Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback Goblin Player Character

My claim isn’t that I think that being immediately hostile to goblins is bad, but that the correct moral stance with respect to goblins isn’t straightforward. I can think of a number of different positions that a character could, with some justification, take towards them, for example:

• Goblins are evil and so should be exterminated.
• Goblins are a threat to innocents so should be exterminated.
• Goblins should be killed when there is evidence that those specific goblins are a threat to innocents.
• Goblins should be killed to punish them if they have harmed innocents.
• Goblins can be killed in punishment or to prevent harm, but only by individuals who have appropriate legal or divine sanction, otherwise it’s unwarranted vigilantism.
• Goblins can be killed to prevent harm, but loss of goblin life should be minimised as far as is consistent with removing clear and present danger.
• Goblins should be killed only in self defence.
• Goblins should be steered clear of so as to not put oneself in the position of having to kill them in self-defence.
• There is no need for guilt or regret when killing an evil being.
• Every loss of life is to be regretted, however necessary.

I don’t see that playing a character with any of these viewpoints is invalid, and while I certainly don’t think every player needs to worry about the moral implications of goblin-killing, I personally find it interesting and adds to my enjoyment of the game to roleplay characters who have different moral viewpoints on subjects like good vs evil and the correct attitude to goblins. Whereas I’d find it boring if every character I played had to have the same view on this topic as the setting was designed such that there was a single right answer. To emphasise though, I’m not saying other players are wrong or bad for wanting to roleplay characters whose goblin-killing is uncomplicated by moral qualms, I just hope they’ll in turn allow me to get my kicks in the way I prefer!

As to what I think the correct moral stance with respect to goblins is, that is really complicated and one I’m still struggling with, though fortunately the lack of real goblins means it’s not a question I have to settle as a matter of urgency. I have a number of moral principles that are relevant, but those are stretched and tested in the context of a frontier society like the wilderness of the Sword Coast which lacks an effective law enforcement framework, and by the sheer awfulness of the goblins. And because the goblins in BG3 are depicted as individuals, albeit terrible ones, something really appreciated about the game is that it’s encouraged me to think about it much more than I have with other games where goblins are just homogenous, hostile mobs. Of course, others are welcome to think I’m wasting my time as goblins are just evil and there’s no more to consider, but it’s not going to stop me doing it!