Norker
Norkers are an obscure species of goblinoid native to Dungeons & Dragons. Originating in the Fiend Folio for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition, they then went on to appear in 2nd edition (Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Appendix), 3rd edition (Living Greyhawk Journal #3, Dungeon Magazine #98, Dragon Magazine #343) and 4th edition (Monster Manual 3).
Yeah, Greyhawk. Norkers have a walk-on role in WG4: The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun, alongside other TSR / Gygax attempts to sell leftover Folios. Contemporaneous with that, White Dwarf did its part by suggesting a god for this race... Firffuffl'nnb. No, we're not joking.
Norkers are a particularly savage and primitive breed of goblinoid, which may be a primordial relative of the hobgoblin - it's certainly true that, like the varags, hobgoblins readily exploit norkers as shock-troopers in their goblinoid armies. For the most part resembling common goblins, norkers can be distinguished by their complete lack of hair, the 3" canine fangs that extend from their upper jaw, and the stony coloration and gloss of their skin; norkers possess a thick, almost carapace-like hide which is extremely tough - AC 3 in AD&D, natural armor +5 in 3rd edition.
Norkers are something of the black sheep of the goblinoid family tree. Whilst certainly tough and aggressive, they are considered dim-witted, lazy, quarrelsome and nasty even by regular goblins. Which is really saying something about the kind of jerks that norkers are.
These attributes are not mentioned in their Fiend Folio appearance, but did appear to some extent in all other portrayals of them. Norkers build nothing; they can't cooperate long enough and, frankly, they don't usually have the energy to try. As a result, they prefer to conquer small villages or inhabit ruins, which they quickly reduce to foul-smelling, battered squalors with their constant bickering and lack of sanitation. One could call them tribal by nature, but a norker boss's influence starts and ends within arm's reach; only those strong enough to bash heads and bully them into line can motivate some sense of work out of norkers. They can hunt for their food, but they dislike expending the effort, preferring to scavenge, raid and steal.
Incidentally, according to their 2e profile, norkers themselves are edible, if you can get through their hide first.
Stated in some sources to not breed as fast as ordinary goblins, still, the typical norker tribe will contain half-again as many females as adult males, and two or three norker children for every adult male.
Another factor keeping norker populations low is that different tribes of norkers absolutely detest each other. Whilst full-scale warfare rarely erupts, borderlands between two norker tribes quickly become a hotbed of guerilla warfare, with raiding parties fighting to the death and taking the fangs of their kills as trophies.
All in all, one must wonder whether hobgoblins consider norkers or varags to be the worse goblinoid to try and wrangle some use out of.
Norker PCs
When norkers appeared in Dragon Magazine #343, they also received a PC writeup for D&D 3rd edition.
- +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
- Small size
- Base land speed 30 feet
- Darkvision 60 feet
- +4 racial bonus on Move Silently
- +5 Natural Armor Bonus
- Natural Weapon: Bite (1d4 Piercing)
- Level Adjustment: +1? (Monster statblock mentions it, PC statblock doesn't)
- Favored Class: Rogue
4e Norkers
In 4th edition, Norkers descend from goblins who stumbled through portals into the Elemental Chaos and sought refuge in earthen mountains and floating islands. There, the elemental energy transformed them into a kind of planetouched; the former goblins assimilated earthen elemental energy, and gained superior strength and their iconic stony hide as a result. They then crossed back into the mortal world, predominantly through the Underdark.
The 4e version of the norker is still aggressive, violent and stupid. However, they've also gained a prominent religious streak, which in turn makes them more servile than norkers of editions past. Norkers are natural worshippers of the malevolent Archomental of earth, Ogremoch, and likewise respond well to the commands of anyone who can demonstratably wield earth elementalism magic. They're prized as guards, frontline troops and laborers, as they combine sheer strength and endurance with fanatical ferocity, unquestioning loyalty, and being too stupid to give away valuable secrets.
5e Norkers
Norkers were one of the Fiend Folio monsters brought back in the semi-canon charity publication "Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1" for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. Here, the idea that norkers are a reluctantly utilized goblinoid slave race served as the foundation of their new fluff, which reads as follows:
- Cruel, vicious, and lazy even by the standards of goblinoids, norkers are tough humanoids whose long, sharp fangs and thick, bony exoskeletons make them well-suited to the ranks of hobgoblin armies. Unfortunately for their would-be masters, norkers are rebellious, truculent, and prone to indolence unless watched with a keen eye and a hand that is quick to snap a whip.
- Denizens of the Deep Earth: In the ancient days, norkers were found deep within the earth. They were always few in number, and their god was a cruel, merciless tyrant who kept his children close and the outside world at a distance. This long-lost god may have been Maglubiyet’s first conquest and his followers the initial, unwilling recruits into his crusade. Today, hobgoblins chafe at the suggestion that creatures as lazy and untamed as norkers could claim such an honor. For that reason alone, hobgoblin warlords are loath to use these creatures, preferring to keep them around as disposable labor in mines and quarries.
- Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Even goblins bully and harass norkers, as hobgoblins place the norkers at the bottom of the goblinoid ranks, yet the norkers’ ferocity, tough hides, and sharp fangs allow them to rise up and defeat goblinoids that underestimate the norkers’ strength and ferocity.. For this reason, norkers are likely encountered away from their brethren. Their natural armor and weapons make them dangerous foes even when relegated to menial labor. Only the dictates of Maglubiyet have prevented the hobgoblins from hunting down and exterminating these creatures.
- A Legacy of Hatred: Given their ancient defeat and terrible treatment at the hands of other goblinoids, the norkers have developed a peculiar sect of Maglubiyet worshipper. They call him the Great Scourge and believe that mortal life is a cruel test. Those norkers whose skin can withstand any blow and whose fangs sink deep into their enemies will be shepherded to paradise. To the norkers, all other creatures are enemies. Strong creatures can be mollified with servitude and obsequious begging, while weaker ones are victims for their fangs and clubs.