place in a dangerous world, and they react by lashing out at any creatures they believe they can bully. [Volo5e]

Goblins know they are a weak, unsophisticated race that can be easily dominated by bigger, smarter, more organized, more ferocious, or more magical creatures. Their god was conquered by Maglubiyet, after all, and now when the Mighty One calls for it, even their souls are forfeit. It is this realization that drives them to dominate other creatures whenever they can—for goblins, life is short. [Volo5e]

All goblins are slave takers and fond of torture. [MM1e]

They often take slaves for both food and labor. The tribe will have slaves of several races numbering 10-40% of the size of the tribe. Slaves are always kept shackled, and are staked to a common chain when sleeping.

Enslaved creatures receive the worst treatment the goblins can dish out while still getting decent performance out of the slaves. But humanoids and monsters that are especially capable or that provide unusual services find themselves treated like favored (though occasionally abused) pets. [Volo5e]

It’s no wonder most races hate goblins.

And why goblins are rarely, if ever, welcome in any community.

Most goblins live in the wild places of the world, often underground, but they stay close enough to other humanoid settlements to prey on trade caravans and unwary travelers. [MM4e]

Humans would consider the caves and underground dwellings of goblins to be dank and dismal. Those few tribes that live above ground are found in ruins, and are only active at night or on very dark, cloudy days. [MM2e]

Such places might have presented a certain security, and opportunity, so they crept there; it is more likely that they evolved there, and that they only ventured out on the surface at all because competition was fiercer below the surface, and the prey weaker above it.

Goblins are found in any climate, at any altitude, in any environment, and at any distance from the settlements of other races. Their ability to adapt and thrive is second only to that of humans, and goblin wanderlust—combined with their speedy life cycle—encourages rapid expansion into new realms. They are tenacious, finding a way to sneak into any place they can exploit, from dungeon caves to sewers beneath the streets of a human city. [MM4e]

They survive by raiding and robbery, taking every usable item they can carry from their victims. [MM4e]

Most of their goods are stolen, although they do manufacture their own garments and leather goods. [MM2e]

Cozy Quarters

Regardless of where goblins dwell, they prefer cozy underground quarters. Only the smartest are any good at creating new homes, so most goblin tribes are more like squatters, taking advantage of an empty lair or even bullying out an original resident. The goblins quickly turn their usurped warren into a cluttered, stinking, crowded mess, filled to the brim with stolen trinkets from the surrounding countryside. [Into the Unknown 4e]

The concept of privacy is largely foreign to goblins. [MM2e]

They live a communal life, sharing large common areas for eating and sleeping. Only leaders have separate living spaces. All their possessions are carried with them. Property of the tribe is kept with the chief and sub-chiefs. [MM2e]

Some rooms might have a single purpose—such as larders, armories, or meeting places—but to an outsider a goblin warren is an undifferentiated mass of junk and chattering, filthy bodies.

Signs that a goblin settlement is nearby are obvious. Trails of litter or graffiti surround the warren, and goblins’ typically poor treatment of their environment makes their territory easy to identify. However, finding the entrance to the warren is another matter. Goblins post guards at all times, and they use small entrances that bigger creatures have trouble squeezing through. [Into the Unknown 4e] 

The Goblin Lair

Why goblins choose to live in filth, is a wonder. So too why they are so wasteful.

They do not need to eat much, but will kill just for the pleasure of it. They eat any creature from rats and snakes to humans. In lean times they will eat carrion. Goblins usually spoil their habitat, driving game from it and depleting the area of all resources. [MM2e]

Once a tribe has despoiled a locale, it simply packs up and moves on to the next convenient area. [MM3e]

I expect this is because goblins had been pushed out of the best of any possible habitats. Food was scarce, even hand to mouth. Resources would have been scarcer still. Especially if they were forced to move often as stronger species preyed upon them. And as such they created nothing themselves, stealing what came available. They would never have learned to fabricate what they needed, beyond the simplest of basic needs and stone tools. It would have come as quite a boon when they discovered that humans had what they needed, aplenty, even if they had no clue how to care for these things, or maintain them. Thus, their weapons would never be the best, or in the best repair.

Goblins are as prolific as humankind, but as a people, they’re less creative and more prone to warlike behavior. [MM4e]

 

Goblins are typically armed with:

short sword and military pick      10%

short sword and sling                   10%

short sword and spear                 10%

sling                                             10%

morning star                                20%

military pick                                10%

spear                                            30%

[MM1e]

Used, abused, bullied, hated; it comes as no surprise that they keep the entrance to their lairs hidden, and access difficult to those species that would enslave, or worse, exterminate, them.

Goblins post guards at all times, and they use small entrances that bigger creatures have trouble squeezing through. [Into the Unknown 4e]

But, where kobolds excel at excavating, goblins are less adept (less so than hobgoblins, for some reason), although they are just as capable as kobolds when it comes to protecting their lairs.

Goblins are fair miners, and they are able to note new or unusual construction 25% of the time. [MM1e]

They are decent miners, able to note new or unusual construction in an underground area 25% of the time, and any habitat will soon be expanded by a maze-like network of tunnels. [MM2e] 

The bigger folk do get in, though, despite these precautions. It’s for this very reason that they set traps.

Humanoids have been building traps since the earliest times, developing techniques to take down big game for food and clothing. According to loremasters, goblin tribes were the first to perfect this kind of hunting. They were able to obtain and store more food than their competition, allowing them to survive harsh winters and increase their numbers. Many years later, other races came to appreciate the ingenuity of their counterparts—mainly through direct interaction with goblin traps. [Into the Unknown (4e) – 18]

The Ambush

It goes without saying that they use their size to their advantage.

Where goblins do excel, and what enables them to hold their own in a hostile world, is teamwork. Individually weak, the goblin war band can be effective and deadly when its members work together. They also are very good at using their home terrain to their advantage, where darkness and cramped quarters prevent larger and stronger foes from using their size and weaponry to best advantage. Goblins often employ traps to even the odds. [Reverse Dungeon]

Goblins festoon their lairs with alarms designed to signal the arrival of intruders. Those lairs are a so riddled with narrow tunnels and bolt-holes that human-sized creatures can't navigate, but which goblins can crawl through with ease, allowing them to flee or to circle around and surprise their enemies. [MM5e]

A goblin lair is stinking and soiled, though easily defensible and often riddled with simple traps designed to snare or kill intruders. [MM4e]

What sort of traps do they employ?

Pit Trap Setting sharpened stakes in the bottom increases the damage […] per stake […], but it would take a great many stakes to cover the floor of even a smallish pit and be difficult to set them upright in the stone (the best solution is to wedge the stakes in a wooden framework and lower it into the bottom of the pit). Having someone hide in the bottom of a pit to spring out and bash the momentarily stunned person who falls in is a sound plan. [Reverse Dungeon]

Snare Trap These are simple to make and would be valuable in throwing an NPC off balance and possibly out of the fight for a few [seconds]. [Reverse Dungeon]

Poison is a great equalizer, and smearing some on the tips of their stone spears will no doubt occur to some enterprising would-be elite goblin. [Reverse Dungeon]

Oil Trap Few sights warm a goblin’s heart like seeing someone who’s trying to kill him run screaming down a tunnel blazing like a candle. [Reverse Dungeon]

Light Douser Perhaps the most effective traps the goblins can devise are those that snuff out whatever light source(s) the intruders are using. […] Not only does it give them a “home team” advantage given their familiarity with the lair, but it eliminates any penalty from fighting in bright lights, imposing a penalty on their enemies instead. [Reverse Dungeon]

Fish Sauce [Goblins] accidentally produced a noxious gunk composed of rotting fish juices that stinks to high heaven even by goblin standards. This “fish sauce” smells so bad that any human or demihuman drenched in it [is sickened] rendered helpless […], choking and retching through sheer nausea. [Reverse Dungeon]

Goblins also raise wolves and worgs for the same reason they set traps.

A goblin lair will be protected by from 5-30 huge wolves not less than 60% of the time. [MM1e]

Worgs 3e

Wolf, Dire: This variety of wolf is simply a huge speciman typical of the Pleistocene Epoch. They conform to the characteristics of normal wolves. (Worg.): Evil natured, neo-dire wolves are known as worgs. These creatures have a language and are often found in co-operation with goblins in order to gain prey or to simply enjoy killing. They are as large as ponies and can be ridden. They otherwise conform to the characteristics of wolves. [MM1e]

Worgs are dire wolf offshoots that have attained some intelligence and an evil disposition. They sometimes associate with other evil beings, particularly goblins, whom they serve as mounts and guardians. [MM3e] 

Goblins have an affinity for rats and wolves, raising them to serve as companions and mounts, respectively. Like rats, goblins shun sunlight and sleep underground during the day. Like wolves, they are pack hunters, made bolder by their numbers. When they hunt from the backs of wolves, goblins use hit-and-run attacks. [MM5e] 

Goblins are also known for keeping the company of a variety of beasts with which they have a natural affinity. Bigger creatures, such as wolves or carrion crawlers, join goblin raiding parties. Rats, bats, and snakes serve as spies or distractions. Regardless of the beast’s use, it’s treated like a beloved pet, not just a tool. Goblins bond with their creatures, and if one dies, its master is distraught. A goblin might care more about the well-being of its pet than it does about that of other goblins. [Into the Unknown – 36] 

Aside from rats and bats, and wolves and worgs, goblins have few allies. None, actually. Not even their “kin.” The lowest of the goblinoids, they are wary of them, because they know that unless they meet them with overwhelming superiority of numbers, they will invariably fall under their suzerainty.

Orcs? Orcs have only enslaved them. And killed them. They’ve even bred with them, but orcs will breed with anything, won’t they?

As orcs will breed with anything, there are any number of unsavory mongrels with orcish blood, particularly orc-goblins, orc-hobgoblins, and orc-human. [MM1e]

Gnolls are little better. It is for this reason they hate them, too.

They always have a number of captives for food or slave labor (1 per 10 gnolls is minimum). [MM1e] 

But they have a special revulsion for those bearded, burrowing nuisances: Dwarves and gnomes.

Goblins hate most other humanoids, gnomes and dwarves in particular, and work to exterminate them whenever possible. [MM2e]

They hate gnomes and dwarves and will attack them in preference to any other creature.  [MM1e] 

Goblins regard humans and demi-humans as their worst enemies — dwarves and gnomes particularly so, because they tend to inhabit the same regions as goblins do — and are sometimes angered that the other humanoid races, who might better be aiding or abetting the goblins’ cause by battling humans and demi-humans, are instead so occupied with inter-tribal squabbling and power struggles. [Dragon#63] 

For as long as the two ancient races have existed, dwarves and goblins have fought. They share an affinity for underground living, but dwarves live for honor and craft, while goblins and their kin practice brutality and spread strife. Through the many wars that the two races have waged against one another, their stone citadels and underground strongholds have given the stout and honorable dwarves a tremendous advantage. Although the goblinoids easily outnumber the dwarves, their swarming hordes cannot overcome strong stone walls and carefully trapped corridors. [Races of Stone 3e] 

That vehemence is reciprocated.

Due to their great hatred of goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins, all dwarves gain a bonus of + 1 on their dice rolls to hit these opponents. [MM1e]

Due to their great hatred of koboIds and goblins, all gnomes gain a bonus of + 1 on their dice rolls to hit these opponents. [MM1e]

So long have the demihumans fought, that they can speak with one another, of a sort. One must interrogate one’s enemies, and it behooves one to speak of at least martial matters with these beasts.

Dwarves speak their own tongue and those of gnomes, goblins, kobolds, and orcs. [MM1e]

Besides their alignment and racial tongues, gnomes speak kobold, goblin, halflingish, dwarvish, and can speak with burrowing mammals as well. [MM1e]

Elves are able to speak the tongue of goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, and gnolls, in addition to common, alignment, elvish, halflingish, and gnomish. [MM1e]

Halflings speak their own language, their alignment tongue, and the common speech. In addition they speak the language of gnomes, goblins, and orcs. [MM1e]

That’s a lot of hate. You’d think it would tire a goblin out. Not so. If anything, they are persistent, tenacious little blighters, never willing to let the lest slight slide.

One must go back to the beginning to understand why. In the beginning, there was Maglubiyet.

Not so, but Maglubiyet made it so.

Goblins once had many gods, but the only one who survived Maglubiyet's ascendancy is cruel Khurgorbaeyag, known as the Overseer. [Volo5e]

That ascendancy was mentioned before, as was the demise of the kobold’s pantheon. Who it this Maglubiyet, anyway?

Maglubiyet

Maglubiyet is truly the Conquering God. [Volo5e]

In bygone times the goblinoids were distinct from one another, with separate faiths and different customs. Then Maglubiyet came and conquered all who stood before him, mortals and deities alike. Gods and heroes who wouldn't bend to his will were broken and discarded. He put his foot on the neck of mighty Khurgorbaeyag [goblin], bound the will of intractable Hruggek [bugbear], and forced sadistic Nomog-Geaya [hob-goblin] to fall in line. What the goblins, the bugbears, and the hobgoblins were before their gods bowed to Maglubiyet no longer matters. Now they are, first of all, followers of Maglubiyet. [Volo5e]

Both goblins and hobgoblins worship Maglubiyet [now], the Mighty One, Lord of the Depths and Darkness. Maglubiyet appears as a huge black goblin-type with red flames for eyes, sharp fangs and clawed hands. Maglubiyet is a war god and a great general. [Deities_1e]

It is by his bidding that they hate as they do. And it is for his pleasure that they make war against one and all.

Goblins believe that when they die in battle, their spirits join the ranks of Maglubiyet's army on the plane of Acheron. This is a "privilege" that most goblins dread, fearing the Mighty One's eternal tyranny even more than death. [MM5e]

Maglubiyet will have none of that. The goblins are his, after all; and he demands obedience. And everlasting servitude.

He stiffens the spines of cowardly goblins. He rouses bugbears from their lazy slumber. He sets the thunderous step of hobgoblin legions. Maglubiyet takes three races and turns them into one people. [Volo5e]

Needless to say, Maglubiyet is less loved than feared.

Gruumsh

Other deities hate him. And Maglubiyet hates them, too. But he holds a special hatred for Grummsh.

He commands mighty armies of goblin spirits in Hell, where they eternally war against Gruumsh's orcish spirit army. (Goblin and hobgoblin shamans claim that Maglubiyet always wins these battles, but there is no permanent death in Hell, so the destroyed orcish spirits always re-form.) [Deities_1e]

Of course, orcs tell the same tale, just differently.

The orcs say that Gruumsh commands a mighty army of spirit-orcs in Hell, and these war continuously with a similar army of spirit-goblins controlled by Maglubiyet. The orcs always defeat the goblins, but the goblin spirits always re-form to start the battle again. [Deities_1e] 

Goblins and hobgoblins both have other evil deities as well, but Maglubiyet rules them all with an iron hand. The Mighty One requires sacrifices of creatures with souls, and these ceremonies usually take place on nights of a new moon. It is possible for goblin and hobgoblin shamans to rise as high as 7th level clerics. [Deities_1e]

How do goblins fit into Greyhawk? Badly, I would say. Then again, they are rarely welcome, anywhere, are they?

Goblins, or jebli, are insidious nighttime raiders averaging 4 feet in height. More powerful creatures usually dominate them, though all goblins swear fealty to the name of the local goblin king. The names of their best-known tribes include Night Terror, Death Feast, Black Agony, Poison Wound, Bitter Ruin, and Dire Oath. Goblins are scattered across the Flanaess in hundreds of places. [LGG – 11]

One must ask the question: Why do we need kobolds and goblins? They are both small, evil, vicious, low-HD monsters. Because kobolds are high-level, low-HD monsters, and goblins are low-level, low-HD monsters. How can I say that? Both are most certainly enslaved by other low-level monsters, but kobolds seek out and congregate under the protection of dragons and yuan-ti and nagas, whereas goblins would prefer to keep to themselves. Except when they are raiding and pillaging and making war, that is.

Goblins live in fairly close proximity with humans, for the most part, so, it’s most likely that humans who will be preyed upon. This is not to say that they will not prey upon dwarves and gnomes and elves; it’s just that those three are tougher nuts to crack. As are hobgoblins and orcs and gnolls.

Venturing Out

So, why goblins?

Because goblins will most certainly be one the first of the evil races the PCs will encounter. And all too soon orcs and ogres, hobgoblins and bugbears, and ogres and trolls, too. If they are pass these tests. It’s unlikely that burgeoning adventurers are going to venture out against dragons any time soon, so it’s unlikely that they are going to stumble upon kobolds. But they well surely encounter goblins, in the hills, in caverns and in caves; and along the trail, where they’ve upturned a peddler’s cart and turned it into a fortress from which they are extorting a toll from all passersby.  They are about as strong as humans, about as smart as humans, and likely far more numerous than humans; and when they venture out into the all-too bright world, it is because they want their food, their carts, their weapons, and yes, their children—for food.

May be innocent, may be sweet... ain't half as nice as rotting meat.

—Blix

Legend, written by William Hjortsberg, 1985

 

 

One must always give credit where credit is due. This piece is made possible primarily by the imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard Lakofka among them, and the new old guards, Carl Sargant, James Ward, Roger E. Moore. And Erik Mona, Gary Holian, Sean Reynolds, Frederick Weining. The list is interminable. 

The Art:

Goblin by dankellyico

Goblin by manzanedo

Goblin, by D.A. Trampier, from Monster Manual, 1e, 1977

Goblin, from Monsterous Manual, 2e, pg. 163, 1993

Goblin, by Anthony Waters (?), from Monster Manual, 3e, pg. 108, 2000

Goblins, by Steve Prescott, from Monster Manual, 4e, 2008

Goblin, from Monster Manual, 5e, pg. 166, 2014

Bugbears, from Monster Manual, 4e, pg. 135, 2008

Goblin and Hook Horror, from Into the Unknown, pg. 35, 2012

Goblin-Cave by harrythechimp

The Goblin Lair, by Dennis Cramer, from Reverse Dungeon, 2000

Goblin, from Into the Unknown, pg. 38, 2012

Goblin-ambush by belibr

Worgs, by Richard Sardinha, from Monster Manual, 3e, 2000

Maglubiyet, by Jeff Dee, from Deities and Demigods, 1e, 1980

Gruumsh, by Jeff Dee, from Deities and Demigods, 1e, 1980

Goblin-Barrage by boc0

 

Sources:

1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

2009 Monster Manual, 1e, 1978, 1979

2013 Deities and Demigods 1e, 1980

2102 Monstrous Compendium, Volume 1, 2e, 1989

2140 Monstrous Manual, 2e, 1993

11392 Reverse Dungeon, 2000

11552 Monster Manual, 3e, 2000

11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000

Deities and Demigods 3e, 2002

Monster Manual, 4e, 2008

Into the Unknown, 4e, 2012

Monster Manual, 5e, 2014

Volo’s Guide to Monsters, 2016

Dragon Magazine 275, 342