Goliath Goliaths were a nomadic race of humanoid s native to the mountainous regions of Toril . Description . Goliaths were massive . They averaged between 7 and 8 feet tall ( 2 . 1 to 2 . 4 meters ) , making them even taller than dragonborn and half - orc s . Goliaths had noticeably bony or prominent above their eyes . Goliath eyes were often a bright blue or green and sometimes glowed a little . Skin . Goliath skin was often gray or brown and was extremely tough ( often compared to stone ) . One of the most distinctive features of the goliath was the darker ( often vertically symmetrical ) patches of skin that covered their entire bodies . Goliaths believed that these markings somehow explained or controlled their fate or destiny . For this reason , goliaths never tattooed themselves as this could affect their future . Goliath skin was littered with bony growths called " lithoderms " . These growths were roughly the size of a coin and appeared like studded pebbles on their arms , shoulders , torso or head . Personality . Goliaths ' most notable characteristic was their competitiveness . They kept track of their accomplishments and saw everything as a challenge . Those not familiar with goliath psychology would often get annoyed when goliaths constantly reminded them how many times a certain thing had happened , thinking them arrogant or self - centered . This was not the case however . To goliaths , score - keeping was a natural and integral part of life , not meant to belittle or demean anyone . But a goliath ' s most fierce competitor was themselves . Beating their own records was the most satisfying victory for a goliath . They were also competitive with their companions and other goliaths , but were never arrogant or cocky . Goliaths had little time for cheaters , gloaters , and sore losers . Goliaths never held grudges if they lost a fair fight , and would often repeat the goliath maxim that " Today ' s rival is tomorrow ' s teammate . " Their constant comparison to their past accomplishments could be hard on goliaths that failed to meet goals or measure up to achievements of the past . Goliaths would often feel dissatisfied with anything that didn ' t surpass a victory from their past . This unfortunate element of goliath psychology led many older goliaths to be very unhappy with themselves when they could no longer perform as well as they could in their youth . It was rare for goliath adventurers to retire or live to an old age , as they often died trying to surpass their previous achievements . Permanently injured or aging goliaths often sought death in battle rather than succumb to an existence where they could not excel . Trust and honor were the key aspects of most goliaths . This tradition of honor and trust meant that goliaths tended to be good overall . This combined with their competitive nature often led goliaths to valorous heroics . Goliaths were also notably daring and fearless . Feats of physical strength and agility , like jumping chasms or climbing cliffs , held no fear for goliaths . Goliaths were naturally curious beings and loved to explore . Complacency was a trait that goliaths loathed and as a result they never took anything for granted . Even goliaths with magical advantages would continue to train their physical prowess in case they ever lost their power . Combat . Goliath tribes only went to war as a final option , preferring to move away from unsafe lands . They did not do this out of fear or cowardice , instead they were aware that loss of life in their tribe was undesirable and had long - term consequences . If forced to go to war , however , a tribe would do so without fear . Circumstances that might force a tribe included being cornered or having members of their tribe kidnapped . Once weapons were distributed and war - captains were chosen , a goliath tribe could quickly become a very capable war - band . Goliaths were always at the peak of their physical condition and their fine - tuned hunting skills made them competent warriors at a moment ' s notice . All adult goliaths ( regardless of gender ) fought in times of war . Only children and infants were expected not to fight . Hide and leather armor were favored by goliaths as they already had naturally durable bodies and did not like to restrict their movement . Goliaths often used large two - handed weapons to make the most of their considerable strength . Goliaths often employed tactics in battle , owing to their upbringing as hunters . Fair - play was also integral to goliath fights . As long as they were fairly sure they could still win , goliaths would even handicap themselves to give their opponents a fair chance . For example , if a goliath disarmed their opponent , they would throw aside their own weapon and continue the fight with their fists . As with their recreational sports , goliaths seriously frowned upon " cheating " in battle . Finishing off a fallen foe , taking hostages , and attacking civilians were considered distasteful and unfair . Sometimes slavers were known to steal goliath infants and raise them as brutal gladiators . Society . Goliath society ' s key focus was competitiveness . Their society also held equality and fairness in high regard . Tribes . Goliaths lived in small tribes that numbered between forty and sixty goliaths . This was usually made up of three to five extended families . Most goliaths lived in the same tribe their entire life . On rare occasions , a tribe that got too large would split into smaller tribes or smaller tribes would merge together . Goliath tribes had a number of key roles that were filled by the most capable members . Summaries of these roles are included below : Tribe chieftains only maintained power as long as they could prove they were suitable for that role . As a result , leadership constantly changed . New leaders were chosen by contests . Any goliath could challenge the chieftain in an attempt to replace them . If this happened , the chieftain and the challenger competed in three tasks . The challenger had to win all three to become the new chieftain . The old chieftain would then leave the tribe permanently . Due to the fact that few goliaths lived to old age , goliath tribes relied on innate wisdom in their leaders rather than wisdom gained from years of experience . The competitive nature of goliaths meant that the attitude and achievements of one would quickly inspire the whole tribe . Individuals within tribes would constantly be trying to outdo each other ' s good deeds . This meant that nearby settlements often stereotyped goliaths as a heroic and good people . Homelands . Goliath tribes were not large or permanent as the mountain terrain didn ' t allow for such settlements . Temporary villages would be set up then disassembled and relocated every month or so . Many of the goliath homelands were in the mountain ranges in northeast Faerûn . The Thesk Mountains , Mountains of Copper , Sunrise Mountains , and Icerim Mountains were known to have goliath tribes . The Spine of the World in the North , and mountain ranges in and around Chult and northern Anauroch ( particularly Azirrhat , where they might have competed with asabi for resources ) may also have been home to goliath populations . Goliaths were not afraid to mix with other cultures or travel . By the late 15th century DR , small numbers of goliath sellswords could be found as far away as the Sword Coast . Tarmalune was home to a small number of goliaths . Law and Justice . Although goliaths had no written laws or codes , there were a number of unspoken rules that were commonly followed by most goliath tribes , discouraging theft and cheating . The greatest rule was obedience to the chieftain and captains . Because they were nomadic tribes who shared belongings or traded goods rather than use gold , conventional punishments like imprisonment or fining were not possible . Instead , tribes often employed the following punishments : Goliaths who broke the shunning risked being shunned themselves . This was a serious transgression , as it threatened goliath society itself . It was common for a goliath who knew they had failed their tribe to leave the tribe of their own accord , rather than force the tribe into the awkward position of exiling them . Some stubborn goliaths however had to be forced into exile . Culture . The cultures and traditions of goliath tribes varied from tribe to tribe and region to region but a number of traits were common across several tribes . Goliaths had little empathy or pity for adults who couldn ' t take care of themselves but they would treat and take care of the injured and sick . Permanently injured goliaths were still expected to contribute in every way that they could . Arts and crafting in goliath culture were limited by the resources they had to hand in the mountains . As a result , goliaths were skilled in crafts like , , stitching , creating simple pottery , bone - carving , and painting . Goliath art was often colorful and expressive . Art was one of the few things that goliaths understood to be non - competitive ; they fully appreciated that art couldn ' t have a winner . Goliaths believed that art should be used to show people something they couldn ' t see in the real world . Goliaths decorated their tents , caves , weapon s , and clothes with abstract designs ( often jagged , parallel lines and symbols that had astronomical significance ) . Language . The language of the goliaths was Gol - Kaa and it was spoken exclusively for thousands of years . The language had only thirteen phonetic elements and was only ever spoken . Gol - Kaa was spoken in the active voice ( “ Kulagath climbed the mountain ” ) almost exclusively . It was grammatically torturous to use passive voice ( “ the mountain was climbed by Kulagath ” ) . After interacting with dwarves and other races , the goliaths began to learn languages like dwarvish , common and giant . Those tribes that learnt the written scripts of the dwarven language began to transcribing their oral traditions and history into carvings , cave paintings and even books . By 1491 DR many goliaths could speak , read and write in common and giant . Goliath names were made up of three parts ; a first name assigned by the individual ' s parents , an honorific middle name chosen by the tribe ' s chief , and a family or clan name . The first name was often just one of two syllables . The honorific name assigned could change at the whim of the chief depending on particular achievements or failures . Exiled goliaths tended to carry middle names like " solitary " or " Kinless " . The last name was often five or six syllables and always ended in a vowel . Religion . Most goliath tribes revered nature and the primal forces . Goliath shaman s were known as " skywatchers " or " sunspeakers " . Despite this some goliaths did worship or honor . Leisure . Considering their competitive nature , it ' s not surprising that sports were often played by goliaths to improve their physical skills and pass time . Simple games included climbing , sprinting , and wrestling . Other games that were popular amongst many tribes included : Interracial Relations . Goliaths were friendly to anyone who didn ' t threaten their tribe , but wouldn ' t wait around for travelers who couldn ' t keep up with them . Goliaths were particularly fond of dwarves and had great respect for dwarven blacksmiths . Some goliaths would even venture into mountain tunnels to seek out dwarves to trade with . Human ranger s or druid s were known to sometimes work together with goliath tribes in hunts . Both the humans and goliaths could mutually benefit from these temporary alliances . Goliaths often referred to earth genasi as their " cousins " . The two races maintained a friendly rivalry . Elves were somewhat intimidating to goliaths , owing to their long lifespans . Goliaths often struggled with the idea that creatures existed that were old enough to have known their great - grandparents and ancestors . Although they had no particular hatred of goblins , orc s , or half - orc s , goliaths were wary of them . This was mostly due to the stories that they heard from passing travelers about the trouble they caused . Attitudes towards giant s varied . Some tribes traded with giants . Giant weapons were not as well crafted as dwarven ones , but they were a far more suitable size . Some giants , however , would try and make goliaths into slaves . This led to conflicts and goliaths being wary of giants . Although xvart s particularly hated goliaths , it ' s unclear if the feeling was mutual . Goliaths who ventured out of their tribes would often find issue with the class divisions found in other societies . Goliaths struggled with the idea that an incompetent king could rule over hard - working peasants . These opinions were often shared and goliaths would openly mock incapable leaders or rich nobleman who relied on social structures to maintain their power . History . It ' s unclear how old the goliath race was or where they originally came from , but it was commonly believed that they were somehow related to stone giant s or earth genasi . Another origin story claimed that the first goliaths were humans who sought answers from their gods . These individuals climbed the Columns of the Sky mountain range to seek parley with their gods . It was said that the journey to the peaks turned the seekers into the first goliaths . In the Year of Sycophants , −357 DR , a group of goliath hunters from Mount Akoro were part of an alliance that successfully defeated the primordial Maram of the Great Spear . As of 1375 DR , some thirty - six goliath outcasts lived in Murkstones , in Undermountain . They lived in relative harmony with the various other races that had taken up refuge in the underground village . By 1479 DR , many of the mountain - dwelling goliath tribes had become even more isolated , thanks to the spellscarred lowlands . The tribes stayed in the safety of their mountain tops and few travelers ventured across the dangerous lowlands .