Goblinoid
|
|
Goblinoids are a category of humanoid legendary creatures related to the goblin. The term originated in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, in which goblins and related creatures are a staple of random encounters. Goblinoids are typically barbaric foes of the various human and "demihuman" races. Even though goblinoids in modern fantasy fiction are derived from J. R. R. Tolkien's orcs, in his Middle-earth "orc" and "goblin" were just names for the same race of creatures (although "goblin" specifically refers to the smaller varieties, not hobgoblins/uruks).
Occurrences in various fantasy worlds
- In Dungeons & Dragons, the primary goblinoid races are (in order of increasing physical size and strength) goblins, hobgoblins and bugbears. All three are adept at sneaking around, although hobgoblins are more concerned with fighting. Later rules expansions and editions include many other variants. In editions prior to the third, kobolds and orcs were considered goblinoids, but the former has now become a reptilian humanoid, and the latter is significant enough to be a category of its own.
- In Warhammer Fantasy, they are known as greenskins and include snotlings (which are even smaller than goblins), gnoblars, kobolds, goblins, hobgoblins, and orcs.
- In Warhammer 40,000 they are called orkoids, and include squigs, snotlings, gretchin (equivalent of Warhammer Fantasy goblins), and orks.