I was fiddling with some goblin cavalry builds lately, and found that their stats (-2 str, -2 cha, +2 dex, with small size and a skill bonus to Ride) was pretty hard. Normally races that get lots of negatives get loads of bonuses. Consider all the base races - they get, usually, a +2, a -2, and a half-page of abilities. Goblins, Kobolds, etc, get nothing in comparison.
Dwarves
Also see the Dwarf monster listing.
* +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma.
* Medium: As Medium creatures, dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* Dwarf base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
* Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
* Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.
* Weapon Familiarity: Dwarves may treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.
* Stability: A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
* +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
* +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
* +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids.
* +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it’s caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.
* +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone or metal items.
* +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone or metal.
* Automatic Languages: Common and Dwarven. Bonus Languages: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon.
* Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass dwarf’s fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing
Goblins As Characters
Goblin characters possess the following racial traits.
* -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Charisma.
* Small size: +1 bonus to Armor Class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, -4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits ¾ those of Medium characters.
* A goblin’s base land speed is 30 feet.
* Darkvision out to 60 feet.
* +4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Ride checks.
* Automatic Languages: Common, Goblin. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Elven, Giant, Gnoll, Orc.
* Favored Class: Rogue.
FFS, the entry on goblins even says 'goblins with class levels count as their levels -2 for CR purposes'. Thats great for NPC's, but pretty poor showing for something thats a PC race in Eberron.
Of course, I'd play a goblin anyway just for the background and such, but it'd be nice to not have to take huge penalties just for a cool background. Same for ECL races - i'm very unimpressed that WotC couldn't make races like the Githzerai and Tiefling normal races without ECL - having one less level is a huge penalty, one that is never balanced out by any number of racial trinkets.
