Goblin Tribes

The Goblin race is divided into multiple tribes scattered around Antheros. While multiple tribes may occupy the same area they generally live separately. At best there tends to be antipathy towards other tribes and at worst there is outright, kill on sight, hatred.  

An Incomplete Listing of Goblin Tribes

Name	Description	Region
The Bog Creepers	These sneaky goblins tend to live deep in the swamp in great mud huts, where it is difficult for others to reach them. They cover themselves in dark mud, lie in wait near roads that go through the swamp, and ambush unsuspecting victims.	Swamps around Bredakis
The Axe-biter Clan	These mischievous goblins terrorize roadways that travel through great forests. They use their crude homemade axes to chop down trees and lay the logs across the road ways. If a caravan stops to clear the log, the goblins move in to strike.	Forests around Kinselbrock
The Moonwatchers	A tribe of goblins who are rumored to possess the power to see into the future and to communicate with the spirits of the night. They are highly respected within goblin society and are often sought out for their wisdom and guidance.	Can be found anywhere in Antheros
The Shadowscale	A tribe of goblins with dark, scaly skin that allows them to blend in with the shadows. They are skilled at stealth and infiltration and are feared for their ability to strike from the shadows without warning.
The Krakens	A seaside dwelling tribe of goblins that have also been known to sail Shoolokith Bay looking for settlements to raid.	Seaside from Clermont to Karan Te

Unused So Far

Name	Description	Region
The Spiderbite Tribe	The Spiderbite Tribe ‘befriends’ giant spi ders that build their nests in caves. The understanding is that the giant spider will protect the goblins from outside attack, if the goblins continue to bring the spider fresh meals.
The One-Eye Tribe	Led by Shar-took the Seer, who was born with one eye, this goblin tribe requires that all of its new members cut out their own eye. Shar-took believes that having only one eye gives you insight into the future. He is frequently wrong, but he IS the strongest of the tribe, so there isn’t much they can do about it.
The Red Skull Tribe	These goblins have a unique trait. From the moment they are born, they are covered with red mud that slowly dyes their skin as they grow older, giving them a deep red skin tone. They dwell within abandoned dwarven mines where they have quick access to the red mud needed.
The Orc Killers	they are a tribe that got fed up with being forced to do the Orcs bidding. They realized that there were way more Goblins than Orcs. So they Rebelled, killing their Orc overlords. Now they travel the realm, freeing their brethren from the Orc yoke. They are feared by Orcs everywhere. They believe the only good Orc is a Dead Orc! and they taste good once roasted.
The Bird Cruncher Tribe	Forest dwelling goblins known for the disturbing habit of biting the heads off of birds and wearing the corpses as decoration. A favored tactic is ambush from above onto unsuspecting travelers below.
The Muckwalkers	Highly shamanistic/druidic goblin tribe, gifted in poisons and the spreading of rot and filth. The tribe chooses one of its warriors each year to be the ‘pot’: a living cauldron of disease that willingly accepts the darker, repulsive gifts of nature. The ripened pot is then unleashed on their enemies.
Angry Biter Clan	Mutated, cannibalistic goblins with comically oversized heads and razor sharp teeth. They live painful, short lives (even for goblins), which leads them to be even more radical in their raids and attacks on civilized lands. They are known for fighting without weapons, preferring to bite and locking jaws onto prey en masse, using their collective weight to bear down on larger opponents. The end result is bloody and unpleasant.
The Putrid Biters	These goblins have gone entirely feral due to long years living in a swamp and consuming fruit that has rotted on the vine. These goblins have developed a disease ridden bite and a mighty need for meat. The goblins live in warrens dug into the mud and swarm in a truly terrifying display, literally shoving each other into the mud to plunge their sharpened teeth into anything that dares stray into their swamp.
Silkwater Goblins	first beings to discover how to harvest silk from silkworms, using it as string and rope rather than cloth. Other races learned it from them, and the goblins have been forgotten for the most part, but they remain proud of their history.
The Seller Tribe	A different sort of tribe that isn’t as openly violent to outsiders. Instead they decide to sell themselves as a sort of mercenary clan. From ridding a yard of rats to being used as cheap muscle. You name a good price, from three whole chickens to a smattering of coins, and they’re yours to command.
The Red Weepers	All members of the tribe are Goblins who are infected with a mysterious illness that makes them cry blood, but also gives them regenerative powers. Since the disease is very contagious and can spread also to other races (with lesser effects) they are hunted down by plague doctors and adventurers. To counter this, the Red Weepers often sneak into or attack other Goblin tribes to spread the disease and have more members.
The Bodybuilders	This Goblin tribe lives deep underground, in what was once the lair of a powerful dragon, now dead. They are using the powerful latent magic combined with the dragon bones and some magical items that it had hoarded to build themselves an army of homunculi (which they call ‘bodies’). Their leader Frikkstain was the first to discover the lair when he fell in an abandoned Kobold mine, and used a powerful magic club (actually a magic staff) to become leader of the Tribe: If they succeed in building enough ‘bodies’, they could become quite a problem for surface dwellers.
The Forest Sirens	For some reason or another, these goblins have beautiful singing voices. Their haunting choir can be heard even from the fringes of the forest, attracting curious adventurers into the dangerous traps and creatures that also make it their home. The tribe makes their living by scavenging on these curious poor souls.
Wild Magic Goblins	These Goblins have been making their home on a leyline for decades now, infusing them with wild magic. When killed or knocked out, has a decent chance of casting a random spell on a wild magic table. Higher ranking tribe members can cast wild magic once per day as a spell like ability.
The Ankle Shankers	Take advantage of their small size and hide in low places to ambush people and bring them down first before giving in to their demands or killing them.
The Wandsnappers	Former minions of an evil mage, have a grudge against all magic users.
The Hogback tribe	these goblins are known for “taming” wild hogs as battle mounts, high ranking members often ride dire boars, and the most elite members of the tribe sometimes become wereboars.
The Blood tribe	Uses blood magic and dark rituals to summon creatures to fight for them, and to cast curses on their foes.
Kendall’s Savages	this band of brutes wander the edges of woodlands burning out settlements that encroach on wild spaces. Their calling card is to plant trees in the burned out husks of the buildings they destroy. A favorite tactic of theirs is to set a tree ablaze and then fell it onto buildings. Their leader, Kendall the Beast, is a large female Hob-goblin who runs a tight efficient nomadic tribe through force of personality, cunning, and enormous physical strength.
Fisheye Clan	Live in near darkness deep underground. Their eyes have grown large and milky white and have migrated to opposite sides of their head.
Wormeater Tribe	Subsist on a diet of glowing cave worms. This culinary choice dyes their skin a pale yellow and gives them the worst case of halitosis imaginable.
Skin Crow Tribe	Caravans passing through the dry, meandering canyons to the East are warned to watch overhead for these goblin raiders that use tanned hides as paragliders to sail silently down from the cliffs to rob and murder merchants.
Mad Sappers Tribe	During raids the Mad Sappers cover themselves from head to toe with the magically-sticky pitch from the ancient trees of their arboreal home. The sap serves as effective camouflage while they approach from the darkness, but when the attack begins, the screaming goblins leading the charge throw themselves on guards and defenders, sticking their arms and legs together, effectively making them unable to fight. The back ranks then light their pitch-covered arrows and unleash a volley of fire to cause further mayhem. If a few of the front liners catch on fire their screams only add to the fun, and while survivors are rare, some have reported hearing the archers cackling madly at the sight of their flaming comrades.
Three Eye Clan	Ritual Trepanation for All! The third eye now open, the tribe believes their arcane essence is now strengthened, should they survive the madness and fevers.
Glitterweb Clan	Goblins that breed small phase spiders for food and protection. They harvest the webbing and boil it too for food. Surplus goblins and captured slaves are sacrificed.
The Ka-Boom-Boom Tribe	Years ago the alchemist of an otherwise unremarkable goblin tribe discovered how to infuse an exploding potion into common clay, making the explosive more stable without sacrificing power. With this newfound power the Ka-Boom-Boom Tribe conquered all the other goblin tribes in the area and now is in a state of war with the locals orc warbands. They guard the recipe for their explosive clay zealously, fighting to the death. They’re even willing to strap themselves with several ‘ka-boom-boom’ sticks and blow themselves up if it means ensuring the secret stays secret.
The Crooked Moon Clan	Uses a grinning crescent moon as their emblem. The entire clan consists entirely of goblin were-bats, and all new recruits must allow themselves to be infected in order to join the clan.
The Crimson Leaf Clan	Uses a blood-stained oak leaf as their emblem. Based out of a large forest in the borderlands. Has a large number of druids and rangers in their ranks. Is engaged in a long running feud with the local wood elf clan for control of the forest.
The Burning Sun Clan	The largest and most well-known goblin clan in the area. Uses a burning sun as their emblem. Fairly advanced as far as goblin clans go, having developed sophisticated techniques for metallurgy, construction, agriculture, and alchemy. Feared for their discipline and use of fire in battle. Have increasingly begun to shift away from their traditional raiding practices and have instead begun selling out their services as mercenaries.
The Pale Skull Tribe	They give their dead to wolfs, that only left the bones. Then, they use the bones of their ancestors as tools, weapons, and jewelry. In that way, they feel that the spirits of their deceased relatives stay with them.
The Ironbeard Tribe	They captured a dwarf that was exiled from his dwarven kingdom. Quickly, the dwarf went from being a prisoner to being the leader of the clan. He taught them dwarven traditions like having a long, well-groomed beard, how to dig stable tunnels or how to distill beer.
The Rotten Trunk Tribe	They live in large dead trees and have gotten proficient at using wood working as a trade for crafting furniture, weapons, and structures made of dead or rotten wood. Their staple meal is one composed of dead leaves, mushrooms, and wood burrowing bug soup. They use dead leaves as camouflage, are good at climbing trees, and surprise intruders with volleys of wood arrows laced with a sticky toxic sap.
Frozen Grove Tribe	An ice hag has become their revered leader and empowers them with magical ice weapons and ice magic with their most talented and faithful. They have become extremely resilient to cold and wear thick fur coats from the various animals they have hunted in the tundra. They live in small ice igloos and grow winter wheat in the warmer season of the year. A winter storm surrounds the village and protects them from any unwelcome guests.
The Dragon Tooth Clan	They vehemently worship and serve a dragon nearby that passively protects them simply by its presence. However they must present pleasing gifts to the dragon of treasure or of meat, which there have been several times where they had to sacrifice some of their own. They use some of the dragon’s fallen teeth as a main component to their weapons and wander the surrounding area to pillage for valuables or animal meat to avoid sacrificing themselves.
The Feralhorde	A tribe of goblins with powerful, armored bodies and razor-sharp tusks who are skilled at charging and trampling their enemies. They are feared for their ferocity in battle and for their ability to withstand heavy blows.
The Dreamweavers	A tribe of goblins with the ability to enter and manipulate the dreams of others. They are skilled at using their powers to extract information and to plant suggestions and are rumored to be able to enter the dreams of even the most powerful beings.
The Voidstalkers	A clan of goblins who can traverse the void between dimensions and who are skilled at using their powers to travel to other planes of existence. They are feared for their ability to appear and disappear at will and are rumored to have the power to open portals to other worlds.
The Arcane Enclave	A group of goblin mages and scholars who are dedicated to the study of the arcane. They are rumored to possess ancient and powerful magical knowledge and are sought out by other goblin clans for their expertise.
The Living Statues	A tribe of goblins who have the ability to transform their bodies into stone, becoming virtually indestructible. They are skilled at using their powers to defend their territory and are feared for their ability to withstand heavy blows and for their near-immortality.
The Frostfang Clan	A tribe of goblins with icy abilities who are skilled at surviving in cold and icy environments. They are rumored to have the ability to freeze their enemies in place and to be immune to the effects of extreme cold.
The Plaguemakers	A tribe of goblins who are skilled at spreading disease and blight. They are rumored to have the ability to control swarms of insects and vermin and to be able to call forth plagues of locusts and other pests.
The Rotbringers	A clan of goblins with a deadly, contagious disease that causes their flesh to rot and decay. They are feared and reviled by other goblin clans and are able to spread their disease through their bite.
The Greenfinger Gang	A tribe of goblins with a deep connection to nature. They are skilled at cultivating and harvesting rare and exotic plants and fungi, they can whisper to plant life to control and manipulate them to their will.
The Red Claw Raiders	A clan of goblins who are skilled at sailing and naval warfare. They are known for their bold raids on ships and coastal towns and are feared for their ability to call forth raging storms to aid them in battle.
The Inferno Syndicate	A tribe of goblin pyromancers who are rumored to be able to control and manipulate fire with their minds. They are feared for their ability to unleash devastating blazes upon their enemies and are led by a powerful fire breathing goblin firelord.
The Wereclaw Clan	A tribe of goblin lycanthropes who can transform into powerful wolf-like creatures. They are skilled at hunting and tracking and are feared for their ferocity in battle.
The Venomtail Tribe	A tribe of goblin-scorpion hybrids with venomous stings and venomous claws. They are skilled at using their poison attacks to debilitate their enemies and are immune to most poisons.
The Deepwell Diggers	A clan of goblins who make their home in underground tunnels and caverns. They are skilled at mining and engineering, and are known for their ability to create elaborate underground fortresses.
Night Biters	A small group of goblins that specialize in dark and night time stealth operations in the city. They are extremely skilled at what they do and have eluded all attempts at capture for decades. What they do is annoy, disturb, and ruin people’s fun. They seek out parties and events to stealthily steal food and annoy guests. If they ever got motivated, they could be a serious threat to the safety of the city, but that’s too much work. They like having fun! Sometimes referred to as Blighters by the city inhabitants.
Slagfoot Tribe	An extremely large tribe of goblins that inhabit a range of dormant volcanoes and the surrounding lakes of lava. They’ve grown accustomed to the toxic fumes but they love lounging in the hot springs and selling the nutrient rich mud and dirt to the stupid people that want it. Dwarves covet this land due to the high presence of precious metals, but every attempt at invasion fails due to the treacherous lands and lava traps the goblin have set.
The Ratbiter Tribe	A tribe of wererat goblins who specialize in blackmail, ambushes, and assassins to get what they need to survive they also tame giant rats.
Clan Dead Ead	A Clan which have very few living members but a large amount of their undead kin and any body they can scavenge from purchasing, finding raiding, grave robbing, plague causing, famine starting, etc., etc., etc. Legend has it that their clan leader (the Ead) is a lich ,or at least, a clever necromancer with a cult of successors who copy the necromancer as a series of body doubles.
The Sand Confederacy	A loose collection of three Goblin tribes who have set apart their differences to settle an oasis in the desert instead of fighting over it. The ‘Shifting Rocks’ are a more rough and primitive group made up of bulkier Goblins who are deeply religious in the ancient ways. The ‘Glass Blasters’ are a set of tinker Goblins who have utilized rough and primitive glass blowing techniques to supplement their inventions and accent their deadly weaponry. The ‘Goblinoid Sultanate’ is a small collection of Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Ogres who hold the large bronze and iron mines of the desert. Their Sultan, a Goblin Wizard, has eyes on other factions towards the end of the desert, and has ruled that the alliance is a way to secure their victory in conflicts abroad.
The Tinka Inca	A tribe of Goblins far north in the mountainous tundra of the wintery wastes. The tribe has uncovered, over time, ancient ruins and temples in the cold wastes, and spends a great deal of their time upkeeping the various traps and puzzles and collecting stone from the mountain to build up and add to these temples and fortresses. Although they don’t appear hostile, they have been known to be very dangerous, as they appear to have a variety of divine casters in their midst. It has been observed these curious goblins are sun worshippers of some sort.
Chochlik Freedom Fighters	This collection of Goblin tribes has been fighting for their ancestral land for generations. Although divided they have been easily defeated and run out by Humanoids, Goblinoids, Monsters, and dark forces, together they have been waging a successful guerilla war against occupying forces. Different factions are more than happy to smile and provide weapons to direct their attention at an enemy force, but the Chochlik have seen all sorts of fake smiles and broken promises, and will take more than they agree to give. These goblins want their freedom and sovereignty again, and they are willing to fight like hell to get it.
The Silk Wyrms	Deep in the underdark a collective of Goblins raise silkworms and make textiles out of fungus fibers, silk of worm and spider, and wool from goblin hair and domesticate underdark beasts. Although they were raided and abused for years from other surrounding underdark factions, they developed blindsight, domesticated Duergar Striders, and harnessed the power of a special mushroom to make alchemist fire, and they set a revenge raid on all who wronged them. The following weeks of fire and fighting were legendary, and although many Goblins were lost, they earned a new respect from their neighbors. Now reclaiming the derogatory name and changing it to ‘Silk Wyrms’, they now provide textiles to many underdark factions and have a successful trade empire.
The Crooked Tones	A large tribe of four hundred or so, having as its ruling class fifty goblin bards. The bards use their magic songs to lure people into their cavern homes and sell them into slavery. They also use music to boost their tribe’s warriors.
The Splitters	They are known for their fighting style that leaves no victim in one piece. Instead they always try to exactly split their victims in half, to worship a strange deity.
The Ten-Killers	They always only kill ten people before they stop their raids. That does not mean they do not come again tomorrow, though. No one knows exactly why they do this, but the common interpretation is that they have some strange codex or a pact with some meticulous being.
The Blue-Hand Butchers	They have a blue hand painted across their face and they are known for slaughtering all people and livestock without an exception.
The One-Handed	As an initial ritual to become part of the tribe, every member choses a hand to lose. This hand is then replaced with a weapon that is strapped onto the arm.
The Clubbers	They are known for their brutality in which they almost exclusively use big clubs as weapons. Most victims do not survive and those who do are in one or the other way injured for the rest of their lives.
The Bloody Chickens	Do not be fooled by their name. This tribe is dressed in blood soaked feathered clothes and they sometimes even wear feather headdresses. They do not like their nickname and no one that mentions that name in front of them has survived so far. Some of the arrows they shoot have beaks of dead birds as arrowheads and the feathers of the arrows are always blood red.
The Worm Tribe	These goblins are known to dig tunnels underneath villages and then suddenly attack by digging to the surface all at once. They collapse whole buildings this way and drag people under the earth to fight. It is usually a dirty, bloody and muddy battle and those injured mostly die from sepsis afterwards. The leader of the tribe even gets the title ‘Great Worm’ and wears it proudly. They also live underground in caves.
The Blight	This tribe is led by a necromancer that exclusively resurrects fallen goblins. It is still unclear whether one should call them a tribe, as the revived corpses of the goblins do not show any sign of consciousness. Scouts have reported horrible sights as the goblins stand still as statues in ordered rows and lines inside their camp, if they are not attacking.
The Deep, Dank and Dirty	Sometime in the distant past this tribe’s ancestral home began to flood as the roof of their caves gradually collapsed. Stubbornly refusing to move they have gained a swim speed equal to their movement speed, an at-will ability to hold their breath for at least 5 minutes whilst underwater, and effective underwater night vision through a form of sonar. They now regularly raid the towns and villages along the river that run atop their caves, and occasionally trade the various magical items and trinkets that are washed downstream, as well as being very effective fisherfolk.
The Mutt Bite Clan	Their tribe breeds and tends to medium sized dogs, mostly mastiffs who have formed a mutual relationship with the clan. The goblins have learned to mount the creatures and teach the dogs to do simple tasks to aid them in hunting and scavenging. The dogs are especially good at detecting unwelcome guests and a comparable bite any goblin would love. Ambushing parties on the road while mounted on the dogs is their favorite thing to do. The goblins wear the dog:skins of their fallen dog companions who died of old age or in battle and have a special ceremony for deceased dogs or dogs that can now be formally used in battle.
The Arcane Power Tribe	Their past involved capturing a wizard and convincing them to teach the elders in the tribe how to read from spell books and cast spells. They are competent enough to do this with their more mature goblins and have discovered unique low level spells with a goblin twist. They personally love evocation spells, but like the convenience of other schools of magic. Many of them own their own homemade spell book and make it their life mission to gain magical knowledge to protect the tribe and take advantage of its benefits.
The Rock	Legend tells of a dwarven community who dug TOO deep into the ground and unearthed a horrifying breed of blind goblins who live deep underground. They are incredibly aggressive to ‘surface-dwellers’ and feed upon the gems that they uncover deep below the earth.

Source: DnD Speak (https://www.dndspeak.com/2023/01/05/100-goblin-tribes/)