Hobgoblins

A hobgoblin warlord pointing.

War horns sound, stones fly from catapults, and the thunder of a thousand booted feet echoes across the land as hobgoblins march to battle.

Hobgoblins belong to a family of creatures called goblinoids.

## Physiology

Hobgoblins have dark orange or red-orange skin, and hair ranging from dark red-brown to dark gray. Yellow or dark brown eyes peer out beneath their beetling brows, and their wide mouths sport sharp teeth. A hobgoblin might have a large blue or red nose, a symbol of power among hobgobinkind.

Hobgoblins can live about as long as humans..

## Common Personality Traits

Hobgoblins measure virtue by physical strength and martial prowess, caring about little besides the opportunity to demonstrate skill and cunning in battle.

Hobgoblins have a strong grasp of tactics and discipline, and can carry out sophisticated battle plans under the direction of a strategically minded leader. However, they hate elves and attack them first in battle over any other opponents, even if doing so would be a tactical error.

## Society

Hobgoblins of high military rank attain their positions by proving they are the strongest among the strong in battle.

Hobgoblins train to fight with a variety of weapons, and have great skill at crafting arms, armor, siege engines, and other military devices. Organized and disciplined, they take exceptional care of their weapons, armor, and personal possessions. They favor the bold colors associated with their tribes, and trim their often-elaborate uniforms with blood-red piping and leather dyed black.

Hobgoblins typically organize themselves into tribal bands known as legions. In their martial society, every hobgoblin has a rank, from the powerful leaders and champions, to the rank-and-file foot soldiers. A legion is headed by a warlord with several captains serving under its command. A hobgoblin warlord is a cunning, powerful leader, more interested in strategy, victory, glory, reputation, and dominion than leading troops into battle.

Legions often supplement their ranks with troops made up of other races, including goblins, bugbears, orcs, humans, ogres, and giants.

#### Strategy

Hobgoblins usually claim lands with abundant resources, such as forests and mountains, near mines and humanoid settlements, and anywhere else that wood and metal can be found. They build and conquer strongholds in strategically advantageous locations, which they then use as staging areas to expand their territory.

Hobgoblin warlords don't take up arms lightly. Before they attack, hobgoblins conduct thorough reconnaissance to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of their foes. When assaulting a stronghold, they surround it first to cut off escape routes and supply lines, then slowly starve their enemies out.

Hobgoblins fortify their own holdings, bolstering existing defenses with innovations of their own. Whether they lair in cavern complexes, dungeons, ruins, or forests, they protect their strongholds with ditches, fences, gates, guard towers, pit traps, and crude catapults or ballistas.

#### Beast Trainers

Hobgoblins have a long history of training animals to service. Like other races, they use oxen and horses to transport goods and weaponry over long distances. They communicate with each other using trained ravens, and keep wolves to guard prisoners and protect hobgoblin camps. Hobgoblin cavalry use trained worgs as steeds, in the same way that goblins ride wolves. Some tribes even keep carnivorous apes as fighting beasts.

#### Religion

Hobgoblins didn't use to care much for religion, but ever since the orcs abandoned Gruumsh, the god has had an eye on the hobgoblins, and because of this, some have begun singing his praises.

## Stat Blocks

### Regular Hobgoblin

**Challenge Level**: 1/2 (100 XP)

**Armor Class**: 18 (chain mail, shield)

**Hit Points**: 11 (2d8 + 2)

***Martial Advantage***: Once per turn, the hobgoblin can deal an extra 7 (2d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the hobgoblin that isn't incapacitated.

#### *Actions*

***Longsword***: *Melee Weapon Attack*: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target, *Hit*:5 (1d8 + 1) slashing damage, or 6 (1d10 + 1) slashing damage if used with two hands.

***Longbow***: *Ranged Weapon Attack*: +3 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. *Hit*: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage.

### Hobgoblin Iron Shadow

**Challenge Level**: 2 (450 XP)

**Armor Class**: 15

**Hit Points**: 32 (5d8 + 10)

**Speed**: 40 ft.

**Skills**: Acrobatics +5, Athletics +4, Stealth +5

***Spellcasting***: The hobgoblin is a 2nd-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:

* Cantrips (at will): *minor illusion* (pg. 260)*, prestidigitation* (pg. 267)*, true strike* (pg. 284)
* 1st level (3 slots): *charm person* (pg. 221)*, disguise self* (pg. 233)*, expeditious retreat* (pg. 238)*, silent image* (pg. 276)

***Unarmored Defense***: While the hobgoblin is wearing no armor and wielding no shield, its AC includes its Wisdom modifier.

#### *Actions*

***Multiattack***: The hobgoblin makes four attacks, each of which can be an unarmed strike or a dart attack. It can also use Shadow Jaunt once, either before or after one of the attacks.

***Unarmed Strike***: *Melee Weapon Attack*: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit*: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage.

***Dart***: *Ranged Weapon Attack*. +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. *Hit*: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.

***Shadow Jaunt***: The hobgoblin magically teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Both the space it is leaving and i!s destination must be in dim light or darkness.

### Hobgoblin Captain

**Challenge Level**: 3 (700 XP)

**Armor Class**: 17 (half plate)

**Hit Points**: 39 (6d8 + 12)

***Martial Advantage***: Once per turn, the hobgoblin can deal an extra 7 (2d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the hobgoblin that isn't incapacitated.

#### *Actions*

***Multiattack***: The hobgoblin makes two greatsword attacks.

***Greatsword***: *Melee Weapon Attack*: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit*: 9 (2d6 + 2) slashing damage.

***Javelin***: *Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack*: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. *Hit*: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

***Leadership (Recharges after Long or Short Rest)***: For 1 minute, the hobgoblin can utter a special command or warning whenever a non-hostile creature that it can see within 30 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw. The creature can add a d4 to its roll provided it can hear and understand the hobgoblin. A creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if the hobgoblin is incapacitated.

### Hobgoblin Devastator

**Challenge Level**: 4 (1,100 XP)

**Armor Class**: 13 (studded leather)

**Hit Points**: 45 (7d8 + 14)

**Skills**: Arcana +5

***Arcane Advantage***: Once per turn, the hobgoblin can deal an extra 7 (2d6) damage to a creature it hits with a damaging spell attack if that target is within 5 feet of an ally of the hobgoblin and that ally isn't incapacitated.

***Army Arcana***: When the hobgoblin casts a spell that causes damage or that forces other creatures to make a saving throw, it can choose itself and any number of allies to be immune to the damage caused by the spell and to succeed on the required saving throw.

***Spellcasting***: The hobgoblin is a 7th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:

* Cantrips (at will}: *acid splash* (pg. 211)*,.fire bolt* (pg. 242)*, ray of frost* (pg. 271)*, shocking grasp* (pg. 275)
* 1st level (4 slots): *fog cloud* (pg. 243)*, magic missile* (pg. 257)*, thunderwave* (pg. 283)
* 2nd level (3 slots): *gust of wind* (pg. 248)*, Melf's acid arrow* (pg. 259)*, scorching ray* (pg. 273)
* 3rd level (3 slots):.*fireball* (pg. 241)*, fly* (pg. 243)*, lightning bolt* (pg. 255)
* 4th level (1 slot): *ice storm* (pg. 252)

#### *Actions*

***Quarterstaff***: *Melee Weapon Attack*: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit*: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage, or 5 (1d8 + 1) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands.

### Hobgoblin Warlord

**Challenge Level**: 6 (2,300 XP)

**Armor Class**: 20 (plate, shield)

**Hit Points**: 97 (13d8 + 39)

**Saving Throws**: Int +5, Wis +3, Cha +5

***Martial Advantage***: Once per turn, the hobgoblin can deal an extra 7 (2d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the hobgoblin that isn't incapacitated.

#### *Actions*

***Multiattack***: The hobgoblin makes three melee attacks. Alternatively, it can make two ranged attacks with its javelin.

***Longsword***: *Melee Weapon Attack*: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit*:7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, or 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage if used with two hands.

***Shield Bash***: *Melee Weapon Attack*: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. *Hit*: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the target is Large or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

***Javelin***: *Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack*: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120 ft., one target. *Hit*: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.

***Leadership (Recharges after Long or Short Rest)***: For 1 minute, the hobgoblin can utter a special command or warning whenever a non-hostile creature that it can see within 30 feet of it makes an attack roll or a saving throw. The creature can add a d4 to its roll provided it can hear and understand the hobgoblin. A creature can benefit from only one Leadership die at a time. This effect ends if the hobgoblin is incapacitated.

#### *Reactions*

***Parry***: The hobgoblin adds 3 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the hobgoblin must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.