Yeah, so no. It means right there than the least cruel goblin is about as cruel as the average dwarf. (Assuming that dwarves have cruelty at 0:50:100)
Goblins have a base cruelty of 75. 50 is minimum, 100 is maximum.
So yes, the majority of goblins are inherently cruel sociopaths. Maybe not all of them, but enough of them.
The majority does not end up with 75, only a minority actually ends up with 75. The majority will either be less cruel than that or more, so 65 and 85 have equal probability of occuring.
For it to be correct to declare goblins to be inherantly cruel sociopaths the majority of goblins would have to have 100 cruelty, which would mean that they are absolutely cruel, only a tiny minority (though a larger minority than dwarves) of goblins are actually such. It would be more correct to say that proportionally more goblins are inherantly cruel sociopaths than dwarves rather that the majority of goblins are inherantly cruel sociopaths. Turn it upside down and the average goblin is kindness 25 and the average dwarf is kindness 50.
What is the ideal level of kindness? Obviously you can be too kind; it is thus circumstantial and somewhat subjective where the ideal level of kindness lies. Who established that the ideal level of kindness was 50, was it anyone? Some person may say that the average person is too cruel, such a person will prefer a cruelty level of 25 while the other person will think the average person is too kind and thus a cruelty level of 75 is preferred.
What about the average goblin's virtues? The average goblin does have a high tolerance and a low propensity to be swayed by emotions. Having lots of tolerance gives you little basis to hate others despite your propensity for hatred being little swayed by emotions means that you can keep your anger under control so nobody will get hurt despite your propensity for anger and violence.
Swayed by emotions means swayed by other's emotions. Being in control of your emotions is something else (STOICISM, SELF_CONTROL and other things).
Myself I rarely am swayed by emotions, sometimes it is liberating to not care, and sometimes I feel I should care more.
Of course goblins are tolerant. Have you seen their entity ethics ? They have PERSONAL_MATTER on about half of their ethics. They are bound to become tolerant else their society will disintegrate due to goblins killing each other for the slightest affront. Well, they already DO kill each other, but not to a society-destroying level due to tolerance.
Even so tolerance can be a good or a bad thing.
Should I also mention that their entity has SELF_CONTROL value at 50 ? Admittedly it is not inherent to goblins themselves, but to their entity, but it has to count for something.
And now another thing....
[CREATURE:GOBLIN]
[DESCRIPTION:A medium-sized humanoid driven to cruelty by its evil nature.]IT SAYS IT RIGHT IN THEIR DESCRIPTION. Evil nature. That's word of god. If the [EVIL] tag didn't tick you.
Admittedly good and evil are subjective human constructions, but the point of this discussion was to see if goblins were evil or not.
Even if we are to place ourselves in a non-black and white world view... Goblins siege forts. Murder dwarves. Antagonize you. Go to make your efforts to naught. Kill the ones you are trying to protect.
They do not send diplomats for peace, they only stop attacking you when you trash them so utterly they are out of soldiers... and they come back for another attack when they recruit more.
So no, after having personally overseen the killing of hundreds of goblins on screen, and seeing them attack and attack again... No, goblins do not deserve to be treated as sentient beings. At least as long as they continue their ways of being murdering, child-snatching sociopaths. They are worse than mosquitoes, at least mosquitoes do not armor and arm themselves.
So don't be a goblin sympathizer. You have ordered them slain as well, yes ? You have killed many in defense of your forts ? Then why would you be a goblin sympathizer ?
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