goblinoid

Goblinoid is a term used in fantasy fiction and role-playing games to describe a broad grouping of humanoid creatures that share common traits and origins. In many settings, goblinoids include goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears, and are treated as a distinct family within the wider category of humanoids. The label is descriptive rather than taxonomic in real-world biology, and its exact definition varies by author and system.

Goblins are typically portrayed as small, wiry, cunning scavengers who rely on numbers, traps, and opportunism. Hobgoblins are described as larger, more intelligent and disciplined, often forming organized armies and professional militaries. Bugbears are the strongest of the trio, physically imposing and prone to brutal, straightforward tactics. Some settings also include other goblinoid forms or collapse goblinoids into a broader goblin-kin spectrum; others treat goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears as separate species with interrelated cultures.

Socially, goblinoids are often depicted as tribal or militarized societies. Goblins may live in cave networks or ruined towns, hobgoblins in strongholds and fortresses, and bugbears as raiders or enforcers. They frequently possess their own languages or dialects and may employ enslaved or subordinate populations. Alignment is commonly shown as evil or chaotic, though reinterpretations may emphasize survival, autonomy, or grudging cooperation with other races.

In popular media, goblinoids are a staple of fantasy RPGs and fiction. In Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder, goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears appear as distinct monsters with standardized stat blocks and abilities; their lore influences world-building and antagonists. Outside games, goblin-kin appear in novels, video games, and films with a range of depictions from menacing foes to comic rivals.