Hobgoblin

Standing as tall as a human, this muscular, gray-skinned creature peers about with tiny, observant eyes.

Originally created from the unions of goblinoids with either humans or sometimes elves they are more aggressive and organized. They wage perpetual war on other humanoids. Standing slightly taller than humans, they are hairy and burly Hobgoblins’ hair color ranges from long gray, white, brown to black hair. They have gray to olive-colored skin. Hobgoblins’ eyes are are usually brown, green or sometimes hazel. Their garments tend to be brightly colored, often blood red with black-tinted leather. Their weaponry is kept polished and in good repair.

Hobgoblins are militaristic and fecund, a combination that makes them quite dangerous in some regions. They breed quickly, replacing fallen members with new soldiers and keeping up their numbers despite the fortunes of war. They generally need little reason to declare war, but more often than not that reason is to capture new slaves—life as a slave in a hobgoblin lair is brutal and short, and new slaves are always needed to replace those who fall or are eaten.

Of all the goblinoid races, the hobgoblin is by far the most civilized. They see the larger and more solitary bugbears as tools to be hired and used where appropriate, usually for specific missions involving assassination and stealth, and look upon their smaller goblin kin with a mix of shame and frustration. Hobgoblins admire goblin tenacity, yet their miniscule kindred’s unpredictable nature and fondness for fire make them unwelcome additions to hobgoblin tribes or settlements. Nonetheless, most hobgoblin tribes include a small group of goblins, typically squatting in the most undesirable corners of the settlement.

Many hobgoblin tribes combine their love of warfare with keen intellects. The science of siege engines, alchemy, and complex feats of engineering fascinate most hobgoblins, and those who are particularly skilled are treated as heroes and invariably secure high-ranking positions in the tribe. Slaves with analytical minds are quite valued, and as such raids on dwarven cities are commonplace.

It is well known that hobgoblins mistrust and even despise magic, particularly arcane magic. Their shamans are treated with a mix of fear and respect, and are usually forced to live alone on the fringes of the tribe’s lair. It is all but unheard of to find a hobgoblin practicing arcane magic, or as hobgoblins call it, “elf magic.” This is the root of their hatred of magic—the hobgoblins’ hatred of elves.

A hobgoblin stands 5 feet tall and weighs 160 pounds.

Hobgoblins speak Goblin and Common.

Most hobgoblins encountered outside their homes are warriors; the information in the statistics block is for one of 1st level.

Source(s) 3.5E Monster Manual I, 3E Monster Manual I, 3E Player’s Handbook, Dragon#309, Monstrous Compendium Volume 1, 1E Monster Manual 1, Basic Boxed Set, Rules Cyclopedia, Tales of the Lance, Classic D&D Game, Monstrous Manual, Introduction to AD&D

Hobgoblin, 1st-Level Warrior
Medium Humanoid (Goblinoid)
Hit Dice	1d8+2 (6 hp)
Initiative	+1
Speed	30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class	15 (+1 Dexterity, +3 studded leather, +1 light shield), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple	+1/+2
Attack	longsword +2 melee (1d8+1/19-20) or javelin +2 ranged (1d6+1)
Full Attack	longsword +2 melee (1d8+1/19-20) or javelin +2 ranged (1d6+1)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	–
Special Qualities	Darkvision 60 ft.
Saves	Fort +4, Ref +1, Will -1
Abilities	Strength 13, Dexterity 13, Constitution 14, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 9, Charisma 8
Skills	Hide +3, Listen +2, Move Silently +3, Spot +2
Feats	Alertness
Environment	Warm hills
Organization	Gang (4-9), band (10-100 plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level squire per 20 adults and 1 Knight of 4th-6th level), warband (10-24), or tribe (30-300 plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level squire per 20 adults, 1 or 2 Knights of 4th or 5th level, 1 Lord of 6th-8th level, 6–12 leopards, and 1-4 ogres or 1-2 trolls)
Challenge Rating	1/2
Treasure	Standard
Alignment	Usually lawful evil
Advancement	By character class
Level Adjustment	+1

Combat

These creatures have a strong grasp of strategy and tactics and are capable of carrying out sophisticated battle plans. Under the leadership of a skilled strategist or tactician, their discipline can prove a deciding factor. Hobgoblins hate elves  and attack them first, in preference to other opponents.

Skills Hobgoblins have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.

The hobgoblin warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Strength 13, Dexterity 11, Constitution 12, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 9, Charisma 8.

Hobgoblin Characters

Relics & Rituals: Excalibur

© 2004 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. Distributed for Sword and Sorcery Studios by White Wolf Publishing, Inc.

By Evan Jamieson, Lizard, Aaron Rosenberg, Christina Stiles and Relics & Rituals:Excalibur team

“So sir knight, you will not remove your helmet? “asked the king. “Even if it is considered disrespectful?”

“No, your majesty.”replied Sir Tavok, “I mean no disrespect, but if I were to doff my helm, babies would start crying while people hid their faces and ran to their homes.”

From the bards tale – Story of the GoodKnight

Hobgoblin is not quite a race unto itself. Created from the unions of goblins with either humans or sometimes elves, hobgoblins frequently face a hardlife from the day they are born. Still, being strong and cunning, most hobgoblin look for ways to improve their lives, and get revenge on those who mistreat them. While many try to gain the acceptance of their human or sidhe parents, most end up understanding that it seldom happens. To survive, hobgoblins often have to create their own place in society using not only force, but their intellect as well.

Personality:

Most hobgoblins are suspicious, gruff, impatient with other people and bully those they feel are weak. Hobgoblins respect power, whether it is skill with a sword, magic or the ability to command a large group of people. Hobgoblins act much more composed and formal around people they consider successful and often try to learn the methods those people used to become powerful.

Most hobgoblins view power as a means of gaining security and respect, which are things they have little of living on the edges of society. Being mortal, most hobgoblins want to gain power quickly and are not interested in long and complex routes to achieve this end. Hobgoblins are very impatient and often look for swift results that get them what they want.

Hobgoblins have a difficult time making friends but are usually loyal to the friends they do have. Those people who befriend hobgoblins often have to be careful that they are not simply being used by the hobgoblins.

Obtaining good weapons and armor is important to hobgoblins, but gaining large amounts of wealth is not. Hobgoblins believe that having wealth doesn’t always win respect, and gold can be lost as easily as it is gained. Most hobgoblins see wealth only as a tool and not something to be hoarded.

While many hobgoblin yearn to be knights, few are skilled in the art of sword fighting. Instead most hobgoblin use greataxes, Scythes and heavy maces in combat. Hobgoblins can use longbows and crossbows, but prefer spears and javelins for ranged attacks. Hobgoblins aren’t often tactically skilled with magic, so they usually use magic only to attack an enemy at range. Hobgoblin knights are fearsome to behold on the battlefield to friend and foe alike. hobgoblins are generally fearless in combat, and are known for trying to defeat as many opponents as possible. Hobgoblin knights enjoy demonstrating their abilities and vanquishing many enemies in front of other human and sidhe knights in a form of one-upmanship.

Races that have fought against or along side hobgoblins tend to view their typical fighting style as grandiose and risky. The truth is that hobgoblins carefully choose when and where to enter a battle, looking for weaknesses in the enemy and then quickly exploiting them. Other knights note that hobgoblins often join a fight only after the enemy is fully engaged and then choose adversaries that are easy for them to deal with, leaving the more difficult enemies for their allies to defeat. Many knights question how honorable these tactics are, and those hobgoblin knights who have developed a reputation for pragmatism are not given much respect.

Physical Description:

Other races do not see hobgoblins frequently, so they usually have a strong reaction when a hobgoblin arrives in a town or village. Part of this is due to the tall ,well-built hobgoblin physique; they average around 6 feet tall, with a lean and ropy build. Their features are classically ‘goblinish,’ with long and pointed ears and noses, sharp chins,and wide mouths. Hobgoblins have gray to olive-colored skin, and long gray, white, brown or black hair. Their eyes are usually brown, green or sometimes hazel. Even those hobgoblins with elf blood tend to be considered ugly by other races, so they try to avoid unneeded social contact or wear their helmets except when eating and sleeping.

Despite sometimes having fae parents, no hobgoblin has difficulty wearing iron armor. Being part fae has not given the hobgoblin an extended lifespan. Like most mortals, hobgoblin usually live 50 to 75 years.

Hobgoblin take great pains to keep their appearance as neat as possible. While their clothing and equipment are often second hand, they take good care of their things and often try to improve them if they can. Those hobgoblins who have good armor and weapons keep them in excellent condition. Hobgoblin knights often arrive at tournaments wearing ornate and well-polished armor, a contrast to their goblinish features, even those given to black-lacquered or red-stained armor.

Relations:

Most races view hobgoblins as cursed, deformed or wicked beings that associate with devils. Tales of hobgoblin curdling milk, causing animals to behave strangely, and making children sick are common in many communities. Stories aside, other races mostly tolerate the presence of hobgoblin in their communities and would rather quickly bargain with a hobgoblin than try to force him to leave; their money is good, and their blades are sharp, so better not to provoke them. Hobgoblins go only to those settlements that have traded with them in the past. A wandering hobgoblin is usually looking to trade or hear news about events in which they might be able to take part.

Most civilized human, towns let hobgoblin trade, but do not like them staying around for long periods of time. fey are more tolerant of hobgoblins and are often willing to teach skills and magic in return for assistance in defending their settlements and with physical labor. Having experienced the similar intolerance, they empathize with what the hobgoblins have to deal with, and in the past some have tried to welcome them into their settlements.The results haven’t always been positive. As many soon realize that while hobgoblins have either human or sidhe blood, their attitudes toward life more often mirror the darker outlook of their goblin parents, which makes many who try to help them uneasy.

Hobgoblins have an easier time dealing with races that respect brute strength. Most hobgoblins feel that associating with these races is beneath them, and hobgoblin often join in attacks against barbarians as a way of improving their status among the more civilized peoples. hobgoblin don’t like associating with orcs and half-orcs but they tolerate the presence of goblins, Halflings and other fae races. Small goblin bands sometimes form around hobgoblins for protection. Halflings who have had bad experiences with other races sometimes work with hobgoblins to get revenge against people who treated them poorly.

Alignment:

Hobgoblins are often inclined toward lawful behavior, and see a code of honor as a ladder they can climb to increase their reputation and power. Many hobgoblins don’t realize the efforts it may take to reach the next step. Hobgoblins lose patience and become resentful as it takes longer for them to achieve the status they feel they deserve. Hobgoblins also feel that human and sidhe knights do not have to work as hard as hobgoblins have to in order to gain respect.

Most hobgoblin respond to this by looking for short cuts and easy ways of gaining status. Many hobgoblins don’t see these shortcuts as dishonorable, justifying their tricks by saying that both sidhe and humans knights hold the hobgoblin to an impossible standard in order to prevent them from getting the recognition they deserve. These shortcuts include using magic and potions in tournaments against higher-ranking opponents. Hobgoblins also try arranging duels with other knights under conditions that are favorable to themselves. Some hobgoblins start rumors and tell tales to destroy the reputation of a rival knight or squire. Other knights consider these hobgoblins evil or dishonorable and often challenge their right to carry a sword.

Other hobgoblins decide to create their own codes that they feel are fairer to them and reflect the values that hobgoblins cherish. A few agree to follow the true codes of chivalry without any shortcuts and accept that they may never attain the level of status they desire. Hobgoblins are a hard group to stereotype; even if most of them seem to be inclined toward evil, many still choose a more honorable road.

Hobgoblin Lands:

Few hobgoblin control any territory, and those few that do are usually lords of small keeps or towns. Landed hobgoblin often become so by taking up residence in abandoned castles or in towns despoiled by raiders. Some agree to protect a town in return for access to goods and services, though most towns that make such offers to hobgoblin do so only because other knights have refused to help them.

The majority of hobgoblin holdings are along the borders of barbarian lands, but some exist in dark woods. Keeps known to be hobgoblin holdings are places people try to avoid. Goblins and other dark creatures often populate the area around hobgoblin holds. Rumors tell of some hobgoblin lords leaving meat and other foodstuffs in the forests near their castles to encourage creatures like giant spiders, dire wolves, and ogres or trolls to live there. Robber knights, bandits and other criminals often associate with hobgoblin lords. Some hobgoblin-ruled towns actively trade in goods stolen from other areas. Hobgoblin lords also train young hobgoblins who have demonstrated enough skill as fighters to become squires.

Most hobgoblins don’t really care that much about land management; they are only interested in making sure the local population supplies what the hobgoblin needs. Some hobgoblins do spend resources on fortifications including traps, magical defenses and making their castles look  intimidating. Landless hobgoblin usually wander around the lands seeking employment. Hobgoblins who have given up trying to work with other races become robber knights and bandits. Many hobgoblin use the rise of the High King to increase their power and prestige with other races. While several black knights earn their reputations by helping to oppose the High King.

Religion:

Hobgoblins tend to offer their faith to gods or saints of battle and valor, as they believe that battle is the surest way to achieve their goals (for good or ill). Most hobgoblins worship Balor, god of war and slaughter. Those hobgoblin who believe more in the common good worship Morrigann, god of war and valor (or both).

Languages:

Hobgoblin have no language of their own. They usually speak the tongue of the Realm, although many learn the tongue of their goblin parents or the Sylvan spoken by elven ancestors, and some learn the languages of other races in the practice of courting strange allies.

Names:

Hobgoblins like names that sound strong and intimidating. Most hobgoblin don’t like the elven or human names they are given as children, and change them when they become adults.

Male Names:

Angrule, Balin, Garlon, Helbrea, Othmok, Saladen, Skraeth, Warok, Tethbec, Valmung

Female Names:

Asfollen, Brithmaur, Dessetra, Gritha, Hecceri, Ilmeth, Maungra, Morriblu, Sedlirr, Tanigaur, Velgess

Adventurers:

Hobgoblin frequently begin adventuring at a younger age than most other races because they can no longer stay with their parents. Early on hobgoblin adventure to meet their basic needs, but later in life learning new skills, magic or getting a better piece of equipment is more important to hobgoblins than just eking out a living. Hobgoblins often limit or even stop their adventuring after having established a reputation or become a landholder. At this point most hobgoblin are interested only in heroic sorts of adventures that increase their status or prestige.

• +2 Dexterity,
  +2 Constitution,
  – 2 Charisma Hobgoblins inherit a sinewy grace from their fae heritage, but have difficulty expressing themselves and being accepted.
• Medium: hobgoblin are Medium creatures,and gain no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• A hobgoblin’s base land speed is 30 feet.
• Darkvision: hobgoblin can see up to 60 ft in total darkness. Images appear in black and white.
• +1 racial bonus on saving throws againstspells and spell-like effects.
• +4 racial bonus to Move Silently
• +2 racial bonus to Hide and Listen checks. hobgoblin inherit a portion of cunning from their goblin parents.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Goblin.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Infernal, Giant, Orc. Hobgoblin may learn the languagesof their parents, or of their neighbors, but have relatively few opportunities to learn other languages growing up.
• Favored Class Fighter. Hobgoblin fighters are quick and dangerous opponents, striking with uncanny speed.
• Level adjustment +1.