Male goblins - called nalgoblins or nals - are significantly smaller, weaker, and less aggressive than females, and possessed of considerably greater magical potential. Appearing at first glance to merely be smaller and more demure hobs, nals' male anatomy is largely internal; their testes are internal, while a nal's penis is retractable (appearing like a clitoris above the feeding canal while retracted). What appears to be a vagina and vaginal canal are actually just a feeding canal; meant to milk the penises of the males of other species so that the nal can feed, leading to a stomach rather than a uterus.

Nalgoblins possess heightened muscle control like their female counterparts, but not to nearly the same degree, and they do not produce seemingly excessive amounts of gelatin-like secretions the way females do. Instead, their feeding canals contain a series of muscular bumps and finger-like tendrils that aid feeding and help prevent premature pull-outs from the males they feed on.

Nalgoblin horns are actually a form of extrasensory organ. It allows them to sense strong magical energies as well as influence the flow of nearby magic to a limited degree. This ability is present even in males that have no magical talent. These horns are also a significant part of goblin beauty standards, with their shape and health being a factor in their attractiveness to others of their own kind. It is believed that these horns are also a factor in males' greater average talent at casting magic and their enhanced psychic abilities.

All goblins possess a weak empathic psychic ability that makes it easier to "read" those around them, and slightly weakens sexual inhibitions. For nalgoblins, this ability is significantly stronger and has an element of conscious control, allowing nals to focus their ability on specific individuals and see basic hints of their surface thoughts, though it cannot reveal exact thoughts and desires the way true mindreading can, and it can be defended against. Additionally, nals can use this ability to enhance specific feelings within other individuals to a slight degree, though this likewise can be defended against and is not true mind control - they can enhance certain desires, feelings, and emotions, but cannot in any way dictate how the subject reacts to them.

Goblins are divided into many kingdoms, which in turn are ruled by many clans and guilds. On paper, the primary ruler of these nations are goblin queens, and indeed their queens do run their kingdoms day-to-day and possess considerable political power. However, queens are chosen by a council of clan elders that are exclusively male, and it is the king of the realm that represents the clans of the kingdom, not the queen. So in practice a queen must operate within the wishes of her king in the grand scheme of things, and defers on some issues to the authority of the clan elders of the kingdom. The only matter on which a queen has effectively unquestioned authority is matters of the realm's defense.

The clans that hold much of the authority in goblin society are effectively extended family units, operating somewhat similarly to a feudal system. These clans contain the nobility of a kingdom but are not exclusively defined by it. The lowliest labourer of a clan is as much a part of it as the most powerful elders. One's authority in these clans depends as much on age as birthright, as goblins place great value on age and the wisdom that comes with it. No young goblin, not even the most highborn among them, would dare disrespect or ignore their gray shell elders, no matter how lowborn those elders might be. Advanced age is an absolute pre-requisite for the position of clan lord.

Goblin guilds control most of the economic processes in goblin society, and can be thought of as rough analogues to modern Prime World corporations. Most guilds have a complete monopoly on their given sector of operation, but are completely specialized in that sector and do not expand to others. These guilds operate everything from banks to merchant caravans to ironwork forges and quarries. The leadership of these guilds is most often made up of hobgoblins, but male guildmasters do exist. The power of goblinkind's guilds is separate from their clans, but nearly always intertwined. It is not at all unusual for, say, a clan famous for its ironworking to have monopolistic control of their kingdom's ironworking guild.