Goblins as Player Race in 5e Dungeons & Dragons - Web DM 

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Bugbear Gloomstalker Assassin Favorite Terrain: First Turn of Combat

Literally made my Goblins like the Covenant in Halo, adding Gnolls to the group as the Jackals. Goblins are Grunts, Hobgoblins are Elites, Bugbears are Brutes, Trolls are Hunters. So far has worked out great!

This goblin life-cycle idea is amazing!!! What if there's a legendary goblin out there the size of a dragon - or a tarrasque? Wait, what if that's Maglubiyet??? And he's on Acheron, and imbued with near-deific powers, he harvests goblin souls and leads them in the Blood War! And now you have a CR 25 goblin! AAAAAAAGGGH!!!!!

I love the image of goblin hordes using a Hydra as a siege weapon

Me: about to run a goblin based session this week WebDM: drops goblin video like the gods they are

My goblin races are bastardized versions of races interbred with Orcs. Orc+Human=Half-orc Orc+Elf=Hobgoblin Orc+Dwarf=Bugbear(I call them Moggs) Orc+Gnomes=Goblins

Hobgoblins worked really well in one game I was in where they were the ones ruling the empire. Our DM leaned into the Lawful, Roman-esque angle and had Hobgoblin justice being harsh, but fair, so non-hobgoblins were fine living in the empire because the Law was very well defined even if punishments were very 'eye for an eye'. Our party were foreigners, used to the idea of "the goblin horde" worshiping Maglubiyet the Conqueror, so they came into the empire expecting Genghis Khan's Mongols and found Kublai Khan's China where the gods of law and order were ascendant. Watching the last couple of months of Critical Role has been fun as the Mighty Nein run face-first into the same issue of "these aren't the villains we're looking for".

In my setting, Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears are halflings, humans, and dwarves that were mutated by experimentation. Their uniting feature is the experimentation that was done to them. Halflings lost their fearlessness but became cunning and exploitative nature of goblins. Humans lost their versatility but gained their obsession and dedication of hobgoblins. Dwarves lost their industriousness but gained the size and strength of bugbears. In turn they have made their own tribal, nomadic, or "Mongolian" clans - each with its own flavour playing into certain aspects of their races. Presently they are united under a single hobgoblin khan who is trying to finally create a genuine goblinoid empire and be recognised on the world stage as a legitimate power. One of the fun things is to actually motivate and organize bugbears into pike wielding heavy infantry - 15 foot melee range guys. Or goblins on wolf cavalry. Hobgoblin wizards and commanders. When they get together they are a force to be reckoned with.

I DM goblins as the gnome/ halfling version of orcs as if orcs are evolutionarily twisted elves in the tolkein tradition 🍻

i had the idea of a Goblin illusion wizard with the criminal background, he was a thief pre-adventure and stole his spellbook from a wizard's apprentice, and was just smart and angry enough to figure it out himself

The first game I ran, every PC was a goblin and they saved the village

Goblins are the best. I had a bard who disguised himself as an orc and infiltrated the dark army along with a few goblins that owed him their lives and from there he built his own unit inside the army that was 90% goblin 10% orcs. Goblins left their command to join his company because of the egality. In a game I game mastered I had this uberwealthy elf who had never seen a goblin. His son had stolen from a goblin shoemaker named Brillo and when the PCs took the goblin to see him, the rich man thought he was a talking cat and took him in renamed him Don Fluffito.

So glad you touched on Halo and the Covenant. That's how i run my goblinoid society. So easy to parallel that!

Hobgoblin War Wizard is a character concept I've wanted to play for months. Works best as a mid level PC: veteran of the Cohorts, the "close in fire support" for the rank and file.

Strength based rogue. Expertise athletics plus Grappler feat Grab then stab

In my camping world the word goblin means subjugated and the prefix hob means "un" making hobgoblins the un-subjugated. I depict the hobgoblins as the slave masters to the goblin race.

In the Halo analogy, if Hobgoblins are Elites (Sangheili) Goblins are the Grunts (Unggoy), then Bugbears are maybe Brutes (Jiralhanae)? Great video as always guys!

Hey it's the goblin episode I ask for!! thanks guys!!

When talking about the hobgoblins all I could think of now is a hobgoblin monk based of Iroh from Avatar. Initially a terrifying warrior/general to now an easy living hero who's reaching for enlightenment.

I have always though Hobgoblins work well with a Roman Legion type idea.

Goblinoids are fey in my campaign setting. Gives them nice flavour to make them completly different from orcs.

I've used Hobgoblins to great effect as pirate captains, sailing deep bellied ships powered/staffed by the subjugated goblins within. The vessels - serving as mobile warrens - would provide an excess of lesser goblins (slave pirates) who were thusly deposited on remote islands, tasked with creating various harbors/shipyards/settlements, or simply used as expendable cannon fodder.

*ORCBOLG HAS ENTERED THE CHAT*

In the world I run, my influence for the goblinoid races are as follows (but it changes when the Hobgoblins hear the drums of Maglubiyet): Goblins are heavily inspired by the MTG goblins. Dangerous curiosity and recklessness personified. If you don't die in a firey blaze or aren't cremated you become a lost ember, unable to rejoin the Eternal Inferno, and your soul is lost, never to be re-lit. Bugbears are what I use as boogeymen for the common folk. They creep in at night and take the young, the weak, and the frail. So rarely seen by the peasants that therey are almost a cryptid and the help and knowledge of adventurers is needed to solve the problem. They've forgotten any god or belief they once had and live on instinct. Hobgoblins are the only true followers of Maglubiyet because in my world that is their original deity. Militaristic and structured, they tend to have a disdain towards other goblinoids and focus on keeping their law in place in their territories. However oned the war drums of Maglubiyet are heard, they begin their march, and both bugbears and goblins fall in line. Bugbears using their inherent stealth to be scouts and assassins, not really needing coercion because thwy get to boss goblins around and do what they do beat when the time comes. Goblins however resent this, only falling in line in the hope that they live and their soul isn't forced into Maglubiyet's eternal war. This is when Nilbogs are born, and they tend to be the ultimate downfall of Maglubiyet's campaigns.

I like playing a hobgoblin, but I do agree that they aren't great mechanically, especially when you look at the other goblinoids who are actually pretty good. It's kind of weird that a PC hobgoblin does not synergize much at all with most martial classes. Their design works better for wizards (or mystics and artificers if your group allows UA content). But thematically, it is fun to play as someone from a highly disciplined martial society who may or may not be trusted by those around them.

Having played a Goblin Bard, I can tell you they're a blast. When I DM my home world of Tholl, the Hobgoblins are a Khanate - expert horsemen and skilled at taking down larger foes like Giants. Great topic guys!

My hobgoblins in my campaign are based off of the mongol empire of the 12th - 14th century, composed of skirmish and shock cavalry that ride on Gorevalopes, horse-sized ram creatures with claw-like hooves

I want to throw a party of artificers into my campaign and this has convinced me the battle smith will be a hobgoblin.

I like to use the Zulu's chest and horns tactics with my goblin hoards. Hundreds of quick nimble skirmishers on either wing to control the flanks. While the bugbear infantry make up the front ranks of the chest (main body), with Hobgoblin war chiefs/war priests make up the rear of the chest to control the formation.

I played a bugbear barbarian from lvl 10-20 he specialized in grappling, and would beat baddies to death with the screaming Bodies of their allies. Loved it.

I have a campaign inspired by Mad Max, and there's a motorcycle gang of Goblins called the Dune Raiders. I portray them as similar to the Gremlins. They were outcasts following the White Event, and were brought together by a Revenant named Stryder.

Loving the Pathfinder art on the thumbnail!

Hobgoblin war mage that potentially takes the medium armor feat. Breastplate and a shield do wonders for the wizard. Also the saving face feature synergies well with arcane deflection for saves.

Bonus action hide is a great way to make goblins deadly ambushers

Goblins are my favorite D&D and Pathfinder race. They have such a central place in my heart.

This portrayal of goblins kinda reminds me of the locust from gears of war

I only played the first two Halo games, but I remember loving it whenever I'd shoot in a random direction and all the grunts would just FREAK OUT and scream with their high-pitched voices. Glad I'm not the only one who kind of saw similarities between them and goblins. Also, the first D&D 5e character I ever made was a goblin bard who couldn't sing very well, but could RAP LIKE HELL... memories.

Priestess: Children? Goblin Slayer: They multiply fast. If we had waited any longer, there'd be about fifty of them, and they would've attacked. You were lucky. Priestess: Are you going to kill them? Goblin Slayer: Of course I am. They hold on to grudges for life. And the survivors of the nest learn from their mistakes and adapt. There isn't a single reason to let them live. Priestess: Even if there was a good goblin? Goblin Slayer: A good goblin? I guess there might be one if you looked really hard. But in the end, the only good goblins are the ones who never come out of their holes. 1 of my fav moments in Goblin Slayer anime.

if the Mystic and Artificers are ever made official, Hobgoblins will be perfect for those roles (alongside the wizard)

I used the goblin to bugbear life-cycle but kept it going into ogres. A player favorite. I was inspired by Monte Cooke's Giant character race where you could grow as a level-up.

Jim wants to play a wizard? Color me shocked. Next you'll tell me that Pruitt likes Samurai.

Guys, get out of my head! For real the last four videos have been about topics I was thinking about

Tommy Two-times is definitely going in my next game.

I like the idea of goblins being the ultimate survivor races, finding niches. In one of my worlds, goblins (which included kobolds and orcs) were able to get genetic material not just from their parents, but what they ate so they could fit into new terrains. Kobolds were desert goblins that had eaten enough lizards they became smaller and more reptilian. Bugbears were cold weather survivors who lived off bears, caribou and elk. Hobgoblins were smarter because...well there is a reason they were the foe of all humanity.

I love the idea of them being different stages of one species. I may steal that one. 😁

My favorite character is a goblin OH monk, Grot Snotgobbla. I just got boots of jumping and springing, bc nothing is more terrifying than an insane, green, ball of flying feet and fists.

The Hobgoblin player race also works well for Mystics.

I really want a goblin bladesinger wizard, but I dont want all the Yoda allusions

WebDM: *Says literally anything about goblins Me: Souka

Maybe just give hobgoblins medium armor proficiency as well as one free "Fighting Style" from the fighter list

I like to see Goblinoids as being the servants of the Archfey in times past. Specifically of the Unseelie court. The Seelie court had Elves and Gnomes. The Unseelie, various goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears. It gives a sense to a setting that the Feywild has left an indelible mark on the world. ... On another point, I've come up with a bunch of bugbear ideas. One is a Mastermind Rogue, that is basically Ebenezzer Scrooge if he was tall, hairy (with mutton chops), and jacked. A money lender named Nebecanezzer Scrimp, who walks around in a coat and top hat, and a set of spectacles. A black whip wrapped around his waist, from when he grew up on the streets. He got visited by some ghosts, and went adventuring as part of his effort to change his ways and become a better person. But he's still a curmudgeon, because one encounter with spooks does not instantly change a pattern of behavior developed over a lifetime. In combat, he uses his phenomenal reach to sneak attack opponents with his whip, while barking orders to his compatriots (his way of "Help"ing). The next character is a female bugbear Monk, of the Drunken Master archetype. Except instead of a typical drunken master, she was a circus clown and acrobat, whose fighting blends tomfooleries and real attacks, so opponents are never sure whether she's really lucky or really skilled.

WORGS! Please do mounted combat! There is a general atmosphere of confusion concerning mounted combat and CR/ encounter difficulty. You always give a balanced approach and this topic could use your oversight.

Heck yes! Kingdoms of Kalamar! I loved that book and my hobgoblins have always been based on that. That book just changed me for some reason lol Glad it got a shout out

Fabulous opening as always!! I have had a Hobgoblin Legion(The Blackbloods) augmented by other goblinoids as a major feature of my home brew campaign for the past year. They have continued to make a great background antagonist and it was fun to populate my encounter tables with all sorts of combos of goblinoids!!

20:24 I just realised that wizards are just magical fighters.

I usually base goblin society on the feudal Japanese. Hobgoblins are samurais. Goblins are farmers, spearmen, archers. Bugbears are ninja clans/ sumo/ Yakuza.

In my D&D world Goblins are used by the human kingdoms as expendable troops/labour

Man, Pruitt. Your Texas really came out in that intro.

If I'm playing a bugbear I'm going to play Beast Man from He-man and the Masters of the Universe

Goblins in my setting are almost insect-like; goblins are almost a,larval stage that become hobgoblins, bugbears, and other monstrosities depending on what their handler decides is needed. They're connected through pheromones, with hobgoblins being super dependant on the connection but they operate almost as one organism, and bugbears are almost removed from the connection which allows them to survive for long periods of time outside of the hive as scouts. Goblins aren't cowards really, but if they're losing the fight they're almost compelled to return to the hive with all the information they've collected.

Th goblins in my world are split into two civilizations due to a schism that happened long ago. "Northern" Goblinoids live in a highly structured caste system where Bugbears are the elites, hobgoblins are the middle class, and goblins are treated as filth and are relegated to slums. "Southern" goblins are primitive, nocturnal jungle hunters and took a no gods, no masters stance long ago. Southern goblins are a little taller and lanky (think Smegòl) and are much tougher to fight, as their homeland is close to a mountain that emits magic from the feywild. They also captured their god and sealed it away in an obsidian tomb.

Mu favorite goblin i played was Glib the Goblin, who was an arcane trickster who wouldn't steal per say, but would try and loot and conceal that loot from the rest of the party. But otherwise, he was super loyal and even sometimes self sacrificing. Goblins with invisible mage hans are fun and devious.

I've got a Strength rogue character I like. Half Orc Rogue X Fighter 3. Go Ftr-Champion for the improved Crit and Dual Wield. Put one expertise in Athletics then take the grappler feat. At this point you can pin down most humanoid opponents, attack twice each turn with advantage, a 10% crit chance on each D20, and you're most likely going to at least get your Sneak Attack every round. Strength is important, as grappling allows you to sort of bypass armor, and the rogue is especially good at it with expertise, especially when they get reliable talent. The fantasy comes from an assassin character from the Malazan Book of the Fallen series named Kalam, who basically answers the question: "What if you took a strong man type and gave him world class assassin training? Oh and by the way he has a real knack for it." This is the second time I've posted this in response to a comment from Jim about a strength rogue concept. I don't remember what video it was though.

Tommy Two-Times... I spit my drink

I’m also using Goblins in my setting as forever growing. However they are evil as they are tainted by ‘Sin’. To grow and ‘Evolve’ they must indulge in Sin as much as possible. Goblins

I love Copper the goblin in Matt Colville's game. He is using a modified beastmaster range type class with a displacer beast as a mount named "big cat". Every time an NPC asks "what manner of beast is that?" Copper just says "it's a cat, what else could it be?" as if the npc is a moron for asking.

Bugbears would be closer to the Brutes in Halo, in my opinion

I love it that in the end of the video you guys gave us a glimpse of your everyday life.

Goblins are making a comeback...sometimes, in the case of "Goblin Slayer", they dial up the horror of what they are. In the case of "Critical Role", they place one in a hero role...though this is a strange case. Currently work-shopping a goblin character...it's tricky. You could make a rogue, but some of the best features of goblin become redundant. I would say that goblins would make great skirmishers...fighters, rangers and monks. The appeal of a goblin monk who spiritually represses his violent urges holds an amusing appeal. Bards are an unconventional choice. Sword Bards gain a huge benefit to the added Disengage action. The question is how you explain a charismatic goblin...is he so charming the goblin visage doesn't matter? Maybe he specializes in aggressive music? Maybe he created grunge? Lots of fun there.

I think this is your best topic yet. I was already thinking along these lines and y’all just mapped out the background in less than 30 minutes!

I absolutely LOVE these goblin concepts!!

That intro was the best I've heard from you guys, great job!

3 years! It was three years ago that we last discussed goblins. I’m really glad you guys have come back to them to talk about the pc-ability of them all

I love your take and I realize I've felt this way without putting it in so many words. Listening to this was awesome!

4 years late to the party but I’ve been playing a goblin/tiefling wizard who has been SO MUCH fun, constant bar fights, arson and magic shenanigans abound

I love the idea that they are variants of one race or just different life stages. Awesome. Definitely adapting something like that into my home brew. LOVE THIS CHANNEL!

Love the new vid! Love the idea of the kobold and goblin PC race and always trying to figure out concepts that would work! Also great Ilmater cosplay!

I'm currently running a Goblinoid campaign. ALL of our melee characters are Goblins. The Barbarian loves taking down big things. We also have a hobgoblin wizard and a bugbear divine sorcerer. It has been an amazing campaign of randomly slaughtering villages. They have enjoyed it a lot.

I really loved the puns in the intro today! Excellent work Pruitt!!!

I just had a imagine of a goblin singing *part of that would * while looking misty eyed from the shadows over a city

On my homebrew continent of Grakoa, hobgoblins make up the majority of the population, as the largest country is primarily made up of them. Way back before humans or anyone else came to this landmass, goblinoid war bands roamed everywhere and fought for territory constantly. Eventually, a handful of these bands finally threw down their arms and used their intellect to build something greater, creating the kingdom of the High Arches. Now, however many thousands of years later, the High Arches has expanded to encompass about one third of the continent and also evolved into more a representative government. There are still plenty of war bands (I’ve made subraces called Artisan Hobs and Warmonger Hobs to fill these niches), but at least in Grakoa goblinoids have a much more decent reputation than the rest of the world thanks to the High Arches. Needless to say, goblinoids are some of my favorite dudes in DnD and the video is great! Glad you guys got to covering it.

I had a goblin gunslinger in pathfinder. Gave him a feat so he could use medium sized weapons. He had a massive sniper rifle he had to set up for a round, but after that he could one shot most enemies

It wasn't until the video was nearly over that I thought to look up what bugbears look like. I had been picturing something like an owlbear (but different face), and so was confused at the goblin->hobgoblin->bugbear idea for a long while. Made more sense after I looked up what they looked like

Great episode, I’m playing a goblin sword bard right now. My favorite character so far.

16:00 Goblins are grunts (the small funny ones), Bugbears are brutes (big hairy meanies), hobgoblins are elites (armored zealots), etc.

I do love the idea of the goblin warrior who just loves that great-sword and doesn't care that hes horrible at using it.

Great video! Love the Roman legions tie in, using that as soon as my players get out of my one shot dungeon.

I like a mix, some good goblinoids that are peaceful/not gonna kill people without being provoked, and the evil ones that raid, pillage and kill, and then have two (or more) separate cultures for each

Liked this video before the intro even ended. Great timing for this video!

I've always liked the homebrew idea that Goblins are these creatures that have short life cycles but because of this are extremely adaptable to their surroundings, evolving to adapt to their environment. Goblins that spend a long time on islands adapt to that, they become excellent swimmers, can hold their breath for a long time or could breathe underwater to catch fish.

That was some advanced wordplay on display in the intro sir!

I have a cleric wizard goblin who is basically a witch doctor for a foreign tribe who usurped and conquered a host of Hobgoblins. His name was Oogala Boogala because he was always high as well as angry and occasionally shouted that to try to be scary. He discovered what I lovingly refer to as a Cow-dahs. They're the mobile war platforms used to hold goblin slingers. Our cavalry unit was boars, giant goats, and a few wolves with a worg. Good times.

Goblins part 2? Goblins... Continued?

Awesome video! In my homebrew, goblins grow into hobgoblins just like you thought of. Bugbears are the result of drinking a potion or eating a specific combination of mushrooms. Then i use blue goblins as a rare mutation that control other goblins (like ethereal Tau in 40k).

The living goblin shield is awesome. You strap a living goblin to a shield for extra +1 ac and it adds some cushion to the shield. You loose the +1 when the goblin dies.

Whenever I find out one of my players wants to play a goblin in my campaigns, I get so excited. They are my favorite small playable race. So much cool opportunities with goblin pcs

I started playing a goblin barbarian in a campaign and it's a really fun space to explore. There's so much to use in terms of their culture or religions. Fellow party members or npcs may expect a vicious, tribal horde member, but then you can show them a potential misunderstood hero or cunning problem solver.

I really like reflavoring the Hob Goblin Saving Face feature as a "Power of Friendship" kinda deal, leaning hard into the cheesyness of like "With my friends at my side I will not fail!"

AAAAANd It's time for my FAVORITE monster type. Ive always treated goblins as twisted children. "Chaotic Evil" as in they're just naturally destructive in thier extreme inquisitiveness. They're the ones sprinting around the countryside, stealing goats for fun and burning things to watch the flames. they're selfish and take everything because they haven't really grasped that others have feelings and have no thought of how things are effective. they smash and kill what they don't like, and what they don't like is basically just 'whatever is stopping me from doing whatever insane thing has come to my mind. And yet, like children, if raised in an actual home instead of a pack of destructive lunatics, they can become normal people. probably a bit easily distracted, but genuinely good people. from potion sellers to gym teachers to priests, a reformed goblin can be a breath of fresh air. They're also quite clever, and my players would rather face a Trollish Warband than a decent sized goblin horde. They'll fling each other out of catapults in sometimes-functioning parachutes, roll forth in the spiked hamster balls thrown down hills, streak through the town on a wild animal chucking bombs until they forget they lit one. Their spellcasters will caster homebrewed springtrap spells to launch enemies over walls or smashing down corridors. when led by an older goblin or a band of hobgoblins, they're suddenly something my players wish they could run from screaming but know better than to let them get momentum. That shared look of nervous "What the hell did he think up this time" is what I live for as a GM. could be GRUFF THE TOUGH'S HOUSE OF BUFF returned for another round of squat contests, could be a firey warmachine as likely to backfire as it is to devastate. Who knows? :D