Goblin (/ˈɡɒblɪn/)

The Monsters of Mischief

 
This small goblinoid, standing under 4 feet tall, has a flat face, broad nose, pointed ears, and small, sharp fangs. Its forehead is sloped back, and it has yellow eyes and yellow-green skin (skin color varies, with a tribe having the same color skin. Colors include green, yellow, orange and red.)
    Goblins are small, black-hearted, selfish humanoids that lair in caves, abandoned mines, despoiled dungeons, and other dismal settings. Individually weak, goblins gather in large-sometimes overwhelming-numbers. They crave power and regularly abuse whatever authority they obtain.   Goblinoids Goblins belong to a family of creatures called goblinoids. Their larger cousins, hobgoblins and bugbears, like to bully goblins into submission. Goblins are lazy and undisciplined, making them poor servants, laborers, and guards.   Malicious Glee. Motivated by greed and malice, goblins can't help but celebrate the few times they have the upper hand. They dance, caper with sheer joy when victory is theirs. Once their revels have ended, goblins delight in the torment of other creatures and embrace all manner of wickedness.   Leaders and Followers. Goblins are ruled by the strongest or smartest among them. A goblin boss might command a single lair, while a goblin king or queen (who is nothing more than a glorified goblin boss) rules hundreds of goblins, spread out among multiple lairs to ensure the tribe's survival. Goblin bosses are easily ousted, and many goblin tribes are taken over by Hobgoblin warlords or Bugbear chiefs.   Challenging Lairs. Goblins festoon their lairs with alarms designed to signal the arrival of intruders. Those lairs are also riddled with narrow tunnels and bolt-holes that human-sized creatures can't navigate, but which goblins can crawl through with ease, allowing them to flee or to circle around and surprise their enemies. Rat Keepers and Wolf Riders. Goblins have an affinity for rats and wolves, raising them to serve as companions and mounts, respectively. Like rats, goblins shun sunlight and sleep underground during the day. Like wolves, they are pack hunters, made bolder by their numbers. When they hunt from the backs of wolves, goblins use hit-and-run attacks.   Worshipers of Maglubiyet. Maglubiyet the Mighty One, the Lord of Depths and Darkness, is the greater god of goblinoids. Envisioned by most goblins as an eleven-foot-tall battle-scarred goblin with black skin and fire erupting from his eyes, he is worshiped not out of adoration but fear. Goblins believe that when they die in battle, their spirits join the ranks of Maglubiyet's army on the plane of Acheron. This is a "privilege" that most goblins dread, fearing the Mighty One's eternal tyranny even more than death.  
“If you want soldiers or thugs, hire hobgoblins. If you want someone clubbed to death in their sleep, hire bugbears. If you want mean little fools, hire goblins.”  
— Stalman Kilm, Slave Lord
 
“Bree-Yark!”  
— Goblin for "We surrender!" (or so they say)
  Goblins were a race of small and numerous goblinoids are common throughout Dierde, often living in underground caverns near the surface known as lairs. The race was often, though not always, dominated by other goblinoids, most commonly Hobgoblins. Goblins may have, in fact, been initially created by this related race to serve as scouts and infiltrators.   For a long time they were shunned, killed on site, etc... but in the past few hundred years there has been more acceptance of Goblins and other Goblinoids such as Bugbears.  
The Mighty Menagerie have met and fought many Goblins. Many of which were part of the Blood Hand Orcs, but there have been a few they've come across in civilized lands as well.  

  A subterranean folk, goblins can be found in every corner of the multiverse, often beside their bugbear and hobgoblin kin. Long before the god Maglubiyet conquered them, early goblins served in the court of the Queen of Air and Darkness, one of the Feywild's archfey. Goblins thrived in her dangerous domain thanks to a special boon from her—a supernatural knack for finding the weak spots in foes larger than themselves and for getting out of trouble. Goblins brought this fey boon with them to worlds across the Material Plane, even if they don't remember the fey realm they inhabited before Maglubiyet's rise. Now many goblins pursue their own destinies, escaping the plots of both archfey and gods.  
Ability Scores: Dex +2; Str -2 / Dex +2; Con +1 / Choose one of: (a) Choose any +2; choose any other +1 (b) Choose three different +1   Size: Small   Speed: 30 ft.  
 

Traits

Age.
Goblins reach adulthood at age 8 and live up to 60 years.
Size.
Goblins are between 3 and 4 feet tall and weigh between 40 and 80 pounds. Your size is Small.
Darkvision.
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Fury of the Small.
When you damage a creature with an attack or a spell and the creature's size is larger than yours, you can cause the attack or spell to deal extra damage to the creature. The extra damage equals your level. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Nimble Escape.
You can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of your turns.
Languages.
You can speak, read, and write Common and Goblin.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Goblins were a race of small and numerous goblinoids common throughout Toril, often living in underground caverns near the surface known as lairs. The race was often, though not always, dominated by other goblinoids, most commonly hobgoblins. Goblins may have, in fact, been initially created by this related race to serve as scouts and infiltrators.   Description
“Sez here that 'goblinoids are obstreperous and malodorous...”  
— Booyagh Piddle, reading from On Goblins: My Life Among the Conquering Host.
  Goblins usually stood between 3′4″‒3′8″ (1‒1.1 m) and weighed about 40‒55 lb (18‒25 kg) on average. They had flat faces, sloped back forehead, broad noses, pointed ears, and small, sharp fangs. and their eyes varied in color from red to yellow. Their skin color ranged from yellow through any shade of orange to a deep red, though they also came in shades of green. All members of the same tribe normally shared the same skin color   Goblins typically dressed in dark leathers soiled by poor hygiene and colored in a similar range of tones to their skin.  

Sub-Races

Bakemono:
Goblins native to Kara-Tur.
Batiri:
A subtype of goblins from the jungles of Chult.
Dekanter:
Horned goblins from the mines of Dekanter.
Grodd:
Goblins trapped in the demiplane of Grodd.
Nilbog:
An impish type of goblin affected by nilbogism.

Genetics and Reproduction

Biology

Goblins bred extremely rapidly compared with many other races, accounting for their large population.

Growth Rate & Stages

The average lifespan of a 5e goblin is 40-60 years. They reach adulthood at age 8, and their lifespan is shorter than that of humans. This is likely due to their small size and physical constitution. However, there are some goblins who live longer than average, up to 70 years old. These goblins are typically those who live in relatively safe and stable environments, such as goblin strongholds or human cities.

Ecology and Habitats

Homelands

Goblins often inhabitated temperate plains, though many were also known to live in caverns or underground.   Environment: Forest Terrain, Grassland Terrain, Hill Terrain, Underdark Terrain

Behaviour

Personality

Like other goblinoids, goblins often had a short temper, and were more easily provoked than individuals of most other races. They often found it difficult to overcome this short fuse, and had a sense of greed that made it difficult for them to act altruistically. They also generally took sadistic pleasure in exacting revenge once crossed.   Young goblins were taught from an early age to rely only on themselves, and that to survive, they needed to be aggressive and ruthless. To a goblin, it didn't seem logical to treat others as well or better than you would treat yourself; rather, they believed in preemptively removing potential rivals before they could become a threat. Expatriated goblins would sometimes try to recreate the circumstances of their culture, preying on the weaknesses of others in non-goblin communities.   Despite their generally poor reputation however, not all goblins were dim-witted or evil. Some goblins have risen to become heroes, gaining enough renown to be accepted into the civilized world of other, more commonly good races. Those goblins seeking this path may have found it difficult to overcome their temper and greed, as well as the cultural influence of their brethren, but those who did often found it could be more rewarding, in the long run at least, to serve good rather than to serve evil. Those that did often made use of their ill-gained talents as rogues or fighters.  

Combat

Being bullied by bigger, stronger creatures had taught goblins to exploit what few advantages they had, namely sheer numbers and malicious ingenuity. They favored ambushes, overwhelming odds, dirty tricks, and any other edges they could devise, the concept of a fair fight being meaningless in their society.   Goblins were an elusive and nimble race, which enabled them to slip away from danger more easily than most. In combat, goblins often used this advantage to sneak up on enemies and deal them a blow from hiding and then slip away before they could be retaliated against.   When they had superior numbers in battle, goblins would attempt to flank lone combatants. Retreat or surrender was their general response to being outmatched.   Goblins were often known to fight with military picks, morningstars, short swords, slings, and spears.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Society

Goblin society was tribal by nature, generally led by the strongest (and sometimes smartest) around, who normally had access to the best weapons. Leaders among the race often came to power through betrayal or aggression rather than by more peaceful means, or as clerics of the goblin gods. Because of the violent nature of goblin culture, it was not uncommon for goblins to come under the domination of individuals from a larger, more physically powerful culture, most typically larger goblinoids such as hobgoblins or bugbears.   Goblins had little concept of privacy, living and sleeping in large communal areas with only the leaders living separately in their own private chambers. As such, goblin lairs were often stinking or soiled, though easily defended when under assault and layered with simple traps for such purposes. The innermost chambers of goblin lairs were usually the most densely-populated and well-defended. Goblin settlements were often filled with young goblin children, partially due to gender roles, though young goblins did not outnumber adults since their lives were often at least as dangerous as their forebears.   The gender roles of goblin society had the dominant males sustain the community through raiding and stealing, sneaking into lairs, villages, and even towns by night to take what they could (and if supplies ran short they were willing to eat sentients, including each other). Goblin females meanwhile were expected to birth as many children as possible to sustain a population constantly driven down by violence. Many goblins who left for a life among other races were females, driven away by the rigidly structured role they were expected to play.   Some goblin tribes were not above waylaying travelers on the road or in forests and stripping them of their possessions. Goblins sometimes captured slaves to perform hard labor in the tribe's lair or camp.  

Notable tribes

Biting Ant:
A tribe of goblins from Chult.
Broken Dagger:
A tribe of goblins from the northern part of the Vast Swamp.
Cragmaw Tribe:
A tribe dwelling in the region around the Neverwinter Wood.
Rustbone Tribe:
A tribe dwelling in the Arcane Chambers of Undermountain.
Scimitar:
Another swamp-dwelling band from the central part of the Vast Swamp in Cormyr.

Uses, Products & Exploitation


Harvesting

Instructions
Instructions: Because this creature is an Humanoid, the player should roll a Medicine Check using the DCs in the table below. On a success, the player is able to harvest the item. On a failure, the item cannot be harvested (either because the character is not skilled enough, or because the item is ruined). The DM should note that many of the items have an expiration, and can not be sold or used after the expiration has passed.
 
  Type: Humanoid   Skill: Medicine  
DC Item Description Value Weight Expiration Crafting
5 Goblin Ear (x2) Goblin ears have little use. However, most communities will take the ears as proof of killing the creature, and pay a small bounty. 5 cp 1 lb. 14 days -
  Most Crafting Items have an acronym associated with it, such as "DMG". These acronyms refer to specific guide Books. For example, "DMG" refers to the "Dungeon Master's Guide". The acronyms for HHH and HHH2 refer to Hamund's Harvesting Handbook, a homebrew harvesting guide that offers a variety of homebrew (not official) magic items.  
This kind of creature may carry a few coins. This kind of creature may have a small hoard. This character usually carries: 1 Scimitar, 1 Shortbow, 1d6 Arrows, 1 Quiver, 1 Leather, 1 Shield Random loot, generally very little. they can be carrying weapons and armor which could range in quality and abilities.  
Possible Trinkets
Possible trinkets
1d20 Item Weight Value
1 1 jar of pickled fingers 5 lb. 1 sp
2 1 pouch of grubs (alive) 2 lb. 3 sp
3 1 waterskin full of filthy rainwater 5 lb. 2 sp
4 1 necklace of various teeth 1 lb. 3 sp
5 1 gnawed dog's ear -- --
6 1 stolen coin pouch (14 sp worth of coins) 1 lb. 14 sp
7 1 pouch of rib bones, carved into crude tools 1 lb. 8 sp
8 1 rope, woven from human hair (20 ft.) 5 lb. 3 sp
9 1 pouch of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal (gunpowder) 5 lb. 1 gp
10 1 small bone earring with a tiny skull -- 1 cp
11 1 jar of animal entrails 5 lb. 5 cp
12 1 squirrel carcass, that looks like it has makeup on its face -- --
13 1 heavy rock, painted with a yellow target, splattered with blood 10 lb. --
14 1 rabbit's foot, chewed at the ankle -- 2 cp
15 1 leather hat, covered in colorful patches 2 lb. 2 sp
16 1 parchment with a crude drawing of a trap design -- --
17 1d4 decomposing fish head(s) -- --
18 1d4 small animal carcass(es) 1 lb. 1 sp
19 1d4 vial(s) of war paint 1 lb. 2 sp
20 1d6 crude lockpicks (single use) -- 5 cp
 
 
  This creature produces 1-4 pieces of Harvested Meat, weight total of 4-16 lb. DC: 5, Expire: 1 day, Value: 2-8 sp   There is a stigma to eating meat belonging to sentient creatures that have a humanoid form and features. Harvesting the meat may be frowned upon and even considered cannibalism. Some communities may refuse to buy the meat (and some evil communities may pay a premium). The meat may even be difficult to eat, or unedible. Of course, these are all up to the Dungeon Master to decide.

Civilization and Culture

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Languages

Besides the Ghukliak, some goblins were known to be capable of speaking Orcish or Yipyak. Most Goblinoids can speak and understand Goblinish.

History

Goblins are the most numerous of all the Goblinoids. The Goblinoids all were once of the Feywild, and distinct races.   Now that we've answered what creature type they were before becoming the Goblinoids, we need to answer another question: what type of Fey they were? To me, the answer is clearly Unseelie, because the distinction between the two Fey Courts generally falls into "If they're pretty, they're Seelie, if they're ugly, they're Unseelie", making the all of the Goblinoid races fall pretty easily into having ancestors from the Unseelie Fey. Now, there is more to being an Unseelie Fey than just being ugly, but most of the other notable traits of the Unseelie Fey (excessively cruel, slavers, malicious pranksters) also match up well with what we know of Goblinoids.   Furthermore, while this was almost definitely not intentional, there are way more Seelie Archfey that have been named in D&D products than Unseelie (this also predates 5e). There's Queen Titania, King Oberon, their three Daughters of Delight (that were corrupted by the Prince of Frost, but still count), Nathair, Skerrit, Verenestra, Damh, and more. For the Unseelie Archfey, there's only the Queen of Air and Darkness and Nintra Siotta (there's a few others that might be in the court, but aren't explicitly stated to be, like Baba Yaga, the Prince of Frost, and Neifion). With so few Unseelie Archfey listed, one has to question "why?", and the Goblinoids possibly having roots in the Unseelie Court provides an in-universe answer to that. Maglubiyet killed them. If the Goblinoids used to be their own races, members of the various types of Fey in the Feywild, followers of the Unseelie Court's Archfey, and we combine that with what we know of how Maglubiyet conquered the Goblinoids . . . it's pretty clear what happened to the rest of the Unseelie Archfey.   Maglubiyet killed most of them, and adopted the few survivors that defected into his own pantheon. If this were true, Khurgorbaeyag (the sole survivor of the old Goblin pantheon), Hruggek and Grankhul (the last two gods of the old Bugbear pantheon), Nomog-Geaya, and Bargrivyek (the only two survivors of the old Hobgoblin pantheon), and possibly even Maglubiyet, all used to be Archfey of the Unseelie Court.   Side Note: We know of precisely one god from the old Goblinoid pantheons that Maglubiyet killed; the prankster spirit that is the vestige of a former Goblin god of trickery that creates Nilbogs. We don't know their name, but know that they were a god of trickery, are now a vestige that can possess any goblin, but chooses only the most unhinged/unruly goblins in its clan, and is trying to cause disorder and chaos amongst Maglubiyet's ranks to get back for his conquest of the original Goblin pantheon. This god sound a lot like an Archfey, being a chaotic trickster spirit out for revenge against another that has wronged them. Maglubiyet is Lawful Evil and despises chaos, and Archfey are notable for their chaotic behavior, which further explains why Maglubiyet left so few members of the previous pantheons of the Goblinoids alive (and also why he now wants to conquer the Orcs, who are known for being Chaotic Evil).   As a summary, the Goblinoids were probably Fey of the Unseelie Court before Maglubiyet came in, murdered their pantheons (the Unseelie Archfey), completely changed their culture and nature (turning them into humanoids as a way to "tame" them and get the more chaotic elements from their fey nature out of them), and turned them into a minions that he uses in his battle against the Orcs and their pantheon to try and conquer and "tame" even more races.   (The names of the different races also probably changed from the time that they were Fey to the present day, due to Maglubiyet erasing their cultural heritage and changing their fundamental nature. I personally use "Gremlin" as the fey version of Goblins, "Hob" for the fey version of Hobgoblins, and "Boggart" for the fey version of Bugbears, but none of this is supported in any official 5e books and is purely my own headcanon.)

Common Myths and Legends

Religion

Goblins primarily worshiped members of the goblinoid pantheon, such as Maglubiyet in particular, who inspired them with his feats of strength and treachery. Following the Spellplague and prior to the Second Sundering, however, the power of the Black Lord Bane grew and extended his power over Maglubiyet, making the goblin god one of his exarchs. Following the Second Sundering, goblins again worshiped deities such as Maglubiyet and Khurgorbaeyag.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Relationships

Goblins were often considered little more than a nuisance. They did not get along well with most other races and were particularly suspicious of other goblinoids. Goblins had a somewhat ambivalent relationship with orcs and half-orcs, whom they'd work with on occasion, but the only true allies of the goblin race were worgs, who often acted as mounts and fighting companions for goblins.   Goblins had particularly adverse relations with dwarves, gnomes, and Tel-quessir.   Some were known to domesticate huge wolves.

Sources
Source(s):
 
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Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Animalia, Materia (dryadalis), humanoidus, Bipedia, Goblinoid (Goblin)
Origin/Ancestry
Humanoid (Monster Goblinoid | Goblin)
Lifespan
40-60 years
Conservation Status
Long ago Goblins and other Goblinoids were attacked on sight as they were often the aggressors, however the past two thousand years or so have seen goblins finding some acceptance, more so in larger cities. However, there is still discrimination and disappearances of goblins all the time as well as attacks outside of city walls. Many places still don't consider the murder of a goblin the same as the murder of others.   Granted, goblins can be very territorial and generally they do not seek permission to camp in some regions that can be problematic for those who claim those lands as their own.
Average Height
3′4″‒3′8″ (1‒1.1 m)
Average Weight
40‒55 lb (18‒25 kg)

5E Statistics
Goblin

 
Size Small
Type Humanoid
Tag(s) Goblinoid
Alignment Neutral Evil
Challenge Rating Goblin (1/4)
Goblin Chief/Boss (1)

General Information

Patron Deity Maglubiyet
Vision Darkvision
Average Lifespan 40-60 years
Subraces Batiri
Dekanter
Grodd
Nilbog
Favored Climate Temperate
Favored Terrain Plains

Appearance

Average Height ~4'
Average Weight ~60 lbs.
Skin Color(s) Yellow to Red, mostly green
Eye Color(s) Yellow to red
Distinctions Short, agile, flat face, persuasive personality, stealthy, deceitful, small fangs, pointed ears

History

First Appearance Chainmail

 
See Also: Goblin on Forgotten Realms Wiki

MM, page 166. Also found in LMoP; PotA; SKT; TftYP; ToA; WDH; WDMM; GoS; BGDIA; ERLW; RMBRE; EGW; IDRotF; TCE; WBtW; CRCotN; DSotDQ. Available in the SRD.

Goblin CR: 1/4 (50 XP)

Small humanoid (goblinoid), neutral evil
Armor Class: 15 (leather armor, shield)
Hit Points: 7
Speed: 30 ft

STR

8 -1

DEX

14 +2

CON

10 +0

INT

10 +0

WIS

8 -1

CHA

8 -1

Skills: Stealth +6   Proficiency Bonus +2
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 9
Languages: Goblin, Common
Challenge Rating: 1/4 (50 XP)

Nimble Escape. The goblin can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of its turns.

Actions

Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.   Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

Goblins are small, black-hearted, selfish humanoids that lair in caves, abandoned mines, despoiled dungeons, and other dismal settings. Individually weak, goblins gather in large-sometimes overwhelming-numbers. They crave power and regularly abuse whatever authority they obtain.   Goblinoids Goblins belong to a family of creatures called goblinoids. Their larger cousins, hobgoblins and bugbears, like to bully goblins into submission. Goblins are lazy and undisciplined, making them poor servants, laborers, and guards.   Malicious Glee. Motivated by greed and malice, goblins can't help but celebrate the few times they have the upper hand. They dance, caper with sheer joy when victory is theirs. Once their revels have ended, goblins delight in the torment of other creatures and embrace all manner of wickedness.   Leaders and Followers. Goblins are ruled by the strongest or smartest among them. A goblin boss might command a single lair, while a goblin king or queen (who is nothing more than a glorified goblin boss) rules hundreds of goblins, spread out among multiple lairs to ensure the tribe's survival. Goblin bosses are easily ousted, and many goblin tribes are taken over by Hobgoblin warlords or Bugbear chiefs.   Challenging Lairs. Goblins festoon their lairs with alarms designed to signal the arrival of intruders. Those lairs are also riddled with narrow tunnels and bolt-holes that human-sized creatures can't navigate, but which goblins can crawl through with ease, allowing them to flee or to circle around and surprise their enemies. Rat Keepers and Wolf Riders. Goblins have an affinity for rats and wolves, raising them to serve as companions and mounts, respectively. Like rats, goblins shun sunlight and sleep underground during the day. Like wolves, they are pack hunters, made bolder by their numbers. When they hunt from the backs of wolves, goblins use hit-and-run attacks.   Worshipers of Maglubiyet. Maglubiyet the Mighty One, the Lord of Depths and Darkness, is the greater god of goblinoids. Envisioned by most goblins as an eleven-foot-tall battle-scarred goblin with black skin and fire erupting from his eyes, he is worshiped not out of adoration but fear. Goblins believe that when they die in battle, their spirits join the ranks of Maglubiyet's army on the plane of Acheron. This is a "privilege" that most goblins dread, fearing the Mighty One's eternal tyranny even more than death.  
“If you want soldiers or thugs, hire hobgoblins. If you want someone clubbed to death in their sleep, hire bugbears. If you want mean little fools, hire goblins.”  
— Stalman Kilm, Slave Lord
 
“Bree-Yark!”  
— Goblin for "We surrender!" (or so they say)

Suggested Environments

Environment: Forests, Grasslands, Hills, Underdark

This species has multiple parents, only the first is displayed below.
All parents: