Goblin (/ˈɡɒblɪn/)
The Monsters of Mischief
“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.”
“Bree-Yark!”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.
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
“Sez here that 'goblinoids are obstreperous and malodorous...”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
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 TerrainBehaviour
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
InstructionsDC | 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 | - |
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 trinketsThis 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.
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
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
History
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):
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 165–166. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 133–134. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 163. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
- Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 47. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
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- Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 135. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- Larian Studios (October 2020). Designed by Swen Vincke, et al. Baldur's Gate III. Larian Studios.
- Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 278. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 139. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- Rob Heinsoo, Logan Bonner, Robert J. Schwalb (September 2008). Forgotten Realms Player's Guide. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7869-4929-8.
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- Bruce R. Cordell (September 2000). “Vs.: Goblins”. In Dave Gross ed. Dragon #275 (Wizards of the Coast), p. 106.
- Wizards RPG Team (July 2014). “Lost Mine of Phandelver”. Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 3, 7. ISBN 978-0-7869-6559-5.
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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 |
Session Reports
- Session 00: Backstories Report - Barlo
- Session 24: Dead Archfey Relic Report
- Session 37: Jacoby & Jeets at the Keep Report
- Session 38: Under the Abandoned Keep Report
- Session 39: A Father & Daughter Reunited, Briefly Report
- Session 43: The Power of Books Report
- Session 53: Lord & Lady Ceremony Report
See Also: Goblin on Forgotten Realms Wiki