So it has come to me today, in the midst of designing some champions of Markazor...why is it that goblins, described as a somewhat civilized race in Birthright, aren't a PC race? Or at the very least, a better-developed NPC race? Just saying they're the equivalent of the 3 goblin races in the Monster Manual is rather...weak.

I know there's been talk before about goblin attributes and racial features, but why not add a decent history, racial description (if goblins are one blended race, some explanation is needed, as the 3 goblin races are fairly seperate and distinct in the default Greyhawk setting). In Cerilia, goblins seem to take the "orc niche" of Greyhawk as the primary evil humanoid race. While there are stats for the 3.5 goblins as characters, I think it would be smart to emphasize this and reprint it with the racial description under Goblins in Ch 9.

Another possibility would be to add a few goblin prestige classes: one for priests of Kartathok, a goblin champion/warchief, and a wolfrider PrC (raider).

I once used the Cavalier PrC for the champion of the Spiderfell. A small, but tough, goblin ranger/fighter who became the best of the best of the wolfriders there. Man, oh man, was a nasty bugger with his spear (light lance) against those hated humans.

Also, I think Kartathok and his followers should get more attention, though this task could be shared with the Atlas.

Goblins as a civilized race is a cool twist on the orcish "humanoids are foul, evil, and always want to kill you if they can." Rather, goblins are, in the eyes of humans, probably ugly, brutish, crude, smelly, and generally unpleasant to be around. So I expect those who do hang out in human lands would suffer from fairly severe prejudice towards them.

What do folks at BR.net think of all of this? Should goblins get some extra attention as a race comparable to the PC races?

Osprey