How to Use Goblins in Combat Encounters
Goblins are one of the most Iconic fantasy creatures. In Dungeons and Dragons, Dungeon Masters tend to use Goblins more for lower-level play. Sometimes, they even overuse them by making dull encounters for the party to level up. They are small, fragile, and any adventuring party could squash them in their way. But as a representative of the Dungeon Goblin here, I cannot have this. Killing and using Goblins just for low-level encounters must stop today. Goblin lives matter and Goblins must prevail, and today we will be looking at ways to creatively use them in our combat encounters.
What do the Books say about Goblins?
Goblins belong in a family of Goblinoids. They are Small, Black Hearted(I mean I'm lovely, right?), selfish humanoids that live in caves, abandoned mines, despoiled dungeons, and other dismal settings. Individually weak, goblins gather in a large - sometimes overwhelming numbers. They crave power and regularly abuse whatever authority they obtain.
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 and 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 tactics.
Worshipers of Maglubiyet(Who created this name? It sounds like a Russian curse word, seriously, was it cat walked on a keyboard. Seriously? 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 you 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.
Gathering Inspiration From The Books
Even looking at what the books have to say, we can gather that putting 3-4 goblins alone is not going to make an exciting encounter. Goblin strength it's is numbers, and it's lairs. There could be a scouting party encounter, accompanied by some wolves, yet the whole fun starts when we incorporate the elements of the goblin lair, mounts, that goblins can use, and their numbers.
Looking at tactics, it seems like Goblins are Guerilla Tactics oriented creatures. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. They are small, weak, so to survive in the world filled with dangers, a little goblin will probably not risk his hide going into the front lines for his inevitable death by one or two hits. Death to a Goblin entails an inevitable eternal servitude of their God Maglubiyet, and Goblins Hate that idea. Goblins should do anything to get the upper hand in combat, trying their best not to die in the process.
Looking at the fact that goblin bosses could easily fall victims of Coup d'état of Hobgoblins and Bugbears, one of the things to spice up the encounters is to give goblins a treacherous nature to them. If they hate and fear tyranny, letting bugbear rule over them seems unlikely. Maybe the Goblins pester the villagers or the party just because they want to get somebody in the lair to terminate this kind of "ruler" of their bunch. After a couple of light battles, goblins lure the party to their boss, to see whether the bugbear can handle the party, and in the last moment's goblins turn on their leader, killing him and sharing the proceeds with the party for peace. Or try to kill them afterward if things go south. Choices like these can enhance your combat and story. What do you know, maybe the party can make allies with a Goblin tribe after all and have a wicked party after the defeat of a bugbear chief.
Unyielding to tyranny, goblin's treacherous nature, can bring out some exciting moments for your players and even some moral choices. However, where they shine in means of tactical warfare is their lairs. They shouldn't be easy to access, even if the entrance is filled with lazy sleeping goblins at their post. There should be traps, alarms the other ways to keep the place secure. To enhance that, let's think about some pitfalls to lay for our party.
Traps
If not controlled by a brutish force like bugbears, goblin traps will be rather small and not very well done(Since the lore states, that they are not the best labor force, and quite lazy). Low-quality traps are great for a low-level party, yet there are many ways to make it deadly even to level 5-6 parties.
Traps Ideas for Goblin encounters
The Ball of Doom - Seen Indiana Jones? That's right, however, how about a possibility of goblins dropping nets on party heads at the same time? Besides the ball, it can be a massive wooden log that could try to crush the party members in a similar situation.
Any trap that restricts movement - Beartraps, Oily surfaces, or anything that could impact the player's movement is essential for hit-and-run tactics. Using these kinds of traps in an open environment would be necessary.
Fire in the Hole - If the players penetrate the Goblin lair and decide to go through their passageways, struggling to move through them, make them think twice about that decision. Maybe there are small holes that goblins can shoot arrows through them. Or there is an upper level from which goblins are throwing rocks on them while they can't reach them properly.
The Ratatouille - Going through small goblin passageways, swarms of hungry rats released by the goblins can appear to try and nimble on the party members. Crawling through tight spaces and having difficulty to move and maneuver, or even giving the party combat disadvantage to hit them makes it a great trap. The swarm AC is 10, so even with a disadvantage, this shouldn't be a horrific challenge for your players.
Think of ways that goblins could enhance these traps. Have more than one trap active during combat encounters. Maybe give your Goblins more ingenuity to use such traps as alchemy traps(Like corrosive bombs), or even magical traps(Imagine walking into a fireball, or let's not be cruel, firebolt...). Even if D&D Goblins are lazy, they would think of ways to create some cunning traps so that they could ease their minds at their post.
Other creatures to use with Goblins
Now in means of the Goblins themselves, many creatures could go in great tandem with them during combat. Orcs and Hobgoblins are okay, Bugbears work perfect, mechanically speaking with goblins(with they surprise mechanics). Still, if its only goblin themed encounter, flavor town begins when we such monsters as these:
Ogre Howdah(Also Ogres) - When everything hits the fan, and you want to make an encounter where you fight a damn fort of a creature, this ogre type is just amazing. You can have up to four goblins on his back, and also smash things with brutal force. Also, it makes an unusual situation to think about how did the goblins manage to trick an ogre into serving them?
Wolves - It's essential if you're thinking about an encounter in the woods, or anywhere else where the lair is not present. Maybe after the unsuccessful goblin lair raid, these goblin riders can track down and finish of the party. Alternatively, they can be used as cavalry against mages and squishy characters due to their 40ft speed. Also, having a goblin on them makes them have an advantage against their foes, making pretty formidable opponents to the party.
A Swarm of Rats - I think this should be used more as traps, yet if you have a Shaman Goblin(Druid, Cleric, Mage, Sorcerer), this could fit pretty well thematically for the encounter.
Barghest - Besides other goblinoid races ruling over Goblins, this Fiend is the right choice if you're thinking of introducing more Fiendish type of campaign to your game. Also, it's rather deadly.
Nilbog - This creature has fascinating lore to it and some magical abilities that could be used against a low charisma oriented group.
Homebrew Ideas for Goblin Types
The Rodent Shaman/The Goblin Piper - A goblin that conjures swarms of rats. Alternatively, this type could only control the swarms, yet any idea involving rats fit the goblin theme rather well. Imagine a bard goblin, with a flute controlling the rats to attack the party, what a beautiful twist for the well-known fable.
The Wolf Trainer - A goblin that uses wolfs to protect himself or the goblins, coordinating cavalry type of attacks against the party like a wicked lion tamer.
The Acolyte of Maglubiyet - A paranoid Shaman with healing abilities to raise unconscious goblins yelling, "It's not your time, it's not your time. Maglubiyet, don't take them yet!!". This creature could also be a mix between its healing abilities and the Rodent Shaman, but I think it's great for having more than one goblin type in your encounters.
Goblin Tactics and Bringing it All Together
In a heated battle, I would not imagine a common goblin taking more than one hit after he retreats to a safer position. But even before the combat, I would imagine goblins planning out an ambush and minimizing their risk. Bushes, hiding spots are goblin's best friends in this situation, they should keep their distance, shoot an arrow, and hide once again. Only if the PC steps into a trap, maybe then they would engage in close-range battle and run away soon after.
Even arriving at the Goblins lair entrance should feel like walking into a trap. A hill where the goblin cave entrance is located should be riddled with traps, scouts, and other goblin personnel to ensure the tribe's safety. To keep in mind, it's not a full out war with goblins. It's a war of attrition, the attrition of PC's health points.
Now in means of goblins seeing other goblins killed, I think goblins should be a bit less selfish to one another. If meeting their God promises goblins eternal tyranny, they would try to avoid it as much as possible. Maybe saving their lives could make them feel like they are above that goblin, in social hierarchy wise way, almost gaining more influence over the dying goblin, rather than leaving them out to die. For a goblin, to save his hide is the most crucial task, but I think that could justify some things why for instance, the Goblin Bosses can be so quickly ousted, and it's just because of the fear of death. Like most of the creatures.
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