The thing is, goblins weren't really meant for player use, and it shows. While they have a +0 level adjustment, which is probably to be expected, their statblock also notes that "goblins with levels in NPC classes have a CR equal to their character level -2" (as opposed to the usual NPC's -1.) So really they're intended to be evil but weak little foes with some character levels that might be familiar. A level 3 goblin warrior or adept will have a CR of 1, but don't expect to play a level 3 goblin adept and have it count as a level 1 character.
I'm going to go off on a brief tangent here and lament the fact that goblins perhaps had the problem of not quite being bad enough. I mean, they come up a little short as far as player character races go, but it's not by a lot. Consider the kobold, however: another weak, evil 'NPC race,' the kobold is probably inferior to even the goblin, with its stat modifiers providing an overall net loss of -4. They were seen as so weak that Wizards stepped in and provided plenty of support material for them, from an entire chapter in Races of the Dragon that provided all sorts of kobold-specific feats and alternate class features, to a tailor-made web enhancement article that just threw in four more racial traits for free, not to mention a feat that increases your goddamn caster level. Most discussion of kobolds nowadays centers around how overpowered they often are in practice, with the poorly-thought-out Dragonwrought feat and various spellcasting boosts made available to kobolds alone. This is, of course, in addition to the various subraces printed since then that allow for superior stat modifiers depending on your build. There are no doubt a number of players who are blissfully unaware of the fact that the kobold was ever seen as a weak point in need of shoring up. See what I mean? The kobold is so weak that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, whereas the long-suffering goblin is just decent enough that it can be completely ignored in a system that prints books at the drop of a hat.
57 Varieties
Like most races in 3.5, there are a number of subraces also worth consideration, several of them superior to the standard iteration. Here, then, is every goblin subrace that was statted out in the books.
Goblin - Always got to start with the most generic type. The bog-standard goblin isn't out-and-out bad, but it's just not very impressive. You get -2 Str, +2 Dex and -2 Cha, Small size, 30 foot speed, 60 foot Darkvision, and a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Ride checks. With a net total of -2 to stats and not many doodads to recommend it, probably the most exciting thing about the standard goblin is having a 30 foot move speed despite being Small - a rare advantage, but it's not unique. As a good example, I think the real killer is just how much a goblin comes up short when compared to a whisper gnome. A whisper gnome gets every racial trait the goblin gets - literally all of them - with the sole exception of the bonus to Ride checks. In exchange, they get a whole boatload of extra features, including +2 Con, Low-Light Vision, a handful of spell-like abilities, bonuses to Hide, Listen and Spot, and a number of other goodies. So if a goblin's one defining feature is a bonus to Ride checks - which isn't exactly a skill that needs huge modifiers anyway - choosing to ride a mount undoes the higher land speed and bonus to Move Silently. By taking advantage of this one 'unique' bonus, you're basically making your character worse.
So that's a goblin. They make a decent rogue or otherwise sneaky class, but the biggest problem is how so many other races do it better. Fortunately, most of the subraces have some advantage to recommend them over the standard goblin.
Air Goblin (Unearthed Arcana) - I would consider air goblins a step up. Their stat modifiers are +4 Dex, -2 Str and -2 Con, they get a +1 bonus on attack rolls against creatures with the Earth subtype, a -2 penalty on saving throws against spells, spell-likes and supernatural abilities of creatures with the Earth subtype, and they don't need to breathe. Otherwise, they're the same as goblins but don't get the racial bonus to Ride checks (which, as reasoned above, is no big loss.) While the penalty to Constitution hurts, getting a +4 bonus to any one stat on a +0 LA race is no mean feat. If you want to get your Dexterity as high as possible, this would be the place to look. Plus, not needing to breathe means you can stay underwater indefinitely.
Aquatic Goblin (Unearthed Arcana) - Aquatic goblins are an interesting variation, but probably not a practical choice for most campaigns. They have a +2 Con bonus in lieu of a Dex bonus, and their racial skill bonuses are halved to +2 each. However, they also get a +2 bonus to Disable Device and Sleight of Hand, the (aquatic) subtype, the ability to breathe water and a 30 ft. swim speed. Sounds pretty good, but there's a major catch: they cannot breathe air. They can only survive out of water by holding their breath (which can be done for 2 rounds per point of Constitution) before they begin suffocating. Unless you know you're going to be underwater literally all of the time, this kind of limitation is basically unworkable in a campaign. If you want a goblin who can remain underwater at all times, just run an air goblin.
Arctic Goblin (Unearthed Arcana) - Arctic goblins also get +2 Con instead of Dex, have Low-Light Vision instead of Darkvision, lose their racial bonus to Move Silently checks, and instead have a +2 bonus to Bluff & Sleight of Hand checks as well as a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves against cold weather or exposure. The problem with arctic goblins is that they're pretty unfocused. Again, you're basically getting a gnome with a penalty to Charisma and far fewer class features. Also peculiar that it's self-defeating in some ways: the +2 bonus to Bluff is effectively halved by the -2 Charisma penalty, and the +2 bonus to Sleight of Hand is only one more than what regular goblins get anyway with their +2 Dexterity bonus.
Bhuka (Sandstorm) - Finally, a break from the UA typified racial variants. The bhuka is accordingly quite different from a regular goblin, and has the usual handful of niche abilities you see on most of the nonhuman core races. The most surprising difference might be that a bhuka is in fact Medium size - mostly a downgrade, but really it depends on what kind of build you're going for. They also don't get Darkvision nor the racial bonuses to Move Silenty and Ride. They get quite a bit in return however: firstly, they don't suffer the -2 Cha penalty, making their stat adjustments at least neutral. In addition, they get a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (nature), which is always a class skill for bhukas, as well as Heat Endurance as a bonus feat, are never Dazzled by bright sunlight, can travel over deep sand as if it were shallow sand and shallow sand as if it were solid ground, can detect water within 100 feet with a DC 10 Survival check, and get a +2 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to resist the harmful effects of heat and dehydration. Oh, and for anyone keeping track, they have Druid as a favoured class instead of Rogue. The result is a character who's well-equipped for surviving a desert environment, but without many racial features that push it in a direction class-wise. Getting by in the wild, ignoring heat stroke and having water are all things that anyone can do with some very inexpensive alchemical items, so I wouldn't value the bhuka's abilities too highly, but they're still a step over the desert goblin.
Blue (Expanded Psionics Handbook) - Conceptually, a blue may sound exciting, but in this case, look before you leap. A blue has two differences from a regular goblin: they get +2 Int instead of Dex, and they get 1 bonus power point. Basically comparable, right? Well, for some reason that's enough of a different to warrant a +1 LA. How nightmarish; I think the blue could be perhaps the weakest +1 LA race ever printed, and wouldn't be particularly exciting even without the LA. I promise you that a level 2 goblin psion could outperform a level 1 blue psion every time.
Dekanter (Races of Faerun) - This one's a little out of the ordinary. Introduced in Monsters of Faerun, this rhino-like variant of the goblin wasn't actually statted for player use until Races of Faerun, and it's quite a departure from its kin. So right off the bat it's Medium-size (but with 20 foot speed... someone didn't get the memo,) with +6 Str, +2 Dex, +4 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis and -2 Cha: that's a little more than we're used to. On top of that we're dealing with +4 NA, Fast Healing 3, Cold Resistance 5, a horn that deals 1d6 damage and two claws as secondary natural attacks that deal 1d4 each. A lot of goodies, for sure, but in exchange it comes with two hit dice of monstrous humanoid and a +4 level adjustment. Being a level 7 character at minimum is virtually unusable, relegating the dekanter to being better off as NPC characters. Still, it's interesting to see what the peak of goblin performance can afford us.
Desert Goblin (Unearthed Arcana) - Aaand we're back. This one is more similar to the baseline goblin than most. You trade Darkvision for Low-Light Vision, which is a definite downgrade, but in return get a +2 racial bonus on Gather Information checks and a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves against hot weather. Frankly, I think a garden-variety goblin who shelled out 3 gp for a parasol would just be mechanically better. If you want a desert-themed goblin, look at the bhuka instead.
Forestkith Goblin (Monster Manual III) - This is quite a big change from the standard goblin. A forestkith gets +2 Dex and -2 Int instead, and keeps the goblin's small size, 30 foot speed and Darkvision, but it's tempered by getting Light Sensitivity (like an orc.) No bonus to Ride, but they get a +2 bonus to Jump checks, a +4 bonus bonus to Craft (weaving) checks to make a net, and a +4 bonus to Hide and Move Silently but only so long as they're in a forest. On top of that, however, they get +1 natural armor and can treat nets as martial weapons. Then come the real kickers: Tree Shape and Discordant Frenzy. So a forestkith can use tree shape as a 12th level Druid, but cannot voluntarily dispel the effect - it ends at sunset or if they take any damage. Being able to turn into a shrub is a very unusual talent, but not being able to change back of your own volition kind of ruins it - it's no good to hide from pursuing foes in a forest if you have to then wait 8 hours until sunset. The Frenzy is considerably less useful - any creatures with 2 or less HD within 30 feet of a fighting forestkith is shaken for 1d4 rounds unless they pass a DC 9 Will save, in which case they're immune for 24 hours. In exchange for all of this weirdness, the forestkith unfortunately has a +1 LA. Nets can be quite useful in a fight, so the automatic proficiency is appreciated, and the manueverability plus the lack of a Str penalty makes the forestkith a tricky combatant. Still, is it worth a point of level adjustment? Probably not.
Io-Rach Goblin (Book of Vile Darkness) - Huh? Don't feel bad for not recognizing the name, this is a mighty obscure option despite being from a first-party book. Mentioned under the "Malign Sites" section at the beginning of the always-charming Book of Vile Darkness, the Io-Rach tribe of goblins essentially found a way to create pits of alchemical mixtures that mutate any kinsmen lowered into it. Those that survive are as goblins but Medium-sized and with a +4 inherent bonus to Strength and Constitution as well as a -4 inherent penalty to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. The garbage mental stats mean this is probably a very poor choice for player characters (you're looking at a total -6 modifier to Charisma!) and the flavour of being a festering, misshapen goblin mutant bred for mindless battle doesn't do much to ameliorate that fact. Still, I thought I'd include it here for the sake of completeness, and just maybe to mention something you're unfamiliar with!
Jungle Goblin (Unearthed Arcana) - You again trade Darkvision for Low-Light Vision, and instead of +4 to Move Silently and Ride, you get a +4 bonus to Jump checks as well as a 20 foot Climb speed. As a nice bonus, you use your Dexterity modifier for Climb checks, rather than Strength. The Climb speed represents a real boost in maneuverability, especially in a forested environment, and is interesting enough I'd probably consider it a worthwhile upgrade over the standard goblin.
Norker (Dragon #343) - Is Dragon Magazine allowed? There aren't exactly piles of goblins to wade through, so I'm going to include this for completeness' sake. A little scrappier than the regular goblins, the stony-skinned norkers get +2 Con and lack the Str penalty, but in return have -2 Int and Wis. They keep the high points - small size, 30' movement, Darkvision and +4 to Move Silently, but lose out on the bonus to Ride checks. In return? A norker gets a 1d4-damage bite as a natural weapon, as well as a +5 natural bonus to AC. I know what you're thinking at this point - 'what's the level adjustment?' Incredibly, it's still +0. Considering the Small size and +2 Dex bonus as well, the total AC boost of +7 alone means that the norker is almost certainly the best goblin variant there is, the clear-cut nature of which may have something to do with why I was questioning the validity of Dragon Magazine just a moment ago. The bite attack is pure icing, as any melee attacker will be happy to just throw that in as a secondary natural attack on any full attack.
Snow Goblin (Frostburn) - Unlike the bhuka, the snow goblin is fairly close to the regular version. Instead of Str, they have a -2 penalty to Int; since the game values physical stats over mental ones with racial ability modifiers, I guess that's considered an upgrade, but you're still running a net loss. Other than that, they don't get the +4 bonus to Ride checks, and instead have a +4 bonus to Intimidate checks (which only undoes the penalty they get for being Small) and a 20 foot Climb speed. Sound good so far? Just one problem: they also have a +1 level adjustment. I know I said a Climb speed was intriguing with the jungle goblin, but there is no world in which it's worth a level adjustment. Considering goblins are already a subpar choice from an optimization view, I feel snow goblins could have been a reasonable +0 LA race. As is, they're extremely weak. If you want a Climb speed that badly and are willing to eat a level adjustment, go for a forestkith instead (yes, even if you're in the arctic. Funnily enough, the snow goblin doesn't get any racial traits that help it deal with a cold environment.) If you really just enjoy the flavour, run an arctic goblin instead.
Vril (Drow of the Underdark and Web) - The vril is infamous not so much for the aspects of its printed stats but rather the nature of the printing itself - that is, the fact that it wasn't printed at all! The racial traits are listed in Drow of the Underdark, but some of its special abilities helpfully refer the reader to a statblock... that isn't actually included. Thus, the statblock was appended in a web article, requiring references to both sources in order to get the full picture. Anyways, with that bit of trivia out of the way, the vril is actually a pretty interesting variant of the goblin (both in appearance and mechanics!) You keep the good stuff: Small size, 30 foot base land speed and 60 feet of Darkvision. Stat changes are instead +2 Con, -2 Int and -2 Cha, making them a little more combat-ready, and skill bonuses are replaced with +4 to Climb and +2 to balance and Jump. Beyond this, however, you get some interesting special abilities: sonic resistance 5, the ability to emit a sonic shriek once per day with damage that increases as you level, and the ability to grant yourself DR 5 against your choice of bludgeoning, piercing or slashing for a brief period once per day, with more uses gained as you level up. In exchange for these (admittedly somewhat minor) goodies, the vril also bears a couple weaknesses: light sensitivity (blinded for 1 round in sudden light as well as a -1 penalty to attacks, saves and checks in bright light thereafter) as well as a -4 penalty on saves against spider poison. The light sensitivity could theoretically be treated by sundark goggles, though it might not apply since it specifically treats the dazzled condition, which isn't quite as bad as what the vril experience. The penalty to saves against spider poison is specific enough that I wouldn't expect it to come up more than once in any given campaign. Overall the vril seems to have a nicer chassis than the average goblin - depending on your choice of class, of course - asides from some minor abilities that will stop mattering by the mid-levels and some drawbacks that are a pain but likewise minor. If you're a real maniac for RAW (the type who insists that swordsages get x6 skill points at first level, or that the vigilante gets 20 3rd-level spells at level 7) there's a nice bonus feature to the vril - the explanation for being Small size in their racial traits notes that they have "lifting and carrying limits those of Medium characters." Not ¾ those of Medium characters, just those of Medium characters. Clearly a small typo, but hey, it says they get no penalty to carrying capacity for being Small!
And All the Rest... These are all the truly "goblin-y" feeling goblins, but if you're in the market for any and all goblinoids, that still precludes the bugbear, hobgoblin, fire hobgoblin (Unearthed Arcana) and varag (Monster Manual IV.)
For Your Guys Only
Okay, so if you're playing a goblin, chances are your best bet is a sneaky and/or skillful sort of class - or maybe a spellcaster whose main casting stat isn't lowered by the racial modifiers. Now that we've made our choice, it's often worth looking into what specialized, goblin-specific options exist. There is plentiful support in the form of specialized feats, alternate class features and/or prestige classes for just about any race: gnomes have their Shadowcraft Mage, elves their Eternal Blade, and even humans get Able Learner and the Chameleon prestige class.
Goblins... are just about out of luck. From what I can tell, there is exactly one goblin-specific option in the entirety of the game: the stonedeath assassin prestige class, from Races of Stone. Of every feat, class, item and doodad available, this is the only one you'll find that requires the goblinoid subtype.
So is it worth it? Stonedeath assassin... isn't bad, I guess. This 5-level class is mostly built around the flavour of picking off unsuspecting dwarves in their mountainous homes, making it an odd variant on the assassin class. The prerequisites are very lax, it offers 6 + Int skill points, it gives you Trapfinding right away and advances Sneak Attack a bit, so it's a good for a goblin rogue to sidle into. Some of the more unique abilities include being able to meld into stone as the spell a number of times per day, the ability to destroy stone objects with a touch, and as a capstone, an odd sort of variant on the assassin's Death Attack.
If you're playing a sneaky sort of goblin and expect to be doing a lot of Underdark adventuring, the stonedeath assassin could provide you with some interesting and reliable abilities. But meld into stone and Death Attack are basically just heightened versions of the Hide skill and Sneak Attack, so you're aren't really getting anything too unusual in practice. Flavour-wise the class is fun, and the knowledge that you're running the only goblin-specific option in the game is a source of satisfaction, but don't fret about making room for it even if you're running a skillful sort of character. Seeing as a rogue already gets Trapfinding, a one-level dip of stonedeath assassin could be useful if you traded Trapfinding away for something else, or if you're a Swordsage or other class who could appreciate the added utility as well as the meld into stone once per day.
The 'Noid
So there you have it. Not strong enough to ever appear in an optimization treatise yet apparently not weak enough to warrant pity, the goblin is mostly a middling choice for anyone not already sold on the flavour. Still, you won't be useless running a goblin rogue, swordsage or factotum. Depending on what flavour you're more partial to, a(n air) goblin artificer could be quite cool. Nonetheless, my complaint isn't so much the power level we're stuck at here - it's the lack of options. What 3.5 race didn't have some lazy and specific feats that gave them more uses per day of their racial traits? What race didn't have an item said to belong to some long-dead hero that gave them specific bonuses? Even the most obscure little critter would usually have a signature exotic weapon or something. Yet the long-suffering goblin, who's been with us ever since the 3.0 Monster Manual, has to largely go without. At least let me build a character, you know?
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